# What is better to lube your leaking portlights, teflon or silicone



## thecrabbycaptain (Jul 22, 2018)

Or are they the same?
We have some leaky portlights and want to lube them before thinking of replacing them. Should we use a teflon (ptfe) lubricant or a silicone one to give some new life to our older portholes.

Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks
Carac
www.TheCrabbyCaptainAndTheSunnySailor.com


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

Are you trying to lube opening port lights or just reseal them? If you are trying to temporary seal them, don't waste your time, you need to replace or rebuild them. The hardest part of most rebedding or resealing anything is removing all the old silicones or sealants before reinstalling. Any attempts to fix a leaky portlight will just make your upcoming task harder.


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

Sounds like the gaskets in opening ports.
The gaskets start to break down.
Be careful not to break their sealing edges off...they become brittle like they are dried out.
You might try building up the surface they seal against with elec tape...tighten that seal.
I suppose vaseline or a grease would aid but would be a mess.

Do order new gaskets asap because some are not stocked and must be preordered.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

If the gaskets have stiffened up, use ArmorAll on them. It replenishes the plasticizers that have dried out over the years. "Grease" of any kind isn't going to do that. Grease isn't going to restore gaskets. Dry teflon lube will lubricate without making the mess that silicones will, but it still isn't going to rejuvenate old gaskets.

ArmorAll has limited abilities. If the rubber is shot, nothing will stop the leaks short of new gaskets. Do the dirty deed, and use Armorall at least twice a year to preserve the new ones.


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

Keeping them clean is also VERY important. A wet washcloth around the face can make a real difference. It should be routine.

My last boat (catamaran) had 18 opening hatches.


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

pdqaltair said:


> Keeping them clean is also VERY important. A wet washcloth around the face can make a real difference. It should be routine.
> 
> My last boat (catamaran) had 18 opening hatches.


A washcloth on shot rubber will fill the cloth...black....and take off brittle edge sealing.

But yes you are right...another thing to regularly look after.

Hellosailors post makes sense.
But when they are shot...they are shot. 
My 8 gaskets are shot...but still seal. $200 worth of replacement onboard...ready when i get ready...


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## SeaStar58 (Feb 14, 2018)

Many manufacturers of hatches, vents and skylights that open will give you a packet of 303 Aerospace Protectant to protect the gaskets from UV and prevent them from becoming sticky so everything continues to work smoothly and seal correctly. 
https://www.amazon.com/303-30306-Aerospace-Protectant-Furniture/dp/B000XBCURW/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1533297327&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=303+protectant&psc=1

https://www.goldeagle.com/product/303-aerospace-protectant/

Armor All usually starts the process of deterioration and has literally done more harm than good way too many times. I know many swear by it however it seems the more you use it the more often you need to use it as if what you put it on has become addicted and can no longer survive without it.


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## Lazerbrains (Oct 25, 2015)

Vaseline.


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## overbored (Oct 8, 2010)

SeaStar58 said:


> Many manufacturers of hatches, vents and skylights that open will give you a packet of 303 Aerospace Protectant to protect the gaskets from UV and prevent them from becoming sticky so everything continues to work smoothly and seal correctly.
> https://www.amazon.com/303-30306-Aerospace-Protectant-Furniture/dp/B000XBCURW/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1533297327&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=303+protectant&psc=1
> 
> https://www.goldeagle.com/product/303-aerospace-protectant/
> ...


Second the 303 and it is also used to protect sunbrella. we don't use armor all it seems to make things worse with time


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## thecrabbycaptain (Jul 22, 2018)

pdqaltair said:


> Keeping them clean is also VERY important. A wet washcloth around the face can make a real difference. It should be routine.
> 
> My last boat (catamaran) had 18 opening hatches.


That is great advice!
Cara
The Crabby Captain and the Sunny Sailor


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## fallard (Nov 30, 2009)

It looks like the OP’s Beneteau has Lewmar opening portlights with the older cam action toggles (like mine). When I replaced the lenses, Specialty Plastics (an authorized Lewmar repair center) shipped new O-rings for the toggles. They provided small packets of O-ring grease. The lubricated O-rings cured a minor leak. 

When I asked about replacing the gaskets, they told me only to do that as a last resort, because it is a royal PIA to get it right on a DIY basis. First they suggested making sure the gaskets and lenses are clean—and then apply Chap-stik to the gaskets. My original, 28 yr old gaskets are doing fine!


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## SeaStar58 (Feb 14, 2018)

thecrabbycaptain said:


> That is great advice!
> Cara
> The Crabby Captain and the Sunny Sailor


Indeed - You want to protect the clean seal and not the dirt. Too many waste protective products by failing to clean first. Its just wasteful to apply something on top of the dirt unless its the cleaner that gets wiped off with the dirt.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

We use a Teflon lube on our hatch seals about once a month. After replacing a few we found that the OP had been over tightening them *way* too much, so we just snug them down now and they haven't leaked in years. I'd suggest the same on hatches. All overtightening does is misshape the seals, and cause them to need replacement much more frequently.


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## sailforlife (Sep 14, 2016)

I use coconut oil or grape seed oil myself...


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

overbored said:


> Second the 303 and it is also used to protect sunbrella. we don't use armor all it seems to make things worse with time


303 is a brand name with several products. The stuff to protect vinyl is a different product than the one to protect fabric. I wouldn't recommend using the same thing for both gaskets and fabric.


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## SeaStar58 (Feb 14, 2018)

TakeFive said:


> 303 is a brand name with several products. The stuff to protect vinyl is a different product than the one to protect fabric. I wouldn't recommend using the same thing for both gaskets and fabric.


Yes, that's why I provided the links showing the Aerospace Protectant and the Aerospace Marine Protectant. Their Marine Cleaner is also very good.

I have a powered vent lid that was under a rain plenum that was a real problem since it would stick from the heat here in Florida requiring that you tear down the plenum to free it and put some lube on it every few months. While at an outdoor exposition 8 years ago the manufacturer of the vent gave me a small packet of 303 Aerospace Protectant which I applied the next time the vent lid stuck so bad that the motor could not open it and it has not stuck again since then.


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## thecrabbycaptain (Jul 22, 2018)

RegisteredUser said:


> Sounds like the gaskets in opening ports.
> The gaskets start to break down.
> Be careful not to break their sealing edges off...they become brittle like they are dried out.
> You might try building up the surface they seal against with elec tape...tighten that seal.
> ...


Thanks!


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## thecrabbycaptain (Jul 22, 2018)

fallard said:


> It looks like the OP's Beneteau has Lewmar opening portlights with the older cam action toggles (like mine). When I replaced the lenses, Specialty Plastics (an authorized Lewmar repair center) shipped new O-rings for the toggles. They provided small packets of O-ring grease. The lubricated O-rings cured a minor leak.
> 
> When I asked about replacing the gaskets, they told me only to do that as a last resort, because it is a royal PIA to get it right on a DIY basis. First they suggested making sure the gaskets and lenses are clean-and then apply Chap-stik to the gaskets. My original, 28 yr old gaskets are doing fine!


great idea....
singing...She tastes like cherry chapstick...:grin


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## thecrabbycaptain (Jul 22, 2018)

SeaStar58 said:


> Yes, that's why I provided the links showing the Aerospace Protectant and the Aerospace Marine Protectant. Their Marine Cleaner is also very good.
> 
> I have a powered vent lid that was under a rain plenum that was a real problem since it would stick from the heat here in Florida requiring that you tear down the plenum to free it and put some lube on it every few months. While at an outdoor exposition 8 years ago the manufacturer of the vent gave me a small packet of 303 Aerospace Protectant which I applied the next time the vent lid stuck so bad that the motor could not open it and it has not stuck again since then.


Thanks you thank you!


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

When we bought our boat in '08 the hatches leaked with every rainstorm. Not a lot, but enough to leave small puddles. 

Every other year I clean the rubber gaskets with warm water and dawn dish washing soap using my fingers to work the soap in, then going back over them with a soft cloth to dry them off. That gets all the accumulated dirt out.

Follow that by rubbing Vaseline into the seals with your fingers - and I do mean rub it in. If you're done in less than five minutes you weren't doing it long enough.

Gently wipe the excess Vaseline off with a soft cloth and leave the ports open for an hour or so. The Vaseline will swell the gaskets and restore the seal.

I learned this trick years ago to get convertible tops to seal on cars. But if the seal is badly cracked it will need to be replaced.


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

I follow a similar practice with my gaskets, except I recently used WD40 (because it’s what I had). I actually have a couple other vinyl protectant products that I may try next, including an auto pro shop product that I bought a gallon of 35 years ago. 

The science is simple: Synthetic materials (especially PVC) have plastcizers (often dibutyl phthalate, which is controversial) to impart resiliency and avoid brittleness. But that leaches out over time, especially in high heat auto/marine environments. (Often that’s what causes the haze inside your windshield.) To restore the resiliency, apply a product that has a low volatility organic along with a higher volatility carrier solvent that allows it to penetrate. WD40, Armorall, 303 vinyl protectant, and other automotive products meet that description. Vaseline alone may work, though may not penetrate as well as the others.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Jim- 
Vaseline (brand) petroleum jelly is, after all, a petrochemical. A fairly mild one but still, all petrochemicals break down rubbers. (As do alcohol and ammonia.)
So while Vaseline might work well at keeping out oxygen and keeping the surface flexible, it is still going to do long-term damage and not give the protection against UV that you would get with ArmorAll or 303 or other products. ArmorAll restores the plasticizers that are in many "rubber" plastics, blocks some UV and some oxygen.
And it will attract less dirt after it has been applied.
FWIW.


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## flyingriki (Sep 27, 2012)

Why silicone lubricant grease is the best type for rubber o-rings and seals. ... It is true that* petroleum products will degrade natural rubber*. But *IF* an o-ring is made from, nitrile, for example (a material used in car fuel and oil lines) then there is no problem using petroleum grease to lubricate the o-ring.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

griki-
I agree with you. Sadly, I'm not educated well enough to know whether some black squishy stuff is really rubber, nitrile, butyl, or whatever. Heck, it even tastes the same to me.(G)


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

There is nothing inherently wrong with petrochemicals for this application. In fact, 303 and Armorall are petrochemicals. The nature of use (and of the specific petrochemical) is critically important. Anything that softens the material will likely make it less abrasion resistant, so you do not want to soften mechanical seals used with a rotating shaft. But for a window gasket or an oil filter gasket that gets virtually no abrasion, petro chemicals are perfectly fine, Which is why it is a good thing to wipe your oil filter gasket with some oil before installing it.

Some UV inhibitor is not a bad thing, but the carbon black pigment that is compounded into gaskets is a very good UV protectant, so additional UV protectant may not be necessary in this case. You definitely want something with UV protectant if you are applying it to a white or light gray PVC dinghy or something that’s not black.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

"In fact, 303 and Armorall are petrochemicals."
IIRC there are different products from each. The "new" clear ArmorAll appears to be a petrochemical, the original "Classic" white liquid does not smell or fell like one. Same thing, different 303 products.


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## overthehorizon (Apr 7, 2018)

A very experienced sailing friend assures me that he has been using Vaseline on the rubber seals of his portlights for many years without degradation of the seal. I thought there would be a problem. Silicone grease has been doing okay on my slightly leaky seals. If I should run out of the silicone grease then I would switch to Vaseline. There are times, however, that waves washing over our decks send so much water slamming into the portlights that at times they still drip or even squirt water. I am not in a location to get new rubber seal material and have to live with what is on hand. Before setting off into the ocean, I now take out the screens in the leaky portlights and replace the screen with a clear plastic “storm window”. Boarding waves are stopped by the storm window allowing the seals to do what they are supposed to do.


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## thecrabbycaptain (Jul 22, 2018)

TakeFive said:


> I follow a similar practice with my gaskets, except I recently used WD40 (because it's what I had). I actually have a couple other vinyl protectant products that I may try next, including an auto pro shop product that I bought a gallon of 35 years ago.
> 
> The science is simple: Synthetic materials (especially PVC) have plastcizers (often dibutyl phthalate, which is controversial) to impart resiliency and avoid brittleness. But that leaches out over time, especially in high heat auto/marine environments. (Often that's what causes the haze inside your windshield.) To restore the resiliency, apply a product that has a low volatility organic along with a higher volatility carrier solvent that allows it to penetrate. WD40, Armorall, 303 vinyl protectant, and other automotive products meet that description. Vaseline alone may work, though may not penetrate as well as the others.


Okay thanks!


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## thecrabbycaptain (Jul 22, 2018)

hellosailor said:


> Jim-
> Vaseline (brand) petroleum jelly is, after all, a petrochemical. A fairly mild one but still, all petrochemicals break down rubbers. (As do alcohol and ammonia.)
> So while Vaseline might work well at keeping out oxygen and keeping the surface flexible, it is still going to do long-term damage and not give the protection against UV that you would get with ArmorAll or 303 or other products. ArmorAll restores the plasticizers that are in many "rubber" plastics, blocks some UV and some oxygen.
> And it will attract less dirt after it has been applied.
> FWIW.


That is what concerns me with vaseline


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