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Hi Emile. I seem to remember that Minnkotas can be submerged to 100 feet,
although that seems like a lot to me.
Because oil is lighter than water, would it make sense to have a "low
point" in the oil compensation plumbing system which could act as a "water trap"
similar to a compressed air system in a work shop. Many years ago when I was an
apprentice it was my responsibility to drain the accumulated water daily
from the pneumatic power tool system that ran through the shop. There was a pipe
connected fairly close to the supply compressor that was running down from a
water trap device. I would just open the valve near the floor and drain out
about a 1/2 cup of water daily. Although this was a compressed air system, it
used the same concept to drain the water out. The water being heavier than the
oil impregnated air, gravity would separate the water out and divert it into the
drain pipe.
In a closed Minnkota maybe the oil would "float" above any small amount of
water that did manage to get in there through the shaft seal. The Minnkota would
have to be positioned so the fitting where the wires exit the body was on the
bottom and the water would work it's way to the lowest point and exit the motor
casing through that fitting. If the tubing containing the wires was clear vinyl
you could see if any water had collected inside at the lowest point. By placing
a small drain valve at that point it would be easy to drain out a little
water.
On another note.....I've often thought about making a replacement rear
section for a Minnkota that had a magnetic coupling incorporated into it. This
would eliminate the shaft seal and would be a direct bolt-on replacement for the
stock Minnkota motor. I've seen a few off-the-shelf magnetic couplers that
could maybe be used as a basis for the design. These are made to be bolted
up between electric motors and pumps where the pump is exposed to
very corrosive liquids or explosive atmospheres. The magnetic couplers had
standard connectors to fit different electric motors. Not sure how much torque
one of those would withstand before slipping. Just a random thought.
Frank D.
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