I have a concern about my thru hull for the head raw water intake in the head cabinet. I just hauled out so while winterizing I thought I would troubleshoot a small leak I had in the head cabinet at at the thru hull for the head. This leak was at the fitting above the seacock valve. Trying to troubleshoot I ended up disassembling the unit down to the plastic nipple from the thru hull. I am wondering what kind of sealant I can use on the threads when I screw the valve back onto the nipple? It looks like it needs something(teflon tape,silicone?) The whole thing just looks like a bad setup to me and I am afraid that in spring when I launch I will find it leaking and have to haul out again. Does anyone have any experience with removing the valve unit from the thru hull and then reassembling?
Thanks, Bill
If you are happy with the actual thru hull, then I have used teflon tape when installing valves or fittings etc.
bill, i use teflon paste pipe sealant on all threads, no leaks. i replaced all the thru hulls and seacocks last season. no problem...jeff
Bill : Either Teflon tape or pipe dope will work fine to seal those threads. Just remember the plumbing rule - never back up!! Always end by tightening!
Make sure you have confidence in the fittings you have attached here. I had some absolute crap attached to my seacocks in this area - hose fittings without barbs. I have no idea if it was original or a previous owner, but pull apart everything and have a look at it and make sure it something you want to have below your waterline before you reassemble with teflon or whatever you use.
Waterdog, I have similar issues with the hose fittings. Some barbed and others not, some without any type of beading at all, just smooth with a hose and a clamp over it. Hopefully it was not the factory that built this because my fittings look like someone went to a plumbing junk bin and picked out whatever might fit. I will be going to some stores today to try and construct something more confident.
Also thanks to everyone for their input, I will probably pipe dope the fittings and teflon paste the fitting that the seacock screw on to.
Bill
I actually have a similar problem with this fitting. When I open the valve, it leaks. When it's closed it doesn't leak. Does this mean I need to replace the valve? Where do I get one?
Guys : It's common practice to use double clamps on all fittings below the water line.
I'd recommend that all fittings that go into a hose have at least one barb. Some times multiple barbed fittings are a pain to get the hose off of, especially on hoses that are taken off periodically.