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Water System Op

3K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  chuck53 
#1 ·
Hey all. Hope sailing is good today. I want to stay overnight on my boat for the first time. The water system to the sinks does not seem to be working. Can someone run through the basics of a water system. The head is getting water... Nothing else is.
 
#2 ·
Well I will try to give you a general overview as you gave no model size or type of boat. There has to be a water tank or supply. A plumbing system (Pipes n Valves) to move the water from tank to sink. A water pump manual or electric to provide the motive source to move said water through the pipes from tank/source to the sincs. I guess the rest is up to you. Bob
 
#4 ·
Hey,

As mentioned, the system is pretty simple;
Water tank (or tanks) to hold the water
water lines to connect tank to taps (in galley and head)
pump to move the water

Do you have pressure water or a manual pump? If pressure, there will be a switch on your breaker panel. If manual, you will have a pump lever at the galley and head

When you write that the head has water do you mean for the toilet or sink? Many / most marine toilets use seawater to flush. They have a separate water intake for that. The head sink usually uses fresh water from the water tank.

You will have to locate the tank(s) and see if there is water, then find the pump, then see what happens.

Good luck,
Barry
 
#5 · (Edited)
These are all great tips. The boat is a CS 27 1981. The water pump at sink in head seems to be wanting water... Yet no water comes out. There is a pump by the tank itself that does not seem to be working. I've opened or closed both (lever and tap) valves that seem to connect to the water system but nothing. Could the one pump be the culprit? Yes, I also have flipped the fresh water breaker at the electrical panel.
 
#7 ·
Most boats have a manual pump, then a lot also have an electric pump. Mine has both as I think is pretty common...you can hear it pressurizing the system when you flip it on. Most of the manual pumps (as on mine) that I've seen are little foot pumps on the floor near the sink.

If the pump doesn't kick on immediately when it's getting power, it's probably not working. If it's been sitting a while it might have frozen, or maybe it's just not getting power. Do you have an ohm meter to check the leads? If there's power to the pump but it's not kicking on to pressurize the system, time for a new pump. No big deal though...they're not terribly expensive. Unless the pump has a switch that turns it off when there's no water to pump, so you might want to make sure it's getting water.

If you haven't ever used the water on your boat, you probably don't want to be drinking whatever water is in the tank.
 
#9 · (Edited)
The foot pump or hand pump can't be found by my man eyes. I'll look again in the am.
The faucets both look like regular single knob faucets. They unscrew to reveal a white hose. Should I pump those once the hose shows? The pump at the head sink seems to turn on but still no water comes out. I've opened both faucets.
I was not going to drink the water until I actually got it tested. I just wanted to rinse stuff with it. I believe the tank was empty and I filled some water in to test the system. I know that the water on the boat had not been used for a long time. I eventually would like to wash dishes, my face and brush my teeth with it tho. Thanks for all your tips.
 
#11 ·
The handle for the faucet on the CS27 lifts up and acts as a hand pump if the electric pump is not turned into. The faucet it self has an electric switch attached to it, a push button switch that opens when you lift or open the faucet. When the switch is on the electric pump will start. However, the switch can stick and if it does it will not turn the pump on. The switch works the opposite of most push button switches of this type so it may be difficult to find a replacement if it goes. You can take apart the faucet by removing some pins in the handle to get at the switch. Replacement faucets of the same designs are still available online.

Craig Lisk

Former CS27 owner 1158
 
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