ballast fitting lube?

[topaz surfer]

Ok so im ready to connect the plastic ballast fittings into the hoses and having a hard time. Im using a heat gun but seems like I heat the hose up and it gets to soft and just wont go on. I tried some good old fashioned spit but not working. Any lube suggestions?

[dingleberry]

something water soluble, like KY jelly

[chpthril]

100% silicone paste, sometimes called "Dielectric Grease" and can be found at most any automotive part store. Or, a little bit of the same marine adhesive that was used for the thru-hull.

[dingleberry]

100% silicone paste, sometimes called "Dielectric Grease" and can be found at most any automotive part store. Or, a little bit of the same marine adhesive that was used for the thru-hull.

ignore my post & follow his advice...he is a vastly smarter man when it comes to this stuff

[IDBoating]

This has been discussed before. My $0.02 is to use KY Jelly or spit on the fitting, then warm the hose with a heat gun and use a screwing/threading motion to rotate the hose onto the fitting. It may take a couple of cycles with the heat gun to get the hose where you want it.

Another trick I used was to use a spare fitting to prepare the hose ends away from the boat. Let the hose cool, and when you remove the spare fitting the hose end will retain its enlarged shape and be much easier to install inside the boat itself.

Hope this helps!

[chpthril]

For those that may have K-Y laying around collecting dust , it will work fine. The main ingredient is methyl cellulose with carboxymethyl cellulose as a constituent ingredient.

Methyl cellulose (or methylcellulose) is a chemical compound derived from cellulose. It is a hydrophilic white powder in pure form and dissolves in cold (but not in hot) water, forming a clear viscous solution or gel. It is sold under a variety of trade names and is used as a thickener and emulsifier in various food and cosmetic products, and also as a treatment of constipation. Like cellulose, it is not digestible, not toxic, and not an allergen.

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) or cellulose gum[1] is a cellulose derivative with carboxymethyl groups (-CH2-COOH) bound to some of the hydroxyl groups of the glucopyranose monomers that make up the cellulose backbone. It is often used as its sodium salt, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose.

For those with other uses for yur K-Y , silicon grease is perfect.


Ingredients
Silicone oil and silica are the main ingredients in dielectric grease.

Function
Dielectric grease is used on metal electrical connections to keep out moisture and prevent corrosion. It's often employed to provide a seal and protect rubber gaskets on electrical connectors.

Uses
Dielectric grease is often used in spark plugs. It's applied to the rubber boot of the plug wire, helping it slide easily into the plug's ceramic insulator. The grease not only helps seal the rubber boot but also prevents it from adhering to the ceramic.

Benefits
Because dielectric grease is non-conductive, it doesn't allow for any electricity to bleed off from the connection. It's also designed to withstand extremely high temperatures.



Read more: Purpose of Dielectric Grease | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5625314_pu...#ixzz1gojwLNGl

[topaz surfer]

Thanks guys. I ended up trying again today with just the heat gun and spit and it worked fine. Not sure why I had so much trouble on the first one. Almost seemed like a smaller piece of hose. I like all the ideas though. Thanks again and can't wait until I get to try out my automated and sacked out set up.