Water in engine hole

[LadyG]

Well, I've had the boat out for a run, and no further water ingress in normal operation.

I did have a lot of water come

 up the ellum and over tiller bearing last week, but that has happened occasionally previously.

I'm not sinking.

I can only think there was a tiny drip due to slack grease situation over five days at mooring. Will add  aft engine compartment to daily checks.

 

 

6 hours ago, Rob-M said:

What method did you use to refill the greaser?  You may have large air pockets and not getting much grease when tightening the greaser but if the stern gland is dripping you should be able to see that and the rate at which it is dripping.

 

You really should have an automatic bilge pump with a float switch so if you get too much water in there it turns itself on.

I have an On \Off rocker switch, illuminated/ not illuminated 

I  would think it should be three way, on off auto, but it's not and my experience of getting anyone to tweak electrics has been bad, so I'll live with it , I'll turn bilge pump on every moving day as pre checks 

Greaser is now tight, maybe I pumped an air pockets in to the tube.

Edited September 8, 2023 by LadyG

[Jon57]

4 hours ago, Rob-M said:

Or nappies

 

Yep always good to have around on a boat. And don’t pay more than a Tenna for them🤣

[cuthound]

6 hours ago, David Mack said:

If you have mains electricity /generator / suitable inverter, a wet and dry vacuum cleaner is surprisingly good at removing not only the bulk of the water but also most of the wetness left on the surface.

 

Mine also removed a strip of paint from the bottom of the bilge...  

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

7 hours ago, LadyG said:

There are no shops handy to get nappies.

I prefer an old towel and a bucket. 
Just as you might use for mopping up any spillage anywhere else. 
The engine running helps dry the rest. 

I tried nappies and typically I got distracted and forgot about them. 
When I looked again they’d kind of disintegrated and left a further horrible mess. 
 

Old towel don’t cost a penny and can be used again and again. 
 

[blackrose]

I have a 9v battery operated water level alarm in my engine bilge, one in a rectangular washing up bowl in which my water pump sits and another in a small bowl under the shower tray drain. It's an early warning system.

 

If you buy this particular brand cut off the sensor and strip back the insulation on the wires by 5mm as the sensor is far too sensitive and will be activated with a bit of condensation. They're cheap enough and can save you a lot of money and hassle. Other models are a bit more expensive and just as good. Test them out before you fit them.

 

 

Edited September 8, 2023 by blackrose

[Tonka]

If you had the engine in the traditional engine room you could keep an eye on the bilge every time you walk through there.

[blackrose]

If you had the engine in a traditional engine room you also may not have a watertight bulkhead between the engine room and the rest of the boat to prevent a flood sinking the boat.

 

Anyway, I don't have a traditional boat, a traditional engine or a traditional engine room. I'm not a traditionalist.

[Tonka]

28 minutes ago, blackrose said:

If you had the engine in a traditional engine room you also may not have a watertight bulkhead between the engine room and the rest of the boat to prevent a flood sinking the boat.

 

Anyway, I don't have a traditional boat, a traditional engine or a traditional engine room. I'm not a traditionalist.

Why would a flood sink the rest of the boat. The rest of the boat I.e forward of the engine drains down to the engine room.

 

I mentioned it because it helps newbies when they are deciding on what type of boat to go for.

[Momac]

12 hours ago, LadyG said:

 

No boatyard here.

I'm wary of going on the Trent, knowing that I will need to open throttle at Keadby.

 

I guess  you on the Chesterfield?

No boatyard but there are likely to be folks on boats moored at West Stockwith basin  who might  help with an opinion at least if you wanted it. The lock keeper might point you in the right direction.

In case you didn't know you can stay in West Stockwith basin a couple of nights as a visitor. But  book with the lock keeper 

There is slipway  and a tractor /trailer  to move boats ashore  if needed  , no doubt at a charge. 

 

Shops - there is a coop at Misterton if required

 

But sounds like you have sorted it. 

 

[Tony Brooks]

23 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Why would a flood sink the rest of the boat. The rest of the boat I.e forward of the engine drains down to the engine room.

 

snip

 

On yours maybe, but many/most cruiser sterns and semi-trads have a fixed full height bulkhead (apart from the door) in front of the engine.

 

If you have an older bat with an all-in-one bilge, then a leak into the engine area at the stern would gradually pull the back down and the water will move forward under the floor. In short, on an all-in-one bilge a leak can and will sink the boat - eventually.

[cuthound]

2 hours ago, blackrose said:

I have a 9v battery operated water level alarm in my engine bilge, one in a rectangular washing up bowl in which my water pump sits and another in a small bowl under the shower tray drain. It's an early warning system.

 

If you buy this particular brand cut off the sensor and strip back the insulation on the wires by 5mm as the sensor is far too sensitive and will be activated with a bit of condensation. They're cheap enough and can save you a lot of money and hassle. Other models are a bit more expensive and just as good. Test them out before you fit them.

 

 

 

I have three if these. One under the water pumps, one under the inspection hatch in the rear cabin bilge and one in the engine hole bilge, ahead of the stern gland about an inch up the swim.

Edited September 8, 2023 by cuthound
phat phingers

[LadyG]

56 minutes ago, MartynG said:

I guess  you on the Chesterfield?

No boatyard but there are likely to be folks on boats moored at West Stockwith basin  who might  help with an opinion at least if you wanted it. The lock keeper might point you in the right direction.

But sounds like you have sorted it. 

 

Yes, I can't replicate the problem, it could have been something to do with air pockets in the greaser, possibly the water temperature, anyway , I'll do both a pre and and a post engine check for a while. No sign of any drips when running, forward or reverse.

I've sacrificed one old bath towel, but not actually dried the engine hole. 

 

[Peugeot 106]

12 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Yes, I can't replicate the problem, it could have been something to do with air pockets in the greaser, possibly the water temperature, anyway , I'll do both a pre and and a post engine check for a while. No sign of any drips when running, forward or reverse.

I've sacrificed one old bath towel, but not actually dried the engine hole. 

 

I don’t want to teach my granny to suck eggs but you do give the greaser a turn when you turn off your engine to prevent the gland dripping? 

[Tony Brooks]

I always turned it down util it stiffened, that indicates the voids are full of grease, maybe three to five turns.

[Jon57]

2 hours ago, blackrose said:

If you had the engine in a traditional engine room you also may not have a watertight bulkhead between the engine room and the rest of the boat to prevent a flood sinking the boat.

 

Anyway, I don't have a traditional boat, a traditional engine or a traditional engine room. I'm not a traditionalist.

I've got a traditional engine room. Watertight bulkheads and one of your alarms under the stern gland. Problem is I can't hear it for all the noise. Good job I've got a second alarm SWMBO. I'm not a tradionalist just sensible 😁

[blackrose]

2 hours ago, Tonka said:

Why would a flood sink the rest of the boat. The rest of the boat I.e forward of the engine drains down to the engine room.

 

I mentioned it because it helps newbies when they are deciding on what type of boat to go for.

 

Water in the rest of the boat forward of the engine room may drain back towards the engine room (as with most boats where the bow sits higher in the water than the stern). However without a watertight bulkhead between the engine room and the rest of the boat, in the event of a catastrophic failure of the stern gland, seacock or any other underwater fitting in the engine room, there's nothing to stop the water filling the bilges of the entire boat until the bow no longer sits higher than the stern. At that point water will no longer be draining back towards the engine room.

 

I'm surprised I'm having to explain such basic physics.

1 hour ago, Jon57 said:

I've got a traditional engine room. Watertight bulkheads and one of your alarms under the stern gland. Problem is I can't hear it for all the noise. Good job I've got a second alarm SWMBO. I'm not a tradionalist just sensible 😁

 

So it's clearly not the type of traditional engine room where you can easily walk through to the rest of the boat that we talking about.

[Jon57]

16 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Water in the rest of the boat forward of the engine room may drain back towards the engine room (as with most boats where the bow sits higher in the water than the stern). However without a watertight bulkhead between the engine room and the rest of the boat, in the event of a catastrophic failure of the stern gland, seacock or any other underwater fitting in the engine room, there's nothing to stop the water filling the bilges of the entire boat until the bow no longer sits higher than the stern. At that point water will no longer be draining back towards the engine room.

 

I'm surprised I'm having to explain such basic physics.

 

So it's clearly not the type of traditional engine room where you can easily walk through to the rest of the boat that we talking about.

Yes it is

Separate bilge in the living area 

[Frankgh]

Does anyone use a PYI PSS Dripless shaft seal? I had one on my dive boat in Okinawa and my bilge was always dry!

 

https://www.propellerdepot.com/pyi-pss-dripless-0220m114-shaft-seal

See, No water!

[Peanut]

A face seal, similar to the Deep Sea seal. The Volvo and Radice shaft seals work well at canal boat speeds, with a squirt of grease every so often, and cost significantly less. The Deep Sea seal can fail catastrophically and is supplied with a clamp to secure it to the shaft should this happen. I got rid of mine and fitted a Radice seal, no water gets in. At slow speeds they get enough water to lubricatd them without a separate feed.

A conventional packing gland worker well, keeps the water out, save for a few drips. It can be serviced anywhere, and given a squirt of grease, repacking when needed, last for ever. If it ain't broke, why fix it,

On a motor boat, with more speed a face seal might be what you need. Best of luck.

[cuthound]

5 hours ago, Peanut said:

A face seal, similar to the Deep Sea seal. The Volvo and Radice shaft seals work well at canal boat speeds, with a squirt of grease every so often, and cost significantly less. The Deep Sea seal can fail catastrophically and is supplied with a clamp to secure it to the shaft should this happen. I got rid of mine and fitted a Radice seal, no water gets in. At slow speeds they get enough water to lubricatd them without a separate feed.

A conventional packing gland worker well, keeps the water out, save for a few drips. It can be serviced anywhere, and given a squirt of grease, repacking when needed, last for ever. If it ain't broke, why fix it,

On a motor boat, with more speed a face seal might be what you need. Best of luck.

 

I had the Vetus dripless seal replaced with a Radice seal last time I had my boat blacked in 2019.

 

I have almost run out of the "special" grease in the sachet supplied, and you can't seem to buy it as a separate item.

 

What do you grease your Radice seal with, ordinary silicon grease, the expensive Volvo blue grease or something else?

[LadyG]

On 08/09/2023 at 09:44, haggis said:

Hope you find out where the water is coming from. Just a thought, but if you applied a lot of reverse to get rid of the weed, did water come up beside the tiller base (sorry, can't remember the right name) ? If so, could it have found its way down into the engine hole? I know you have a trad stern but often there is a hinged plate there which might allow water past  the edges.

Sorry to hear you are not continuing your journey onto the lovely narrow lowland canals. 

I'm 50/50, I like to check on my bro, and he on me, :), but i would like a proper summer excursion, then back North., (The Rochdale).

I'm able to sit out the heatwave on an isolated mooring,  not worried about maximising ventilation.

Need to visit civilisation fairly soon.

I've cleaned and dried the engine hole, it's cleaner and drier than when I paid someone to do it, he had a wet and dry vac. I had to do it manually. 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

1 hour ago, cuthound said:

 

I had the Vetus dripless seal replaced with a Radice seal last time I had my boat blacked in 2019.

 

I have almost run out of the "special" grease in the sachet supplied, and you can't seem to buy it as a separate item.

 

What do you grease your Radice seal with, ordinary silicon grease, the expensive Volvo blue grease or something else?

silicone grease

[Peanut]

1 hour ago, cuthound said:

What do you grease your Radice seal with, ordinary silicon grease, the expensive Volvo blue grease or something else?

You can use silicone grease as Tracy suggests, I have some expensive Brunton's propeller grease in a big tube, and a pot of Blake's sea cock grease as well, but you don't use them on a NB.

 

I think that last was spam.

Edited September 9, 2023 by Peanut
spam

[Lily Rose]

19 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

I always turned it down util it stiffened, that indicates the voids are full of grease, maybe three to five turns.

 

I've had very little success refilling my greaser using anything other than a teaspoon so that's what I always do now. I try to eliminate air pockets as I do it by poking the grease with a thin stick but accept there may still be some. As a result, when I stop for the day I give the greaser a turn or two until I feel resistance. I check how much dripping there is both before and after doing this.

 

I then come back about half an hour later to check that there is no further sign of dripping.

 

On the day I leave the boat to go home I'll give it an extra turn and check it 2 or 3 times over a longer time period just to be sure.