Zodiac fc470 intercommunication valve not sealing off chambers

[95gstnj]

Hi all,

I just picked up an fc470 and I am having trouble figuring out the ic valve settings. I have researched it plenty, however I cannot figure out the problem. My whole boat inflates and deflates through any single valve, no matter how I have the others set. If I have all of the other valves at 6 o'clock (supposed to be sealed off) they will not leak air out of themselves, but will still allow air to pass between all chambers freely. Am I missing something, could all the valves need rebuilding, or could the internal baffles be bad??

Not that it matters for this problem, but one of the valves is frozen in the "fill" position and I plan on lubricating it soon. All of the others rotate fine, and when at the 6 o'clock position, they seal off and don't let air out.


Thanks
Sean

[Lincoln Charlie]

Yes, 12 O'clock is all valves communicating i.e.; able to fill entire boat from any single valve. 6 O'clock is all valves independent of each other. However they can be changed when taken apart & reassembled so it's important to ensure they are in the correct position when reassembling. That may be the problem with yours. I actually had one upside down when I bought mine. It was easily remedied.

[Troy]

Originally Posted by Lincoln Charlie

Yes, 12 O'clock is all valves communicating i.e.; able to fill entire boat from any single valve. 6 O'clock is all valves independent of each other. However they can be changed when taken apart & reassembled so it's important to ensure they are in the correct position when reassembling. That may be the problem with yours. I actually had one upside down when I bought mine. It was easily remedied.

Hi, I'm struggling with my Mk4 valves. Do you have a reference site that might help?
Thanks,
Troy

[sinkingpete]

Hi there,
There may be a slightly more worrying source. If the zodiac is ex military they are / were usually filled up from a scuba cylinder / rapid inflate system. If the the IC valves are in the isolated chambers position and the rapid inflate cylinder is used to blow up the boat it can burst the chamber baffles. The boat will fill and operate fine until you get a leak then it becomes a problem.

I used to check them by blowing up the boat and removing one valve while turning the isolation bezel. if its working you should be able to hear and feel as one chamber is sealed off.

Hope that is of some use

Pete

[Lincoln Charlie]

Originally Posted by Troy

Hi, I'm struggling with my Mk4 valves. Do you have a reference site that might help?
Thanks,
Troy

Unfortunately no, there isn't any available support I know of. I would put all valves at 12 o'clock (the isolated position) then hand/foot pump each one. If you notice a chamber next to it inflating turn the valve you're inflating to six o'clock to see if that isolates it. If so it's merely upside down. You can unscrew the valve and use a socket to take it apart and reassemble in the correct position. Go through the whole boat like this until they're all correct.

[Lincoln Charlie]

Originally Posted by sinkingpete

Hi there,
There may be a slightly more worrying source. If the zodiac is ex military they are / were usually filled up from a scuba cylinder / rapid inflate system. If the the IC valves are in the isolated chambers position and the rapid inflate cylinder is used to blow up the boat it can burst the chamber baffles. The boat will fill and operate fine until you get a leak then it becomes a problem.

I used to check them by blowing up the boat and removing one valve while turning the isolation bezel. if its working you should be able to hear and feel as one chamber is sealed off.

Hope that is of some use

Pete

Absolutely correct. It is imperative to confirm correct IC valve positioning and function prior to utilizing any sort of rapid inflation system.