removing the top plugs on your toons

[WaltF]

Anyone ever remove the plugs on the tops of your toons?
I have 2 plugs on mine. I think one for each sealed section.
I thought about removing them to see if i hear a 'woosh'.
2 reasons im thinking of doing this.

1. To equalize the pressure in them since they were probably sealed down at sea level and im way up here at 7000 foot. Ive read that something sealed at sea level will rise to 5 psi at 10,000 foot. That means i could have over 5 psi inside the toons if a drag it over a 12,000 foot pass out here in Colorado. Maybe burping them up here at my house, ie 7000 foot, it would lessen that stress..

2. To make sure there are no leaks in the toons. I figure if i hear a 'woosh', then i know they are sealed...

At the end of last summer, i thought i could hear a little water in there, but its real hard to tell and i thought maybe this would let me know if they are sealed and at the same time equalize the pressure of being up here in Colorado...

Thoughts on 'burping' the toons?

[JohnO]

Thoughts on 'burping' the toons?

I tried that but I could never get them over my shoulder. (and I'd hate to imagine the spit up!)

[GXPWeasel]

Maybe it's just me, but on something like this, I'd say don't fix it unless it's broke. Normally, I'm not this way, but when it comes to breaking a known good "seal" like your plug is, you may be asking for problems. I'd hate to see you not be able to get a good seal again, when putting the plug back in. Now you could probably use pipe dope or even nylon tape to seal back up if you had problems.

Plus, I know it's not necesarilly a good thing to have a pressurized toon, but if there is any pressure, and it has held it this long, then my guess is it isn't hurting anything. Plus, you have an added bonus of extra boyancy

Now if you did hear water, then yes, crack her open, and suck that water out and find the leak. Either way, she's yours, so have at it, and best of luck.

[dockholiday]

My old toon had plugs on the top. think there were three per side. The plugs had 1/16 holes drilled into them. I was told that was to prevent pressure from building and not large enough to let much water in. Now the new toon only has the drain on the rear at the bottom of the toon. I am pretty sure the old toon had separate sealed chambers but the one I have now has partitions with about a three quarter in holes in the bottom of the sheet of metal to allow draining from front to back.
doc

[wed]

I would be real hesitant to mess with the plugs/seals in the toons. If there is good seal you are guaranteed not to have any water in the toon. If the seal is broken the toon will exchange air as it cools and heats. When the warm air shrinks and cools, depending on the amount of water vapor in it, there will be condensation inside the toon, especially if you launch it on a hot day after it has been sitting in the sun. This can also happen with the daily heating a cooling. Over time condensation will likely accumulate in the toons and you will have to drain them. While the toons are not rated as pressure vessels a little positive pressure should not hurt.

Just a thought.

[HandymanHerb]

If you all can't get a low presure plug to seal your not doing my plumbing, but pick up a little telfon paste and you be fine.

[toondog]

Mine are nylon plugs and I have no problem getting a good seal. I say go ahead and check them. Don't have a clue if you would ever notice a difference, but I do like a little pressure in my toons. Open in the day and seal at night. That should give you just a little pressure. I like the pressure because it makes it easy to check next time you open the plugs (swoosh) and seems like it would make the toon more resistant to dents.

I have 2 plugs on mine. I think one for each sealed section.

Mine has three, one for the nose cone. You might double check that.

Air under pressure is heavier so I don't see it adding any buoyancy. Ask any scuba diver. A full scuba tank is a few pounds heavier than an almost empty one. And you are more buoyant under water after you are low on air. Just my .02

Toondogs quick tip.
To check for water, attach a fishing weight to some string and drop it to the bottom of the toon. If it comes up wet, you have water. Drop it slowly and stop when you hear it hit the bottom. You can now see how much water you have by how far the wetness goes up the string.

[GXPWeasel]

Air under pressure is heavier so I don't see it adding any buoyancy. Ask any scuba diver. A full scuba tank is a few pounds heavier than an almost empty one. And you are more buoyant under water after you are low on air. Just my .02

I didn't know that... I learned something today.

[mikeherb]

Like the Walrus said, "Ain't nothin' better than a tight seal."

My center toon has plugs on top because it is chambered. The stock toons on my boat have nylon plugs in the back.

If you think you heard some water I would go ahead and remove them. Really not certain of the pressure change due to altitude but my guess is the toons can handle those kind of fluctuations.

[Parasympathetic]

Like the Walrus said, "Ain't nothin' better than a tight seal."
.

Hehe, i had to read that twice cause me be a dumbass today.

[toondog]

While we're talking about pressure in toobs, here is a link JohnO post over at PDB.
Too much air in tube YIKES!!!

and here is what it looked like.

[dockholiday]

Yep psi can be deceiving. For an example, when I was in school, we calculated the psi on the face when you shave. It has been a long time ago but think we were using a load of 2 or 3 pounds exerted on the face but if you convert it to psi we came up with something like 2000psi. Can't remember the exact numbers but it was surprising. Conversely if you put 10psi on a toon that puts a load of 1440lbs/ft. Well anyway, just be careful compressed anything can be dangerous.
doc

[wed]

Has anyone ever determined which direction the "whoosh" went when they pulled the plug? At sea level there is about 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute (psia) air pressure. At 7000 feet there is approximately 10.2 psia. So if my toon was manufactured at 7000 feet and sealed there would be a pressure of about -4.5 psig in the toons at sea level. Atmospheric pressure would be trying to crush the toons with a pressure of 4.5 psi in this example.

If the toon were manufactured at sea level there would be 14.7 psia in the toon and if the used at 7000 feet the outside pressure would be about 10.2 psia There would be a pressure difference of +4.5 psi in the toons at 7000 feet. The pressure inside the toon would be trying to explode the toon in this example.

Either of the above situations will give a "whoosh". Temperature changes of a sealed toon will cause internal pressure changes in a sealed container to a lesser degree. Obviously a vented plug will relieve any of thse issues by allowing the toon to breathe to equalize any pressure changes. The only problem with a toon breathing is that it will draw air in when cooling off and water vapor will likely condense inside the toon and it may accumulate water over time. I would hope the manufacturer builds a strong enough toon to handle atmospheric / altitude changes in pressure and that my be why many toons have a sealed plug. Do they do a pressurized leak test at the factory?

[wed]

The exploded toon is pretty impressive! I wonder how much pressure was in it.

[HandymanHerb]

It doesn't take much as the toons aren't made to be a pressure container, any thing more than 2 psi is not good, in the sun it will go up.

And the whoosh you here would depend on how hot the day was, if you uncapped in the morning in the cool it might suck air in where in the hot afternoon it will have pressure.