binnacle bubble

[jboat]

Pulled the cover off the wheel so I could remove the wheel and pull the cockpit floor grates and lo and behold there is a big fat air bubble in the top of the compass.
How tough is it to add fluid? I assume there is a plug somewhere in the bottom of the compass for draining/adding fluid.

[Dan McCosh]

There is a plug i to add fluid. You may not need to add any, however. There is a rubber diaphragm that accounts for temperature variations. Usually, you can depress the diaphragm a little to get the bubble out.

[jboat]

I assume that if the plug is on the bottom I can turn the compass over 180 degrees and not worry about the card getting free?
I will pull the compass out of the binnacle and look for the diaphragm, thanks.

[Dave Hadfield]

I had to do this last year on my 1972 Ritchie. I couldn't figure out how to take it apart, so I called the factory, and they were extremely helpful.

I took it out, found the fill nozzle, and topped it up with mineral spirits, which is what they recommended. Then I noticed that the O ring on the refill screw was done, so I replaced it -- that's where the leak came from, I think.

Worked well the rest of the season.

[JimConlin]

It just might go away as the weather gets warmer.

[Bob Cleek]

No, it won't just go away. If there's air in it, that means that the air replaced some fluid which leaked out. If the fluid leaked out, the compass must be repaired or it will just leak out again. Moreover, leaving the air inside will often feed some sort of bacteria and cloud the fluid. If it is a cheapo compass or you are adventurous, you can try to refill it yourself. It is a delicate scientific instrument, though. If you have a good companss (more than you want to pay to replace it), I would highly recommend taking/sending it to a professional compass repair service. They do exist in most seaport communities. Most compass adjusters also service compasses.

[JimConlin]

For many years i owned a ca. 1962 Constellation compass. When the temp. was below 50 degrees, it would have a bubble. When warmer, the bubble was gone.
I chose not to beat that horse.

[Roger Long]

This woman repairs and rebuilds compasses at very reasonable rates. She put a new dome and fluid in ours for under $100.00, less than half the price quoted by the manufacturer. Better than spending $275 for a replacement.

Gretchen Sauvage
Grand Traverse Compass
5250 Vance Road
Grawn, MI 49637
ges5250@earthlink.net

[ 04-19-2005, 07:49 AM: Message edited by: Roger Long ]

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

I agree with Bob. Bubble = air = oxygen = corrosion of the magnets = eventually, wrecked compass.

[jboat]

The bubble is pretty big, I can only assume that some of the fluid has leaked out. It is a good compass, a Ritchie, and I'd rather not screw it up by monkeying with it if it's not something that is easily fixed. I will pull it from the binnacle this weekend and investigate the plug, filler, diaphragm etc. Somehwere in my breifcase full of owners manuals in the nav table is the book, I might just break down and actually read that too.
Thanks for the help. I'll let you know what happens.....

[Dan McCosh]

If there is a leak, that's a little different. Cold weather causes the oil to contract, and in my case, often sucks a little air into it in the winter. The diaphragm and oil access plug are easilly accessible on the bottom (Danforth/White) on my compass. The air bubble is about the size of a quarter. It's done this most every year. (for about the last 15 years, even after it was rebuilt).

[jboat]

Never seen an air bubble in the fifteen years I've owned the boat. It was mighty cold this winter but it's been just as cold in the past. This is a good sized bubble, inch and half across at the base.

[Dan McCosh]

Sounds like some kind of leak. Actually, what happens is that air is pulled in during the winter, and when it warms up, then the fluid is pushed out. If it is a cracked diaphragm, the most likely problem, it probably needs replacing anyway, hence a repair guy would be in order.