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It looks like I packed the flax too tightly on my new stuffing boxes. I checked them today and they were running really hot. I loosened the nuts on the glands three or four turns to take some of the pressure off of the packing. When I came back several hours later I did not see any evidence of water leaking out of the boxes so I assume that something else has to happen in order for the packing to loosen up. Will short run at a low speed do the trick or do I need to pull a couple of the rows of flax out and repack? The boxes were new and I only used four rows when I packed them.

Peter

Did you use the correct size packing?

You can try a slow run, but watch they do not get too hot. Not sure that will do it. When I use to repack, I use to run the first hour or so with the packing nut so it was just starting to press on the packing. Then I watched the drip and adjusted from that point.

I used 1/4”. The 3/8” that the Buck Algonquin website specified was too big to fit in the gap. The directions I found online said that it was important to get the first ring of flax all the way in which probably led me to tighten the nuts too much.

The problem with going smaller in packing size is the rings can slide over and under each other locking them in place and you went down two sizes.

Ideally, packing will wear in. If the packing gland is still hot when running, I'd pull packing out and try 5/16 packing if your not going to use 3/8.
Or run it slow, even dockside it may wear enough.

And if you change, just snug the gland, you can always snug it more as needed.

Carl,

I just finished pulling out the old flax and replacing it. I had not seen your post before I left the house so I used 1/4” again. It was easy enough to do so if I have problems down the road I will dig the old stuff out and go up a size. With the engines off I am getting two to four drops a minute.

Waiting for better weather before I do a test run.

Btw a dental pick works very well for getting the old rings out.

pschauss wrote:Carl,

With the engines off I am getting two to four drops a minute.

Thats a good starting place...expect more drips after a run. Snug it up a little to achieve similar drip, run it again. They are a pain for a "short" while till they wear and compress to form a seal that doesn't need to be touched again for a while....or at least not till next season. Initial splash you'll get a few more drops then you like. If too much I snug up, if not so bad I'll wait a day to see if it slows by itself.



[quote="pschauss"Waiting for better weather before I do a test run. [/quote]

Good idea...test runs in iffy weather add stress to a stressless event.


[quote="pschauss"Btw a dental pick works very well for getting the old rings out.[/quote]

Yes they do!

Carl you win!!!!! correct 5/16" with N-5000 nickel-graphite anti-seize lubricant (an Fel-Pro product)spread around each layer with your fingers and cut at 45 degree at each end and installed 120 degrees part between seams (good for 15 years or more). install with 1 turn of nut till touch put boat in water and turn until water stops.

After a test run today the stuffing boxes were cool to the touch, a great improvement.

I did not have anyone to drive so I could not check the drip rate while underway but I did not see an excessive amount of water in the bilge. There was a ring of grease on starboard side shaft right where it goes into the stuffing box. Is that normal?

grease??...or maybe the wax coating of the packing material.

Sounds like it may have been breaking down and coming out with the water...that normal as the packing wears in.

Peter

Before I went dripless, I had Goretex packing. I have a black stripe in the bilge that lines up perfectly with packing gland. As Carl said, it's the packing breaking in. If you want to control the splash as it comes off the spinning shaft, take a piece of stiff rubber, and clamp it on the packing gland with a hose clamp so it creates a splash shield