Through hull fitting leaking...

[sheral]

Our new 21EC went in yesterday to a local Volvo Penta dealer to have the 50 hour initial service/check done (purely for volvo warranty purposes). They also looked for a leak we had (at times) in the cabinet under the tach and engine controls. Turns out they believe it is a through hull fitting (above water line - so it only leaks a bit when in choppy waters). They said they didn't have time to fix the leak and to bring it back another time.

Anyway, it's a bit of a trek to take it in again and thinking of just trying to do it myself this winter when the boat is on the trailer and tucked away.

Anyone have any advice on what may be needed to correct the seal? Just take it apart/off; clean it up; and reseal with some really good marine silicone? Are there any gaskets that I may need to acquire from Ranger etc?

Thanks.

 

[NorthernFocus]

Yes it's as simple as that. Though using a sealant other than silicone is recommended. 3M 4200(not 5200) is a good one. I use butyl tape on anything above the waterline. You can get it on Amazon.

 

[sheral]

copy thanks very much. i do have butyl tape and will get some 3M 4200.

 

[knotflying]

I have used Lifeseal. I am not sure what thoughts others have on this product. It is not as permenant as 4200 and 5200 is forever, but this seems to be an appropriate product. You never know when you may have to change out your thru hull.

 

[NorthernFocus]

copy thanks very much. i do have butyl tape and will get some 3M 4200.

To clarify, the 4200 is not needed if you use the butyl tape. The joint is mechanically secured and the tape is an adequate sealant. And easily re-applied if need be. I used the 3M products for years and don't touch them any more. Way overkill for 99 percent of applications.

 

[sheral]

copy thanks very much. i do have butyl tape and will get some 3M 4200.

To clarify, the 4200 is not needed if you use the butyl tape. The joint is mechanically secured and the tape is an adequate sealant. And easily re-applied if need be. I used the 3M products for years and don't touch them any more. Way overkill for 99 percent of applications.

yes thanks. probably a good idea to have the 4200 on hand regardless. we live in such a remote area that i like to have things on hand before tearing into a project. i am sure it will be a handy addition to the tool box should i choose the butyl tape over the 3M product when putting it back together.

 

[sheral]

Got the through hull apart today and sealed up with 3M 4200. There was no sealant at all on the through hull fitting from the factory. I hope the remaining through hull fittings aren't the same, but I suppose they would have leaked by now... Guess the sealant was overlooked? :?: Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[Andrew Custis]

To clarify, this was the fuel tank vent fitting. Sometimes when you say thru hull it sounds like something under the water line to me. We do not use sealant on the vent fittings as they come with O-rings as discussed in the private email I sent. It sounds like we missed the o-ring and I am sorry for that. When we water test all of our boats we are after leaks and such in the water. We do spray down the entire outside but I can see where this could be easily missed. We will do a better job of inspecting these from here on out.

Thank you for bringing it to our attention.

Andrew Custis

 

[Pilotnavigator]

Did you mean the holding tank vent, I thought the issue was under the starboard cabinet. Fuel vent is at the stern?

 

[sheral]

Did you mean the holding tank vent, I thought the issue was under the starboard cabinet. Fuel vent is at the stern?

Yes, you are correct. It was the holding tank vent, under the starboard cabinet. Not too sure how the fuel vent got into the conversation, that was the topic of another issue 😉