All thumbs? The Speedseal will see you right
Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004
If your auxilary pump uses a water pump with an impeller, inspecting it regularly can prevent serious problems. In 1999, when we purchased our 1979 C&C, one of the first inspections we undertook on our Yanmar 2QM15 was a look at the impeller. To my surprise, the screws on the inspection plate were painted shut.
It became clear why the previous owner had never made the inspection when I had to totally remove the pump from the engine to look at the impeller. The inspection plate faces aft and is accessible only behind an inspection panel, in a cabinet, under the galley sink. I can get either one arm or my head in that space, but not both. The thought of trying to remove six very small screws with only one hand on a pump you cannot see made inspections completely unrealistic.
Then I remembered seeing a product called Speedseal, which was designed for just such a situation. This product is a 1⁄4-inch-thick, naval brass, quick-release cover that uses a maximum of four knurled screws that can be finger-tightened, requiring no tools. It also has a nitrile “O” ring gasket in a machined channel that replaces the paper gasket on the original inspection plate. Two of the screw holes on the plate are slots, which makes removing and reinstalling it easy, even if you can’t see them. In fact removing and reinstalling the impeller can be done without seeing what you are doing.
There is an action demo on the Speedseal website http://www.speedseal.com that shows the basic process of removing the impeller cover. Also, Speedseal has a tollfree number, before 1 p.m. U.S. Eastern time (Speedseal is in England) and is very helpful in answering any questions you might have.
Speedseal made impeller inspections on our boat easy and therefore much more likely to happen. Even if your impeller cover is easy to get to, the Speedseal will make inspections a lot easier. And should you need to make an emergency change, you will be glad it was so quick and easy.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
