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Old 11-17-2011, 05:57 AM   #22
jleonard
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RE: Dripless recommendations?

Quote:
psneeld wrote:FF wrote:
The big advantage to the modern material in the stuffing box is the style of failure.

Should the packing wear , it will drip a bit.

Should the bellows rupture the inflow is beyond most electrical pumps to clear.

Big difference!
*That was always my arguement for traditional...but is the rupturing of the bellows any different than failure of the traditional box rubber hose?

Granted the traditional is heavy duty and doesn't really do anything than sit there...

On a dripless...by the time you need to replace the wear ring only a fool wouldn't replace the bellows too if it were a decade or so old.* My guess is a lot of traditional types would put off replacing the hose till there was a need or it looks so bad it makes you shiver.

Both failures would stink and I'm guessing there is a chance a dripless would be more prone to problems but after running one for a decade*in an assistance towing shamrock...they take incredible abuse without "major" failure.*

*A friend of mine had a bellows fail a few years ago. Neglect on his part yes, but it ruined a lot of stuff on his boat.* First year it was the alternator and starter because they got so rusty they quit working. The next season the insides of his tranny rusted out, so he had to ge that rebuilt. And I'm sure other stuff was corroded badly but he sold the boat before something else let go.

The bellows is nowhere near as robust as a traditional stuffing box hose. Not close.

*
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