What is Gore GFO?

GFO Marine Shaft Packing is a braided propeller and rudder fiber packing that needs no constant maintenance. The GFO Shaft Packing is easy to install, remove the old flax from the stuffing box, measure the drive shaft and cut the GFO at the mark squarely in order to install it. The Gore GFO Packing will last for years.

What is GFO packing made of?

Braided compression packing made from 100% GORE™ GFO® fiber offers proven consistent high performance for a wide range of applications and uses, including shafts and rudders. Sold by the foot. Installs the same way as Flax packing.

How does a stuffing box work?

All stuffing boxes work on the same basic principle: Rings of special wax-impregnated flax packing are wrapped snugly around the prop shaft and stuffed into a hollow packing nut that is screwed to the outside of the stuffing box housing.

Can you repack a stuffing box in the water?

Over time the packing will wear, and no amount of adjustment will prevent more water than desired from entering the boat. Although it’s possible to change the packing with the boat in the water, we recommend against that. Do it with the boat on the hard, especially if this is your first time.

How often should a stuffing box drip?

Water is required to lubricate conventional packing, so a properly adjusted stuffing box can be watertight when the shaft is stopped, but it must drip when the shaft is turning. Two or three drops per minute are adequate. It is not uncommon to see stuffing boxes leak at a much higher rate.

What is the difference between stuffing box and mechanical seal?

Mechanical seals reduce power consumption when compared to gland packing. On average the majority of gland packing consumes 6 times more power than a balanced mechanical seal. Running rotating equipment with packing in the stuffing box is like driving your car with the hand brake on.

How do you tighten your glands?

A gland packing is tightened by using the nuts while pushing the gland. First, when the pump is assembled, the gland packing is tightened considerably hard. Then, it tightens until becoming the proper leakage by using the nuts after the pump is started.

What is the purpose of gland packing?

Gland packing is used extensively for the sealing and restriction of leakage of the working fluid along the stem in valves and along the shaft in the case of pumps and also for stationary duties like manhole cover sealing.

What is a lantern ring?

A lantern ring is a perforated hollow ring located near the center of the stuffing box of a pump. Despite its simplistic appearance, it plays a crucial role in the successful operation of a pump system.

What is the strongest lantern ring?

The most powerful power ring in the DC Universe is unsurprisingly the Green Lantern Corps Rings. The first ever Green Lantern Ring was a magically created ring given to Alan Scott and fueled by the Green Flame.