Check Those Thru Hulls
Randy Camp
8/1/2004
Hull #: 92

Check those Thru-Hulls!

Checking on things under the galley sink, I accidentally bumped the drain hose connected to the sink thru-hull when a semi-eruption of water (sea/lake) came forth. It did not matter whether the valve was open or shut. I checked to see if the bolts (4) were tight, and found that only one bolt was tight … the other three were loose and could be removed by hand. Apparently, the one bolt holding the whole valve assembly together was long enough (5-1/4) to reach the base of the valve assembly whereas the others (4-1/2) were not. I was able to correct the problem by installing three new 5-/1/4 machine bolts. Perhaps my past inspections didn’t catch this problem because some seating material was holding the screws, and has since loosened.<br> In any event, the valve was improperly installed