A bolt replaces a faulty valve
Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014
Though I have never seen any of this described, I have been having terrible problems with the self-venting drain valve on 500 series Racor filter bowls. The valve progressively binds up so badly I cannot turn the valve, either to loosen it and drain water or to tighten it again. My tentative suspicion is that the heat from the engine causes the valve to expand more than the plastic bowl. I have discussed the problem with a Racor technician, who tells me he has argued with his management time and again that the part is poorly designed and doesn’t function well.
The worst part of the saga is that, although replacement drain valves are readily available, the process of extracting the old, bound-up valve is horrendous and violent, and requires prying, hammering, drilling, and many cuss words. Knowing I would face the same problem again at some time, I didn’t want to install a new valve. Instead, I determined to modify the bowl to make draining it easy.
After removing the old valve, I drilled out the threads with a 17⁄32-inch bit, then tapped new threads with a 5⁄8-inch tap. Since the bowl is plastic, it was important to be patient and work the tap slowly and carefully, backing off repeatedly before screwing in the tap a little more each time. A good sharp tap will cut the plastic nicely.
On the bottom of the bowl there are three protuberances and three adjacent dimples in a triangular pattern. I sanded these out completely. I then fitted a 5⁄8-inch nylon hex-head bolt onto the new threads with a snug O-ring for a seal. (Note: Constantly check this repair to make sure that it never leaks. –Eds.)
The bottom is now fluid-tight. The bowl doesn’t drain immediately upon my loosening the bolt but, as I progressively unscrew it, the bowl begins to drain before the bolt is completely out.
Simplicity carries the day. Gone, at least for the moment, is my frustration!
Dan Millar is a seaplane pilot with an airline based in Seattle. In the winters, he and his wife, Peggy, sail their 51-foot Morgan ketch, Transcendence, interisland from Jolly Harbour, Antigua, West Indies.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
