Plumbing morning and a hatching afternoon

Friday 12 Nov, re-launch 2021, HHN day 44: Replacing water pump pressure switch. Installing new gypsy. Removing foredeck Lewmar hatch and stripping varnish from the trim. Evening fighting the pressure sphere.

We wake up to rain, as forecast. Indoor jobs only this morning. One of our water pumps for the domestic supply needs a new pressure switch. The old one is not shutting off until 5 bar which is double the pressure is should stop at. And on reflection I now think this may have been the root cause of multiple leaks in our water system, especially in all the plumbing under the water tank, which took me at least a week to sort out during my spring maintenance visit.
Getting the Jabsco Par-3 pump out and installing the new pressure switch that just arrived from HR-Parts, was very easy. And in doing so, I also discovered these pressure switches have an adjustment screw inside them. So, all along, I could have tried to adjust the pressure myself, before buying a new switch. Anyway, never mind, now I have spares for next time.
When it is reinstalled it’s nice to see the maximum pressure reached is now only 2.8bar. Where is should be. I can almost hear the boats plumbing sighing with relief.

By mid-morning, the rain has passed and the sun is out again, so back outside I go. First job is to install a new gypsy on the anchor windlass. The old one had been working just fine, but when I took the windlass apart for a quick inspection, I did notice there were large burrs on each tooth, so I was inclined to buy a new one. If this gypsy becomes incapable of raising the anchor at some point (because its teeth are stripped), we are in deep do-do. Manually raising our 50kgs anchor is not something a retiree like me would be capable of … even with Oana pulling too! The other reason for a new gypsy is our newly galvanized chain. It would be a shame if the worn gypsy damaged the new galvanized coating on the first anchor drop. It’s a quick job to change. Just a couple of alan screws, remove the drum, and off comes the old gypsy, on goes the new one. Easy.

Next job is not so easy. Or at least that’s what I anticipate. I need to install a new Lewmar size 70 deck hatch over the forecabin. The original one has leaked just one time too many and we are totally fed up with salt water in the forecabin. So we bit-the-bullet and purchased a new one from HR-Parts.
My concern with the removal is how to get the old one removed. I tried once before: removing all the screws only to find it still firmly stuck down and not budging. This time, I start with a cutter blade under one corner, hoping to cut through the sealant, then work my way around. This technique worked very well and in no time I had the hatch out – very pleased with myself.

With the aluminium frame removed, I now have access to the 20 small wood screws that hold the decorative teak trim in place. Due to the constant leaking, it is in dire need of re-varnishing. Once removed I’m off to the hardware store to buy varnish stripper. First product turns out to be totally useless. I don’t think it would even strip paper let alone HR varnish! So I return it. But next product is equally useless. I mean, it doesn’t even sting your hands. This is not the paint stripper I used to know!
When Ray comes passed and I confer with him on the subject, he says, due to the new rules on chemicals, no paint stripper works these days! Pfff. Don’t you just hate the modern world sometimes! So, it’s out with the orbital sander and 80 grit paper. It seems a bit harsh on this beautiful teak, but boy-oh-boy it sure does get the varnish off even if it does leave me covered head to foot in dust!
And within an hour, the teak trim is inside getting its first, diluted, coat of new varnish. It looks 100 times improved already. Given it will take several days to apply the new varnish, reinstallation of the hatch will have to wait.

In the evening, it’s back into the engine room. This time to check out the pressure in the expansion tank. I have a hunch that the bladder inside the sphere no longer has any pressure.
Now, here is a classic boat problem. On top of the sphere is a valve, the same type as you would find on a car or push bike tyre. So very easy to access the pressure and top up if needed, right? Wrong. The sphere has been installed up in a remote corner of the engine room such that the top of the valve is only 1cm from the ceiling. Totally impossible to get a pressure gauge on and equally impossible to get a pump onto ☹ Wonderful.
Hence I have to remove the sphere. And to do that I have to remove the damned spare propeller that HR likes to mount on the engine room wall. With the propeller off (that alone nearly crippled me!) I manage to release the sphere from its mount, only to find it FULL of water. Guess who gets an early shower? And a cold one too! Clearly the bladder inside didn’t have any pressure.
This project now goes on hold. We researched on Amazon and have selected a gauge and a pump that we might have a chance to do the job in the small space that HR has given us. When these Amazon products arrive next week, we shall proceed to get some air into the vessel!
Goodness me, is anything simple on a boat?