# Question: Do you close your seacocks when leaving the boat?



## tatracy (Jul 4, 2013)

I have two thru-hulls which I routinely close when I leave the boat, first is intake for the head, second is raw water intake for engine. My boat is in a slip, and prior owner recommended to me closing them when leaving. 

My hoses are in good condition, and I wonder if I'm over thinking keeping these closed when not at the boat in case of a hose/ clamp failure.

Thoughts/ Opinions?


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

From what I've read, it's good practice to do this. It also exercises the valve to keep them from seizing up on you. Since winter is coming, you may want to check if you have a drain screw to remove water trapped in the ball valve so it doesn't freeze/expand and end up breaking something.

Since you're already closing them, I would say to keep doing it.


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

I always close mine when I leave the boat.


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

Obviously...

... If overnight. The other concern is growth inside the hoses. Deprived of oxygen, marine growth will die, but leave them open long enough, and they can clog right up with hard growth.


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## asdf38 (Jul 7, 2010)

As said, the best reason I think is to exercise the valves. And generally getting your eyes/hands into the various corners of the boat on a regular basis is also a good thing.

The downside to closing the engine seacock is that you might forget to open it. I keep the key on the seacock now...


Note that if the engine is below the waterline, and it usually is, then the ocean is in your engine too and you're relying on hose clamps on both ends, the raw water strainer, the heat exchanger, raw water pump etc to keep it out. There are a lot of failure points there than beyond just the hose on the seacock.


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## bristol299bob (Apr 13, 2011)

When i leave the boat I close all of the seacocks except the cockpit drains. Peace of mind and to excercise them. Prevent growth is another benefit I had not thought of (thanks pdqaltair!)

I also hang the engine start key on the raw water intake seacock handle when I close it ... That way I don't forget to open it before starting the engine.


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## flandria (Jul 31, 2012)

Close them. You lock your door when you leave the house to keep undesireables out. Same on the boat: water INside is not your friend, and boats can and do sink at a mooring or at a dock because of an oversight. No personal experience but at least one acquaintance sank overnight in dock while they were asleep - fortunately, the bottom was only one foot away.


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

asdf38 said:


> Note that if the engine is below the waterline, and it usually is, then the ocean is in your engine too and you're relying on hose clamps on both ends, the raw water strainer, the heat exchanger, raw water pump etc to keep it out. There are a lot of failure points there than beyond just the hose on the seacock.


Good point here.

The engine and other parts below the waterline... I went to open the raw water strainer to clean out the debris trap on my boat and water overflowed until the seacock was closed. A failure doesn't have to be at the seacock to sink the boat, so closing them is a good idea.


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Definitely close them when leaving for more than a few hours but not if we are just going on shore for a meal or to do some shopping. Exercising the seacocks is for the good and it only a minute or two to flush out the dead stinky water in the head pipes. 

Oh yes, we also close head seacocks when offshore/coastal.

ps - the closest I've come to disaster other than on two occasions when moronic yard workers tried to sink us by leaving hoses off seacocks is when our manual bilge pump started siphoning back into the bilge. We where outside at the time on a short passage but it was somewhat freaky until we figured out what was going on.


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## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

My seacocks are position normal closed I open them as needed I don't have an inboard motor but if I did I would not leave that seacock open when not needed / not aboard


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

I don't close them when I leave. Never have. Probably a good idea but I havent found that well maintained hoses and clamps fail spontaneously and regularly.


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## MikeGuyver (Dec 13, 2008)

Any questions?


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## Stumble (Feb 2, 2012)

Unless the boat is going to sit unused for a few weeks we leave them open. I wouldn't argue about if we should, but just never have.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

We close ours when we leave the boat to come home as well as closing the head seacock when we're underway.

One of the items on my list for NextBoat was ease of access. Not terribly high on the list, but on it.


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

DRFerron said:


> We close ours when we leave the boat to come home as well as closing the head seacock when we're underway.
> 
> One of the items on my list for NextBoat was ease of access. Not terribly high on the list, but on it.


I notice that on many modern vessels all the sea cocks are grouped together in one area. I'm not at all sure if this is a good idea or not. Seems to me that keeping them close by, though less convenient is probably safer.

Otoh, ease of access is most important if only cos without that they may well be left open.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

I don't close any of mine.


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

Bought a lottery ticket once. Just feeling lucky, I guess!


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

For those that close their valves each time: before you leave your house do you shut off the gas, water and electric?


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## BarryL (Aug 21, 2003)

Hey,

The engine intake line is in a real awkward position, so I leave it open. The rest are easier to reach / or not used often, so I leave them closed. If it were easier to reach the engine line, I would close it.

Barry


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## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

Don0190 said:


> For those that close their valves each time: before you leave your house do you shut off the gas, water and electric?


Actually I do shut off the electricity when I leave my home


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

tdw said:


> ps - the closest I've come to disaster other than on two occasions when moronic yard workers tried to sink us by leaving hoses off seacocks is when our manual bilge pump started siphoning back into the bilge. We where outside at the time on a short passage but it was somewhat freaky until we figured out what was going on.


Would you mind expanding on exactly what happened/


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

Here's one case study on a siphoning from a bilge pump.

A couple of boats back I'll admit to making a fairly significant design error installing an automatic bilge pump. I ran the hose close to the water line without looping it high enough. First sail after the installation I was on a tack that put the outlet under water. There was enough rocking and rolling and water in the bilge that the pump activated, priming the line, thus starting a siphon. The pump was short cycling, it would run to empty the bilge stop, then siphon water in, then run again and repeat... Luckily, dumb as I am, I was able to diagnose it quickly, and never got water above the floor boards. It worked great on one tack

And yes I used to close my everything before leaving the boat every time, but admit that in my advanced age I've got sloppy. I wouldn't discourage anyone from doing it, for reasons previously stated.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I do close mine when I'm leaving the boat overnight. I do not, if I'm just going to shore for a couple of hours, but should. If you look up flooding rates, which vary widely based upon the size of the hole and its depth, you'll find any thru hull separation will overwhelm your bilge pump. The pump is only there to discharge very slow leaks or buy you marginal time with a serious one. 

For example, a 1 inch thru hull that is 2 ft below the water line will flood 1,668 gallons per hour. What is the published discharge rate of your bilge pump, not to mention its reduced rate from lifting to its discharge point or from the drag of the discharge hose itself. It's actual discharge rate is likely half of what it claims. 

I'm willing to bet that most boats can't actually pump out more than a couple of hundred gallons per hour. That's a 1/2" hole, 6" below the waterline, which I dare say is smaller and shallower than most thru hulls.

Ironically, this was the first season in as many as I can recall that I did not personally witness a boat at the bottom of it's slip, due to a flood of one sort or another. It definitely happens. Worse yet, I hear stories of insurance that won't cover a thru hull separation, if they determine it to have deferred maintenance. Ouch.


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## Oldboyracer (Oct 12, 2013)

Maybe I'm to cautious but I keep mine closed except for when they are being used , as in drain sink close sea **** again . I live on board and the last thing I want is a failure while I'm asleep . It's bad enough to get woken up by a dinghy bumping into you , but by the time I got wet it would be to late , I bet I could untie the dinghy really fast though .


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

p.s. We have 28 thru-hulls that I can count in my head. I hate doing that, it's plain nuts, but I didn't design it. Some are above the water line and don't have a valve. The bloody boat is like swiss cheese.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Don0190 said:


> For those that close their valves each time: before you leave your house do you shut off the gas, water and electric?


When away from the house for more than a weekend we shut off the hot water. No gas lines.


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## Delta-T (Oct 8, 2013)

In 39 years with the boat in the water every year I have never closed a single one. I service them every year, but have never found a need to close them. I have even change the hoses and clamps at least once.

So just about everyone has some kind of stuffing box on the prop shaft and one on the rudder shaft. And most have and clamps and hose...how do you close off those?


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## asdf38 (Jul 7, 2010)

Minnewaska said:


> I do close mine when I'm leaving the boat overnight. I do not, if I'm just going to shore for a couple of hours, but should. If you look up flooding rates, which vary widely based upon the size of the hole and its depth, you'll find any thru hull separation will overwhelm your bilge pump. The pump is only there to discharge very slow leaks or buy you marginal time with a serious one.
> 
> For example, a 1 inch thru hull that is 2 ft below the water line will flood 1,668 gallons per hour. What is the published discharge rate of your bilge pump, not to mention its reduced rate from lifting to its discharge point or from the drag of the discharge hose itself. It's actual discharge rate is likely half of what it claims.
> 
> ...


Those numbers are good things to be reminded of. A lot of people probably take too much comfort in their auto bilge pumps.

On the other hand I bet many (most?) cases don't involve a hose popping entirely off but instead developing a crack, partially separating, or leaking. Does anyone have numbers on this? In that case the leak would be more gradual.


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## alctel (Jan 25, 2014)

I only have two below waterline through-hulls since I replaced the normal head with a composting toilet - the engine intake and a sink drain.

I tend to close off the engine intake when the engine isnt in use, partly because it's not just one hose - it's any in the chain of the raw water system.

The sink drain I leave open because I am lazy and its just one short thick hose with double hose clamps. Even if the top part of the hose fell off the sink it's above the waterline so no water comes in (I've tested it) so it's just one point of failure (that I check regularly)


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

As I stated before, the reason I close them if I'm not going to be around is marine growth inside the lines. I've had lines clog up. Just a few barnacles in a 3/4" line and you're done. I suppose it varies with the amount of growth in the area.

I'm not worried about failures; on my boat, all the through-hulls are in a bulkheaded compartment. Failure does not cause anything serious (had a failure once--speed sender cracked for no obvious reason--so it does happen).

---

Can't imagine buying a boat where they were too hard to reach. Makes me wonder what other stupid things the designer/builder did.

---

In work and in life, often we measure what we do by whether we would feel comfortable explaining it. How would you feel explaining to your children or wife that your boat sank because you left the valves open? Negligent, I think. I guess I've spent to much time in refineries.


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## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

I have one thru hull that doesn't have a seacock I'm thinking of adding a one way check valve its the cockpit drain also the only lose on my boat that has ever developed a pinhole leak and took my weeks to trace itorigionally thought was comming from lazarette only leaked in rough weather opinions on check valve.


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## Puddin'_Tain (Feb 14, 2014)

Don0190 said:


> For those that close their valves each time: before you leave your house do you shut off the gas, water and electric?


If my house was floating in saltwater I sure would.

In fact, when leaving the house for more than overnight we turn off the clothes washer shutoff valves, as the rubber hoses leading from the valves to the washer are the only "soft" connections with pressurized water behind them that otherwise stays pressurized when the appliance isn't in use.

Gas --- no soft connections.

Electricity --- given that we live about 1000' above sea level and about an hour from the coast, we don't have to worry too much about galvanic corrosion, etc.

As for the boat, when leaving the boat after a sail:
All seacocks (actually, ball valves) are closed;
the shore power is disconnected (I rarely use it anyway);
the battery switch is "OFF", although I do have a solar panel and controller that keep the batteries charged;
the bilge pump is set to "AUTO" (it's wired independent of the main switch);
the stove is a non-pressurized alcohol unit, so no valves to fuss with (although I do make sure the neoprene gaskets are in place, more to limit evaporation than for safety; and the whisky is securely stoppered for much the same reason  )


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

isn't degrees of paranoia interesting


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

Don0190 said:


> For those that close their valves each time: before you leave your house do you shut off the gas, water and electric?


A logical fallacy, since that is not the question at hand and was intended to exaggerate the point to the absurd. That said...

a. I do not turn the electricity off on the boat. The wiring is very well done and I do not see the risk as much different than my house. However, I do turn off nearly all of the breakers (thermoelectric denumidifier and solar charging).

b. I do turn off most of the power in the house. Obviously. Certainly nothing on an extension cord. About the same as my practice on the boat, actually.

c. I do turn off the home water if gone for more than a few days. Had a water heater leak twice.

d. I lock the doors at home, but not at the boat. The risk seems less.

And as others have pointed out, the house is neither subject to vibration, crashing through waves, or salt water. It is not floating.

So I think the comparison proves no real point. The risks are different and they are reasonably addressed in both cases. Sooner or later you will have a water heater leak while on vacation; normally the basement drain will handle this, just as a sump pump should handle minor leaks.

Paranoia? I'm old enough to have seen equipment catch on fire, corrode, and otherwise malfunction, both on boats and on land. I've reasoned the risks through, for my boat and my home. I would make different choices if the boat or home were older or in poor repair.

But again, sealife is my main reason for closing through hulls. There is zero chance that a failure would sink my boat.


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

We have about 21 ball valves. (Just replaced a couple with Merelon.) Almost all are 6-12 inches below the waterline. Interesting how the top of the valve is at about the waterline on some of them. The rim or our 4 toilets are right at the waterline too.

One of the 21 ball valves is for the dripless shaft seal. I heard that dripless shaft seals are an area of concern, maybe someone can chime-in on that.

Right now, I have some ball valves closed and some open. Depends on how I'm using the boat overall, not on whether I'm on shore or not. Most are open. This is a risk management item. I have not ignored the risk of a hose coming off, on the contrary, we use double clamps, I look closely for any seepage (from cracks), and it is one of the reasons to have insurance. To me the residual risk is acceptable. I don't hold it against a person either way, if they close all, none, or something in between.

I had the bilge pump connected to send emails when it turns on. Don't have that in place right now. Might be a good project to set that up again in the spring.

At home I have closed the water valves on the washing machine when away for an extended period. I've closed the main water valve at least once. I've also watched over the decades to see what's happening with stop signs. Soon every intersection in a nearby town will have one. You will literally stop every 100 feet for intersection after intersection. Just because someone invented stop signs doesn't mean we should put them at every intersection. Same with seac0cks. They were probably a "just in case" item when they were first installed. I actually worry more about making sure they are all open -- over the winter on the hard so they don't crack or burst.

Maybe in a few years the insurance companies or government will put "red light cameras" above every one of our seac0cks. Then they could just fine us for when they are open and our cell phone is detected on land. It could be an automatic source of government funds, collected once again from people who don't have their own lobbyist. About the same time we'll be mandated to wear 2 lifelackets at all times, because someone proved that fewer people drowned when they had 2 of them on. Our grandkids will have to wear 3 life jackets, and sailing fatalities will go way down. But no one will notice that it's because people decided that it's just too much trouble to actually own a boat and go sailing.

Don't take this as not liking safety! I care deeply that I am managing risk to a very appropriate level. The automatically-inflatable harness goes on and clipped in when I can't swim to land, when solo. And I reef BEFORE I even think about it. 

Right now I worry about bigger things, like a total lack of initially-guaranteed privacy. Like feeding 100 people that I've never met -- 95 of them vote for whomever gives them more free stuff, 90 are using the world as their garbage can, not even waiting for a rally or planned march, 50 of them don't speak my language, 40 are on drugs "thaanks for the free hiiigh, mann", 10 of them would stick a knife into me if it was dark and no one was looking, 5 are having sex with other people's wives as you read this (the husbands are at work to pay for a different 100 people), and 2 of them are probably connected with an overseas terrorist group. All of them are being trained to keep doing it, by the very nature of my paying them to do it. I worry about feeding those 100 moochers when I'm not worrying about getting all my work done and when I'm not worrying about how to put my kids through a decent school -- in a system where if you save money ahead of time it mostly benefits the people who are overprinting the money.

So I think I'll just enjoy my boat according to my own perception of what needs to be done and what is fun to do. I'll go sailing.

Regards,
Brad


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## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

Bene505 said:


> Right now I worry about bigger things, like a total lack of initially-guaranteed privacy. Like feeding 100 people that I've never met -- 95 of them vote for whomever gives them more free stuff, 90 are using the world as their garbage can, not even waiting for a rally or planned march, 50 of them don't speak my language, 40 are on drugs "thaanks for the free hiiigh, mann", 10 of them would stick a knife into me if it was dark and no one was looking, 5 are having sex with other people's wives as you read this (the husband is at work to pay for a different 100 people), and 2 of them are probably connected with an overseas terrorist group. All of them are being trained to keep doing it, by the very nature of my paying them to do it. I worry about feeding those 100 moochers when I'm not worrying about getting all my work done and when I'm not worrying about how to put my kids through a decent school -- in a system where if you save money ahead of time it mostly benefits the people who are overprinting the money.


Very helpful, thanks! That totally answers the question about seacocks.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Bene505 said:


> .......I have not ignored the risk of a hose coming off, on the contrary, we use double clamps, I look closely for any seepage (from cracks), and it is one of the reasons to have insurance. ........


Does your insurance policy cover a sinking due to consequential damage? I will bet the vast majority have no idea what consequential damage is. Everyone should know, especially if that's the fallback plan.

Five Ways Your Boat's Insurance Policy Can Fail You : BoatUS Press Room


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Minnewaska said:


> Does your insurance policy cover a sinking due to consequential damage? I will bet the vast majority have no idea what consequential damage is. Everyone should know, especially if that's the fallback plan.
> 
> Five Ways Your Boat's Insurance Policy Can Fail You : BoatUS Press Room


I think this sums it up nicely....

*BOAT US:
"Consequential Damage: If you take hurricane losses out of the list of common claims, the number one claim is for sinking, and half of all sinkings occur at the dock when some small part below the waterline fails. The most common culprits include hoses/hose clamps, stuffing boxes, outdrive bellows, and sea strainers. But these parts most often fail due to "wear, tear, and corrosion" which is a lack of maintenance issue, so policies won't pay you for a new outdrive bellows or sea strainer. But what about the rest of the boat sitting sunk on the lake bottom? Some policies won't cover that, either, as they exclude any "consequential" damage as a result of wear, tear and corrosion. That's why you need "Consequential Damage" coverage that covers losses that often start with a failed part."*

Oh and yes I do turn off the water in our house when we leave for a weekend or more... Takes two seconds....

BTW our old Catalina 30, that I sold in the late 90's, sunk under the new owners ownership. This after I explained to him why shutting the seacocks is a good idea and had even relocated a number of them for ease of access to make the job super easy. It was a 40 second job on that boat.

The new owner had re-plumbed the head and a month later the hose for the intake came off. Boat yard found her with water over the galley counter and going down fast, almost to the cove stripe... Massive pumps were brought on-board and they refloated her but she was apparently already totaled. As far as I know insurance did not pay up on the claim.... It is really sad because she was a beautiful old C-30 with new engine, recently re-set keel etc. etc.......

A few years ago my friend Tony surveyed a boat that sunk in a marina and caused lots of damage, clean up etc.. Insurance company refused to pay because the sinking was caused by a failed & rusty hose clamp. Not only did the owner lose his boat but Tony was still going to court as much as two years later because the marina and clean up companies were looking for money from the owner and the owner was still claiming it should be insurance. It was a huge mess and in the end the owner was on the hook for his boat and consequential damages & clean up......

The best advice I can give is to keep up with your hoses, stop using PVC hose below water and stop using cheap, failure prone perforated hose clamps below water...

All of these perforated clamp failures were from BELOW WATER fittings and three of them were the ONLY CLAMP!!!!! Yes, leaks were happening... D'oh..... Two were caught before they failed entirely but three of them had simply split in the middle..


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

Religiously.


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## smj (Jun 27, 2009)

Absolutely. Why wouldn't I?


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## TomMaine (Dec 21, 2010)

We always close them all(except the cockpit drains) and turn off all power(one bilge pump/switch direct to terminal), when we leave the boat on the mooring. I don't trust all those BWL connections and valves or hot wires, with all the motion they are subject to.

Several years ago, I drew up a schematic of seacocks/switches/safety gear and other important info, when our son started using the boat(hence the lengthy engine procceedure).

I thought it could be useful as well if somebody had to go onboard in an emergency.

It's printed out and easily found in a lexan holder with the boats registration.


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## Mark1948 (Jun 19, 2007)

I always close all seacocks and only run with the freshwater for the engine open when sailing. If the head or a sink needs to be used we open then close. Just a precaution. I also listen for the exhaust to make sure water is pumping. This serves as a double check on the freshwater.


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## JonEisberg (Dec 3, 2010)

TomMaine said:


> We always close them all(except the cockpit drains) and turn off all power(one bilge pump/switch direct to terminal), when we leave the boat on the mooring. I don't trust all those BWL connections and valves or hot wires, with all the motion they are subject to.
> 
> Several years ago, I drew up a schematic of seacocks/switches/safety gear and other important info, when our son started using the boat(hence the lengthy engine procceedure).
> 
> ...


Now, _THAT_ is the way to do it... Nice work, Tom... Hopefully, don won't be asking you to produce an equivalent schematic of your house, as well...

)

One really good habit to get into whenever leaving the boat - passed on by our friend Max Fletcher, whose dad taught him well - is to pause for some moments down below, let everything quiet down as much as possible, and simply _LISTEN_ for a bit...


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## Rockter (Sep 11, 2006)

When you are in the water, close them before you go home.
When out of the water, leave them open so water does not collect in them.
Keep exercising them by opening and closing them when they are in and out of the water.
They love exercise.... it keeps them moving freely.
When you are out of the water, grease them up again. It also helps them seal having all that grease around.
.


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## -OvO- (Dec 31, 2011)

Don0190 said:


> For those that close their valves each time: before you leave your house do you shut off the gas, water and electric?


If I'm leaving for three days or more, I do turn off the water, yes. The gas system is more reliable -- or at least, less extensive.


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## BarryL (Aug 21, 2003)

smj said:


> Absolutely. Why wouldn't I?


Because to reach the engine raw water seacock on my O'day required me to remove 2 crates of gear, climb down into a small lazarette, reach down as far as I could and then turn the handle.

On my C&C I need to remove the gear I have stowed in the aft cabin, remove the cushion, remove the panel under the cushion and then reach the seacock.

I just leave them open and check the hoses and hose clamps a few times a year.

Barry


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## smj (Jun 27, 2009)

BarryL said:


> Because to reach the engine raw water seacock on my O'day required me to remove 2 crates of gear, climb down into a small lazarette, reach down as far as I could and then turn the handle.
> 
> On my C&C I need to remove the gear I have stowed in the aft cabin, remove the cushion, remove the panel under the cushion and then reach the seacock.
> 
> ...


Ouch! Wouldn't want one of those hoses to come loose or the seacock to fail at the wrong time. I personally don't want any thing that could sink my boat to be a pain in the ass to access.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

No reason for seacocks to be left open due to hard to reach think remote operation Seacock Remote Operation Arm | T-H Marine


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

Should be possible to rig a dependable remote ,Think long shaft bent end hose clamped to handle. or bell crank and push/pull rod or cable. OTH ,all that stuff should just float up out of the way when the time comes that you really need it gone.


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## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

They do make flex cable units just can't find a link right now


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Last week in Camden Harbor, ME..

Photo Courtesy Pen Bay Pilot









Leaking sink drain !!!!!!!

If the seacock had been closed prior to leaving the boat this never would have happened...


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

Is the engine seized or just hydro locked?


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## Bob142 (May 27, 2012)

The stock answer is (THAT DEPENDS )...


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## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

No the answer is 42


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

BarryL said:


> Because to reach the engine raw water seacock on my O'day required me to remove 2 crates of gear, climb down into a small lazarette, reach down as far as I could and then turn the handle.
> 
> On my C&C I need to remove the gear I have stowed in the aft cabin, remove the cushion, remove the panel under the cushion and then reach the seacock......


Ironically, one way a hose is split off a thru-hull is from gear piled up all around it that manages to hit it. Then imagine how difficult it will be to get in there and close the thru-hull, if it wasn't broken in the process, with water rushing in at the same time.


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## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

Minnewaska said:


> Ironically, one way a hose is split off a thru-hull is from gear piled up all around it that manages to hit it. Then imagine how difficult it will be to get in there and close the thru-hull, if it wasn't broken in the process, with water rushing in at the same time.


I agree and even harder to close the broken unit when you are not on the vessel when the waves cause the gear to shift


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## BarryL (Aug 21, 2003)

Minnewaska said:


> Ironically, one way a hose is split off a thru-hull is from gear piled up all around it that manages to hit it. Then imagine how difficult it will be to get in there and close the thru-hull, if it wasn't broken in the process, with water rushing in at the same time.


Agreed.

On the O'day, the crates sat on a shelf above and outboard of the through hull. This keeps the gear clear and away from the seacock. However, the distance from the lazarette opening down to the hull where the seacock is located required me to remove the crates so I could climb down there.

The C&C has the seacock under a panel. I don't keep any spares down there (well actually I do keep spare fuel filters and water water pump impellers there, but they are in a box and in a different area) that could hit the seacock).

I could probably move some gear around in the aft cabin so I that I could reach the seacock in a few minutes, but I'm too lazy for that.

My boat will be spending the winter in the water this year. I will make sure that all seacocks are closed, hoses drained, winterized, etc.

Barry


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## Acameronp (Sep 29, 2013)

We boought our boat in April and didnt always keep them closed. We returned to the boat one night in late April to find that a hose to the sink had failed, and we had 3 ft of water in the cabin. Another 2 hours unattended and she was going down. ALWAYS close them!!!!!!!!!


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

Hoses fail and boats sinkand if the seavalve was closed it doesn't sink. I get that, sounds like a truism even.

On a realistic and practical level (not just best practices for the masses) do we really need to be closing the valves all the time if we're _regularly and faithfully maintaining_ the hoses and clamps?

MedSailor


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## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

MedSailor said:


> Hoses fail and boats sinkand if the seavalve was closed it doesn't sink. I get that, sounds like a truism even.
> 
> On a realistic and practical level (not just best practices for the masses) do we really need to be closing the valves all the time if we're _regularly and faithfully maintaining_ the hoses and clamps?
> 
> MedSailor


Murpheys law haven't you ever seen a brand new vehicle with a blown transmission I have delivered one that blew on my trailer


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## Multihullgirl (Dec 2, 2010)

MedSailor said:


> On a realistic and practical level (not just best practices for the masses) do we really need to be closing the valves all the time if we're _regularly and faithfully maintaining_ the hoses and clamps?
> 
> MedSailor


I do keep up with my stuff, but I still close the cocks. Sh!t happens.


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

newhaul said:


> Murpheys law haven't you ever seen a brand new vehicle with a blown transmission I have delivered one that blew on my trailer


Can't say I've seen that, but I've seen a nice Nauticat delivered with a dead engine...



MedSailor


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

MedSailor said:


> Can't say I've seen that, but I've seen a nice Nauticat delivered with a dead engine...
> 
> 
> 
> MedSailor


As painful as your own answer is, that is the point. You can't always tell what is going to fail.


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

I find it surprising that so many sink drains fail unattended. (you know ,that flimsy little 1 1/4 brass spud pipe that hangs down under the galley sink?) if you live aboard you could sleep with an arm draped over the bunk edge and hand on the sole. Or do preventive stuff which includes thru hulls.Even a steady drip can be 50 gallons a day which is quite enough to fill an engine


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

I think the more life experience you have, and the more times you have seen things fail completely without warning, the more apt you are to prepare for that happening.

Closing seacocks only take a minute or two, and protects you completely from a possible eventuality (burst hoses, or hoses coming loose) that will almost always sink the unattended boat it happens to.

I could understand some reluctance to do this, if we were talking about a precaution that cost a lot of money, or took a lot of time, but we're not.

And, the example of what you do when you leave a house is apt if you take precautions there, too. After learning of a friend who had to do thousands of dollars of repairs to his home when a hose on his clothes washer burst while he was on extended vacation, and flooded his home, I now cut off the valves to those hoses before we leave on extended stays away from home.

Making fun of me for doing so, won't make me stop.


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Group9 said:


> And, the example of what you do when you leave a house is apt if you take precautions there, too. After learning of a friend who had to do thousands of dollars of repairs to his home when a hose on his clothes washer burst while he was on extended vacation, and flooded his home, I now cut off the valves to those hoses before we leave on extended stays away from home.
> 
> Making fun of me for doing so, won't make me stop.


Just turn off the water main, takes me 2 seconds, now the entire house is protected. A friends house was destroyed by an ice maker hose that burst on his fridge over x-mas vacation while they are away for a week of skiing.. Thousands and thousands of gallons of water and over $60,000 in repairs (full finished basement with theater room). Neighbors noticed all the windows steamed up and called them. By the time they called it was far too late. Not just washing machine hoses can fail..... In the winter here we also lose power. If you lose power and the house freezes up, and the water main is still on, well, seen that one far too many times.... In the last ten years we have had this happen to two houses in our own neighborhood plus our friends across town. I will stick with my 2 second routine of turning off the _water main_ when we leave for more than a day...


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

Maine Sail said:


> Just turn off the water main, takes me 2 seconds, now the entire house is protected. A friends house was destroyed by an ice maker hose that burst on his fridge over x-mas vacation while they are away for a week of skiing.. Thousands and thousands of gallons of water and over $60,000 in repairs (full finished basement with theater room). Neighbors noticed all the windows steamed up and called them. By the time they called it was far too late. Not just washing machine hoses can fail..... In the winter here we also lose power. If you lose power and the house freezes up, and the water main is still on, well, seen that one far too many times.... In the last ten years we have had this happen to two houses in our own neighborhood plus our friends across town. I will stick with my 2 second routine of turning off the _water main_ when we leave for more than a day...


That probably is a better way to go. My sister had her house almost completely destroyed by a running toilet that one of her girls stopped up as they were running out to go to school. Just eight hours of water running from that second floor toilet, put them out of that house for three months while repairs were done.


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Group9 said:


> That probably is a better way to go. My sister had her house almost completely destroyed by a running toilet that one of her girls stopped up as they were running out to go to school. Just eight hours of water running from that second floor toilet, put them out of that house for three months while repairs were done.


Yeah it happens... In my buddy's house the entire basement was a gut and the entire first floor had to be re-sheet-rocked. Water was only .25" deep on the first floor but it wicked up into the sheetrock & insulation.... All the hardwood floors were destroyed, electrical, the boiler, washer and dryer and about 15k in audio visual equipment that the insurance company did not cover....

He now shuts off his water main when he goes away...


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## tempest (Feb 12, 2007)

I also shut the water main and the gas main, which feeds the dryer, stove and water heater.

I have oil heat, but I will turn the furnace off unless there's an extended below freezing forecast, the house holds heat pretty well, otherwise it gets set to 50. Then, a neighbor check. 

This after a local story of a 2nd floor toilet valve letting loose, the neighbors didn't notice until the water poured out the front door. This was after it ran down the stairs and filled the basement. House had to be gutted. It takes me about 2 minutes to turn everything off and back on.


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

Walking down the dock at Pier One some years ago, I admired a long sleek low to the water sailboat. Then I noticed even the cockpit was full of water. Turned off the shore water for the owner.Turns out 1/2 copper pipe and hose clamps(no barbs) can fail too. CG gets called. Their portable fails. Brought Thane's gear over and pumped out. A little forethought ,eh? Two years ago same boat burned (wellsealed so no flames but totally and completly charred thruout)from something falling over an active heater and days went by before anyone noticed.)


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