Windlass Maintenance
The windlass has been very reliable but does have regular checks at the start of each season and during the summer. The gypsy is removed, cleaned and lubricated at the start of every season and again about 2-3 months later. The condition of the upper shaft seal is checked at the same time. The following more throrough checks have also been completed.
Preventative maintenance on windlass motor - 2016
An initial examination of the motor brushes was carried out on 9th May, 2016 to examine the commutator and brushes. Everything appeared to be in very good condition with little obvious wear. All brushes had identical measurements as shown below. Tangential is along direction of commutator rotation and axial is parallel to the axis of rotation. These match the size of the metal brush holders. The radial measurement is the most important as this is the direction the brushes wear down.
- Tangential 12.9mm
- Axial 8.9mm
- Radial 24.4mm
Service of Motor/gearbox and seals - 2023
A worn upper seal was found during regular annual windlass maintenance in 2022. A complete service carried out on 30th April 2023 with the unit dismantled. Gearbox emptied, flushed and refilled with oil, seals on shaft replaced and motor examined. The commutator and brushes still showed little sign of wear.
Some brush measurements were identical to 2016 values (Tangential: 12.86mm,Axial: 8.9mm). However, there was some slight reduction in radial values with some variation over the four brushes. The brushes still measured 23.5mm at the longest end with some wear on the other side. The shortest radial reading for each brush are listed below
- 23.0mm
- 22.8mm
- 23.3mm
- 22.9mm
The variation above was only from 22.8mm - 23.3mm and represents wear of 1.1mm - 1.6mm (i.e. Approx. 4.5%-6.5% of original 2022 measurements). The brushes still protrude ~3mm above the top of each guide. The retaining spring could easily drop a further 3mm further into the guide before the brushes needed replacing. Planned pre- launch check for 2027 seems reasonable as the brushes are unlikely to lose 6mm in only 4 seasons. The only minor concern is the uneven wear of 0.2mm-0.6mm across each brush.
