Stuffing Box Website Links For
Box
 

Information About

Stuffing Box




In a conventional stuffing box, the seal itself is provided by packing rings made of greased Flax , which is packed tightly around the propeller shaft, and compressed in place with a threaded nut and spacer. The box may also be fitted with an opening for periodic insertion of Grease between the rings, and sometimes with a small grease reservoir.

A stuffing box packed with flax rings is designed to leak a small amount of water, a few drops per minute, when the shaft is turning; this helps keep it lubricated. This amount of leakage is seldom a problem. Dripless seals, using materials more technologically advanced than flax, are also used. An early dripless seal was made of Graphite , but proved to cause substantial Galvanic Corrosion problems that rendered it unsuitable. A more successful dripless seal is made from PTFE (''Teflon''), usually used in combination with rings of conventional flax seals.

The stuffing box is usually attached with Hose Clamp s to a short piece of heavy-duty rubber hose, which is then clamped around the propeller opening in the boat's hull.


REFERENCES

  • Calder, Nigel (2005). ''Boatowner's mechanical and electrical manual''. Camden, Maine: International Marine/McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0071432388.