E26-2 : stuffing box drip

[acubria]

this replaced my turkey basters. Perfect for the e-26

Beckson Marine Hand Water Pump (Manual): 22" Hose Length, 12-3/4" Pump Length, 1/2" Hose Dia.

Handy-Mate Utility PumpBeckson's Handy-Mate pumps can be used around the home, car, RV or anywhere to handle routine and emergency pumping jobs. They are designed to handle all the routine pumping jobs, plus the unusual ones. They can pump water out of bilges, sump tanks and from one tank to...

www.iboats.com

 

[vasuvius]

this replaced my turkey basters. Perfect for the e-26

Beckson Marine Hand Water Pump (Manual): 22" Hose Length, 12-3/4" Pump Length, 1/2" Hose Dia.

Handy-Mate Utility PumpBeckson's Handy-Mate pumps can be used around the home, car, RV or anywhere to handle routine and emergency pumping jobs. They are designed to handle all the routine pumping jobs, plus the unusual ones. They can pump water out of bilges, sump tanks and from one tank to...

www.iboats.com

I got this one : https://www.amazon.com/Bilge-Manual...|Hand+Pumps+Siphon+Boat&qid=1632968705&sr=8-2

It gets "most" of the water that the electric pump doesn't. Wish I had seen the one you got sooner. Oh well.

 

[Roger Janeway]

I just got the Beckson recommended by Arturo and it is fantastic for my E-26. Empties the bilges in 1/10th the time (or better) than my 100ml syringe method. Thanks, Arturo aka Acubria!

 

[acubria]

I just got the Beckson recommended by Arturo and it is fantastic for my E-26. Empties the bilges in 1/10th the time (or better) than my 100ml syringe method. Thanks, Arturo aka Acubria!

I just got the Beckson recommended by Arturo and it is fantastic for my E-26. Empties the bilges in 1/10th the time (or better) than my 100ml syringe method. Thanks, Arturo aka Acubria!

Roger, I am glad you appreciate that pump. I insert the pump tube down to the lower bilge through one of those holes (see photo) that connect the 3 (upper bilges), and you can eliminate a lot more water than with a regular size pump.

 

[Roger Janeway]

Right, me too. I never let water appear in the visible part of the bilge and am fortunate it doesn't happen. But I try to keep the lower bilges empty because they only hold 3-4 gallons and if you're heeled over, water can damage the cabin sole.

Currently, my only source of water incursion comes from switching out the Signet paddlewheel knotmeter with the dummy between sails. Practice makes this less scary than it seems at first, but you inevitably get a bit of water in.

I remain mystified by how little water comes in from my stuffing box yet it doesn't overheat. The Ericson manual calls for 5-6 drips per minute when running, but mine is more like 1-2. I nervously aim a heat gun at the shaft and the stuffing box nuts but so far nothing seems wrong.

 

[vasuvius]

Right, me too. I never let water appear in the visible part of the bilge and am fortunate it doesn't happen. But I try to keep the lower bilges empty because they only hold 3-4 gallons and if you're heeled over, water can damage the cabin sole.

Sadly I wish I had known this sooner. The very first month of boat ownership, I managed to get the cabin sole in one corner soaked and damaged :-(. I need to buy that pump.

Currently, my only source of water incursion comes from switching out the Signet paddlewheel knotmeter with the dummy between sails. Practice makes this less scary than it seems at first, but you inevitably get a bit of water in.

I've been shutting off the raw water sea-cock when I leave the boat and there's definitely less water coming. I'm still trying to figure out where else it could be coming from. Boat is coming out of the water tomorrow and I'll be able to check everything.

I remain mystified by how little water comes in from my stuffing box yet it doesn't overheat. The Ericson manual calls for 5-6 drips per minute when running, but mine is more like 1-2. I nervously aim a heat gun at the shaft and the stuffing box nuts but so far nothing seems wrong.

My drip is even less than 1-2. It's just a weep - i can feel the wetness but not see anything and the shaft does not heat up. At least not yet.

 

[Alan Gomes]

Right, me too. I never let water appear in the visible part of the bilge and am fortunate it doesn't happen. But I try to keep the lower bilges empty because they only hold 3-4 gallons and if you're heeled over, water can damage the cabin sole.

Currently, my only source of water incursion comes from switching out the Signet paddlewheel knotmeter with the dummy between sails. Practice makes this less scary than it seems at first, but you inevitably get a bit of water in.

I remain mystified by how little water comes in from my stuffing box yet it doesn't overheat. The Ericson manual calls for 5-6 drips per minute when running, but mine is more like 1-2. I nervously aim a heat gun at the shaft and the stuffing box nuts but so far nothing seems wrong.

Ignore the Ericson manual. You need very little water to keep the shaft cool--though you do need some. If the packing nut is not running hot then you are fine.

 

[Alan Gomes]

My drip is even less than 1-2. It's just a weep - i can feel the wetness but not see anything and the shaft does not heat up. At least not yet.

Yours is adjusted perfectly.

 

[acubria]

hello again e-26 owners.
I changed the packing in my stuffing box this weekend. Took out two rings of old material , really dry and crummy, and managed to insert 2 rings of new 1/8" packing material. Would you say 2 rings is enough or this small stuffing box? Do you guys use more? Half my body is hurting after spending 45 minutes up-side-down over the top of the 1GM.....
The Ericson packing gland instructions says to add 3 rings of packing.... mine had only two, but I guess I could go back in there and add a third ring if this is what you guys do.
Also, how often do you change the Shaft tube , in my photo held by 4 large clamps? Mine looks pretty old...
Looking forward to a great new season.

 

[Alan Gomes]

hello again e-26 owners.
I changed the packing in my stuffing box this weekend. Took out two rings of old material , really dry and crummy, and managed to insert 2 rings of new 1/8" packing material. Would you say 2 rings is enough or this small stuffing box? Do you guys use more? Half my body is hurting after spending 45 minutes up-side-down over the top of the 1GM.....
The Ericson packing gland instructions says to add 3 rings of packing.... mine had only two, but I guess I could go back in there and add a third ring if this is what you guys do.
Also, how often do you change the aft tube , in my photo held by 4 large clamps? Mine looks pretty old...
Looking forward to a great new season.

Arturo,

My initial thought is that you did not remove all of the old rings. Are you *positive* that you got out all of the rings that were in there? It's easy enough to misjudge that. The fact that you could only get in 2 rings of new packing suggests to me that there is still one old ring left in there. Remove the two new rings and then use a sharp pick to go in at an angle and see if it sticks into something. If so, you need to lever out the remaining old piece.

Assuming you did indeed remove all of the packing....As long as your stuffing box performs properly, there is no reason you can't run it with 2 rings. "Performing properly" means that you need a small amount of water cooling the shaft where it exits the packing nut while you are running the engine in gear, and minimal to (ideally) no dripping while the boat is sitting without the engine running. The packing nut should not run hot, though slightly warm is fine. So a drip a minute while running would be OK. With an ideal adjustment, you'd see a small amount of weeping where the shaft exits the nut--not quite dripping but not dry, either. But it is better to let it drip a bit than to have it too tight.

If you absolutely can't fit the three rings in, and if you are 100% certain that you got all the old stuff out, then I'd wonder whether you might have one or both rings in cockeyed. Granting that 1/8" is the smallest size you could use, we can eliminate the worry that the packing you bought might be too large for the stuffing box. You should definitely be able to fit 3 rings in that box without much drama--that is, if the box has been completely emptied and if you insert the rings in straight.

Also, be sure you stagger the cuts.

 

[acubria]

hi Alan, the stuffing box was 100% empty after I extracted the 2 old rings. I only inserted 2 new rings because I only took out 2 old ones. I think I can add a 3rd one, I just did not know at the time what the correct number of rings was. I will get one more in there. The boat is out of thewater this winter, so I will have to adjust in the Spring. Thanks for the info.

 

[Alan Gomes]

Well, if you are 100% sure that you got all the old rings out, and if you also think you could get in a third one if you wanted to, then I see no harm in running it with two and seeing what happens. As the packing settles in after five or six hours, you might need to tighten it a little bit more if the number of drips per minute is a bit more than you want to see. But if it is working right after an adjustment or two with two rings, then just leave it alone. You could always add a third ring later. There’s nothing magic about whether it is two or three; it is only the end result that you care about. Indeed, there is less friction with two rings, so in principle that would be better, provided that you’re not getting excessive water ingress. Three rings might be necessary to prevent that problem, but if two rings does the job then just call it good and don’t worry about it.

 

[KS Dave]

Nice job, Arturo! I see you did the same thing I did with the endoscope camera. Because mine had gone so long, I really had to look and make sure I got all the old out - it was mostly wispy fibers.

Would you say 2 rings is enough or this small stuffing box? Do you guys use more?

I think I'm with Alan on the packing and going with three rings per the guide. As they compress down over time, you might run out of room for the nut to compress any further. I know lots of people do it, but opening that all back up while in the water seems like more excitement than I'd want.

As with many things on our boats, remember that just because that's the way you found it from a previous owner, doesn't mean it was right.

Also, how often do you change the Shaft tube , in my photo held by 4 large clamps? Mine looks pretty old...

Do you have plans to disconnect your shaft? You have to do that in order to replace that tube. Remember there are things to think about if you do that - I reference Maine Sail's 'A New Prop Shaft' article. You'd probably also want to replace your cutlass bearing while you have the shaft disconnected.

 

[Alan Gomes]

Nice job, Arturo! I see you did the same thing I did with the endoscope camera. Because mine had gone so long, I really had to look and make sure I got all the old out - it was mostly wispy fibers.



I think I'm with Alan on the packing and going with three rings per the guide. As they compress down over time, you might run out of room for the nut to compress any further. I know lots of people do it, but opening that all back up while in the water seems like more excitement than I'd want.

As with many things on our boats, remember that just because that's the way you found it from a previous owner, doesn't mean it was right.



Do you have plans to disconnect your shaft? You have to do that in order to replace that tube. Remember there are things to think about if you do that - I reference Maine Sail's 'A New Prop Shaft' article. You'd probably also want to replace your cutlass bearing while you have the shaft disconnected.

Well, I'm not sure we're quite saying the same thing regarding the number of rings, Dave. What I'm saying is that if 2 rings work, then I see nothing wrong with it. But if it doesn't work (i.e., to much water coming in) and can't be adjusted adequately, then pop in a third ring. Or, if Arturo wants, he could put in the third ring now.

As for opening it up with the boat in the water: If Arturo has an electric bilge pump, it will keep up with the flow easily. My pump is a really small one, and it has no problem. I've only changed and adjusted the packing with the boat in the water.

 

[KS Dave]

Well, I'm not sure we're quite saying the same thing regarding the number of rings, Dave. What I'm saying is that if 2 rings work, then I see nothing wrong with it. But if it doesn't work (i.e., to much water coming in) and can't be adjusted adequately, then pop in a third ring. Or, if Arturo wants, he could put in the third ring now.

I stand humbly corrected.

As for opening it up with the boat in the water: If Arturo has an electric bilge pump, it will keep up with the flow easily. My pump is a really small one, and it has no problem. I've only changed and adjusted the packing with the boat in the water.

Fair enough. I was thinking less about the boat filling with water and more about the water rushing in working against the actual task. Again, probably displaying my ignorance and inexperience.

 

[Alan Gomes]

I stand humbly corrected.


Fair enough. I was thinking less about the boat filling with water and more about the water rushing in working against the actual task. Again, probably displaying my ignorance and inexperience.

You are correct that the water coming in makes the job slightly more annoying. However, it does not exactly "rush" in. It's a steady stream but it's not as though it's a geyser.

 

[Second Star]

I have had a miserable time with the stuffing box on my 28+. The space to move the gland nut forward allows about 3/4 inch to access the inside of the nut. The usual corkscrew removers won't fit so I just use dental picks from a store like Harbor Freight or Princess Tools. The packing comes out in little pieces at first; you may get the 3rd one out in one piece. You will have to insert one piece, then drive the nut down to make space, back it off and put the next in etc. I have never been able to get the locking nut to work properly. Access with tools is so difficult that small adjustments are almost impossible. If the lift muffler was out as well as engine control lines and exhaust hoses access would improve marginally. Once the gland nut is precisely set to stop immediate water flow, attempting to set the locking nut inevitably moves the gland nut forward maybe 1/8 turn or less which allows water to flow; readjust ,repeat etc. I now set the gland, drive the locking nut as best as possible, then reset the gland nut and locking nut as if they are one piece (and yes, they both move pretty easily after a best effort at locking) then fit a large hose clamp over the gland nut and tighten it so that the "tail" of the clamp curves down and hits the bottom of the boat. (think of a mirror image 6 on it's side) This stops the gland nut and locking nut from moving under the friction of the shaft turning in forward. I can get maybe a drip a minute shaft stopped and a drip every 10-15 sec running.

 

[NW26]

Hey fellas, I just went down this packing gland nut road on my 26-3 and have a question. I dug out the old packing - 3 rings worth. It was 1/4". Not knowing any better, I replaced it with 3 new rings of 1/4" packing and I thought it went together easily. But after reading this thread and 1\8" and 3/16" being mentioned and nothing about 1/4", I'm perplexed. How do you know what size you're supposed to use?

 

[Alan Gomes]

Hey fellas, I just went down this packing gland nut road on my 26-3 and have a question. I dug out the old packing - 3 rings worth. It was 1/4". Not knowing any better, I replaced it with 3 new rings of 1/4" packing and I thought it went together easily. But after reading this thread and 1\8" and 3/16" being mentioned and nothing about 1/4", I'm perplexed. How do you know what size you're supposed to use?

It depends entirely on your particular stuffing box. If it went in snugly but not too snug, and it doesn't run hot when you (carefully!) feel the packing nut while it is running in gear, then it sounds like you have the right packing. All that matters is that it performs the way it should.

Just out of curiosity, what is the diameter of the prop shaft on your boat? Mine takes the 1/8" packing and the shaft is 3/4". But again, depending on the dimensions of your particular stuffing box, the packing size could be different compared to mine.

 

[NW26]

My shaft is 3/4” (insert Bevis laugh here), and the nut on the packing gland is 1 7/8”.