SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!
Sometimes I find my bilges full of water. Other times they''re fairly dry. I suspect it is rainwater. But how is it getting into the bilges? There is no problem with the raw water intake for the engine. But I find it difficult to tell if there is a leak in the cockpit drain hoses. Any suggestions?
You could lay a light powdering of Talc'' accross the (dry) bilges, then watch for "tracking" - this might tell you which direction it''s coming from.
I presume there''s no sign of top-side leaks, (ports, hatches, etc.)
Perhaps a head or sink discharge hose?
Gord
Important if it is salt water or fresh (assuming your boat is floating in salt water), and I don''t know from your post which it is.
If salt, consider thru-hulls, etc. This should probably go to the top of your list. I once had a VERY small hole (e.g. a hole from a removed screw) that was above the waterline until the boat moved, then it was under--it put a LOT of water into the bilge once covered it--it was surprising. So check for this. Rudder post or packing gland for the engine shaft are also potential hot spots, when running.
If fresh, two prime areas--rainwater (could be from anywhere). E.g. leaking hatch, etc.
OR, a problem we had--if you have a pressure water system with hot water heater, and the hot water heater pop-off valve dies, it could dump fresh water into the bilge and then the pressure system just refills it. Check if your water tanks seem to be going down quickly. IN any event, somewhere in the fresh water system could also be the problem.
I also like the talc idea--thanks Gord.
Salinity cannot be used to help identify the source of the water because the boat is in a lake. I am, however, pretty sure that the bilge directly beneath the engine fills first.
But again, whether this is from the stuffing box or from, say, a leaking cockpit engine access hatch, is difficult to determine. Has anyone had a leaky engine access hatch?
If you are getting a fair amount of water in your bilge. You could just take a look at the stuffing box if you get more than a drop every second or so and it''s been awhile since it has been changed I would put some attention on it even if you don''t think it''s the main problem.
The only thru-hull I have on my boat is for the speed transducer. I pulled it to clean one day, reinstalled it, and screwed in the cap. The following week, I had water up to the floor boards. The drip from the cap was almost unpreceptable, but one more quarter turn on the cap, and the bildge in now dry again.
You say that sometimes your bilge is full, and other times it is fairly dry. You need to first determine if there is a pattern. If it happens after it rains or you wash the boat - well that indicates where it is coming from. One would think that a below the waterline leak would not be intermitant. You need to check frequently and note prior situations. Determining wether this is rain water or a hull leak should not, over a little time, be difficult to determine.
Stick corks in the cockpit drains and dump some food color in the hoses one at a time top with water and see if yu can see the die in the bilge. That might work on all hoses. Another spot can be when the motor is hot a crack in the exhaust lets water in when it expands.It could be an exhaust hose as well.
Shower sump leaking????You will find it just make it a game of hide and seek tag your it.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
SailNet Community
1.7M posts
173.8K members
Since 1990
A forum community dedicated to Sailing, boating, cruising, racing & chartering. Come join the discussion about sailing, destinations, maintenance, repairs, navigation, electronics, classifieds and more