[andyselzn]

Bristol 24 (dinette model)

The sink works: pulls in water from the water tank and drains it.

The icebox does not drain, gets backed up.

Head does not seem to drain but not a 100% sure and will try again. In any case, it is an illegal head and I may have to get it removed.

How do I go about checking the fittings? What can be done while in the water vs haul out? If there are any write ups or tutorials on the web that will be cool.

 

[Brewgyver]

Head is illegal? Do you mean that it's plumbed for OB discharge only, with no holding tank? Is there room for a tank? Or do you prefer to just go with a porta potty?
As far as testing goes, don't know that there's a whole lot you can do other than closing thru-hulls and filling with water. The ice box drain might go to the bilge, or through a lazerette to a scupper. I would start by putting a couple gallons of hot (120-140 F) water in it, may very whell clear the blockage. Don't go too hot, most have PVC liners that don't like over about 150.

 

[andyselzn]

thanks for the post. will try the hot water test and check again where the ice box drainage leads to.

there is no holding tank and so a direct ob discharge. i don't think there is room for a holding tank but perhaps i need to look into the sizes again. i could go porta-a-potty or a plain ol bucket (yikes).

how does know that the through hull fittings are pretty good? the diver cleaned the bottom today and saw no problem. (boat is new to me).

new question: how do i test the water quality in the water tank?

thanks!

 

[JimsCAL]

A couple of comments.

Most common location for the holding tank is under the V-berth.

Can you open and close the through hulls? If they are frozen open, that's a problem. What type are they (ball valve, gate valve or tapered plug)? If gate valves, they need to be replaced at next haulout.

As to the water tank, pump it empty, add some fresh water with some Clorox added, let it sit for a day or so, then empty it and fill with fresh water.

 

[andyselzn]

I tested the ice box valve and the sink valve. Both have through hull fittings.

The sink valve seems frozen. However, it continues to take in water from the water tank and drain it out.

The ice box valve is not frozen. However, as I turned it back and forth, the hose leading from the ice box to valve started leaking at the joint. For a second there, I was in panic mode. Then, I turned the valve to the off position, removed the hose connection from the ice box and a bunch of water came out into the bilge. I have to figure out how to get in there and replace that hose.

On the ice box valve, the valve works, I can put a new hose in, the diver said that the fitting looked fine from under the hull. How do I check if the backing block is in good shape and does not have corrosion? The guy who sold me the boat was not very forthcoming with information about when it was last checked and what not.

 

[celenoglu]

There is no way to control the hull fittings. Even bronze fittings should be replaced after ten years. Sea water causes corrosion and only the cupper remains resembling a sponge and this can only be seen if you cut the fitting.

 

[travlin-easy]

Andy, there are a number of things you can do to test the system. If the thru-hull valves are functional, merely close the valve, disconnect the hose from the top of the fitting, and see if water poured into the ice box comes out the hose - easy test. If not, then either the hose is full of crud, or the fitting at the bottom of the ice box may be plugged with corrosion or just plain crud. Again, easy fix. To check if the thru-hull is clean, while that hose is disconnected, slowly open the thru-hull and see if water comes in. If it does, it's not plugged. If not, then it is plugged.

If the thru-hull is plugged, you may want to wait till the boat comes out of the water before trying to remove the obstruction. Sure, you can do it while the boat's in the water, but it's a wet, messy job.

As for testing the fresh water tank, realistically, and practically, there is no good test. The best advice is to fill the tank with clean, fresh water, and heavily chlorinate it. Then pump the tank dry using your water system. Most of the crud and contaminants will be flushed out of the entire system. Essentially, you will be shock treating the tank, which usually does a great job of cleaning everything in the freshwater system. Be sure to flush the tank several times to remove as much of the heavy chlorine treatment as possible. Standard for treating drinking water is 8 to 16 drops of chlorine per gallon. Shock treatment is much higher.

Now, about that holding tank - you know that if you get caught the fine can be up to $10,000 in some areas of the United States, particularly Florida. There are lots of holding tanks available, and they are configured to fit in some really tight locations. Some are nothing more than a rubber bag, while others are expensive, welded, stainless steel tanks. West Marine has about three sizes of plastic tanks available.

Good Luck,

Gary

 

[Capt Len]

Maybe room for an under deck mount tank?Custom build? Make sure head pumps into top of tank or it runs back. not good.