RickS

Thanks Slim. I pumped about one and a half wet vacs full this morning. The level has, until today, remained fairly low with maybe a very slow build up that I assumed was water percolating through the ballast - paving slabs like yours - which I would pump out every couple of days or so. Figured it would take a while to all come through. This morning though, there was a noticeable increase in depth which made me think it might be rain, as there has been a lot of it the last couple of days. Checked the prv - all draining fine into its container.

Trad with a long back deck (counter?). Engine bilge is dry, now I have piped the calorifier PRV into a container, and has been for a while now. There is a bulkhead under the floor between the cabin and engine bilges (chap told me it's called a stank - not sure whether he's winding me up!) Front well deck drains through holes at deck level and are clear. A couple of of the portholes have rust patches around them - one in particular has quite a lot around it. Inside, at this porthole, the cabin side t&g seems to have lost contact with the wood bearer(s). Taking off the inner liner, it is about 1 cm away from where it seems it should be. The hull on the inside around this porthole shows rust, but everything this morning (after a night's heavy rain) was bone dry - puzzled Appears to be just surface rust, but to be sure I probably need to take the portholes out? The possible exception is the one I mentioned in my previous reply to you

Thanks Ditchcrawler. There are some rust patches around some of the windows and the paintwork on the roof is a bit tatty. Would these be most likely to be the point of entry (i suppose that's a bit of an obvious question)?

Just an update and a further question, if anyone is still interested 🙂 I have exhausted pretty much everything in the boat - apart from the central heating system, which I feel is an unlikely candidate but under investigation. I must have missed something because it doesn't answer the question of where the water is / has been coming from. My question is: how likely is rain ingress to cause the amount of water I have pumped out over the last few weeks (100 litres plus)? Admittedly it has been happening and I was unaware of it, but would that amount be likely? It is the volume that makes me think it comes from inside the boat, but can't find how - so rain? Cheers

Thanks Stroudwater1 Not sure exactly what you mean when you say that the bilges are levelled off - still getting my head around some of the terminology 🙂 The water does still need hoovering but not because it is filling up to the original level, it just seems to percolate through the ballast to need clearing every day or so - I should have explained that better. My water tank holds ~150 gallons and seems to last about 2 weeks or so. The boat is 28 years old. I have drilled holes stern of the water tank and all seems dry so unless the bilge doesn't clear, I don't think it's coming from there - although it wouldn't hurt to take a look if possible. To be honest, I am surprised that a leaking sink trap could have produced the amount of water in the bilge that it supposedly has, although it has been like that for a while. Still not 100% that is the cause, but running out of candidates - small hole in the hull is frankly alarming, but the bilges were dry in the past after I bought the boat, even though there was evidence of water damage in the past, so that, hopefully, rules that out somewhat. No shower at the marina unfortunately! Chap at the marina has taken a brief look and will keep contact with me over it. Best i can do at the moment is assume it's the sink and keep hoovering I think

Thanks all for your comments, they were really useful. Apologies for not replying sooner, but I have spent the weekend taking apart cupboards, steps, anything that looks like it might have a pipe behind it. Drilled discrete holes in the floor to establish how far 'up' the boat the water goes, put fluorescent dye in the bath to test the waste and pump, and hoovered the water out of the cabin bilge at the stern several times. As each examination revealed nothing, or at least nothing significant, it was looking like the leak was probably coming from the PRV on the calorifier (which I found - why do these bits of kit have to be built in so that you have to contort yourself in ways you are not designed to move?). Plan is to put a length of tubing onto the PRV and then into a container until this can be permanently routed over the side via a skin fitting. Did find a leaky bathroom trap, so that will go and be replaced with tubing to the skin fitting rather than another trap. Presumably it has been leaking since i bought the boat, although no water was showing in the bathroom cupboard, or at least only a bit. Would that have produced the large amount hoovered out of the bilge? The bilge level does seem to have levelled off, and apart from continuing to hoover and sponge out the water in the bilge as it percolates down until it is dry, I don't have any other candidate at present. I take your point MtB that looking for a leak all day, not finding it yet still having to charge is not what anyone wants - no-one needs that kind of aggravation. But, speaking to one of the staff at the marina, they are very short staffed and even if they wanted to they couldn't at present 🙂 So I got to examine lots of areas on my boat that I hadn't before, and found some things I had no idea existed - mainly extra bloody square pin sockets (they must breed). Thanks again everyone for you help, it is a terrifying prospect to suddenly find water up to the floor in the bedroom and have no idea from where or what to do about it.

Thanks Tony the only time the pump short cycles is when the immersion heater has been switched on. It comes on for a second every once in a while - I assumed as the water in the calorifier cools and the pressure drops slightly. Otherwise, it doesn't come on unless the taps are open. Water does look clean - apart from slight rust tinge - and when hoovered out first time there was a very slight amount of white around the edge that may have been soapy. Draining showers into the bilge seems utterly crazy that boatbuilders would do that - I had no idea that might be a possibilty. Out of interest, why is the sump box system not a good idea please? Thanks again Thanks BEngo. Looks like it might be worth trying

That's the problem really. I have no idea how to identify where it is coming from - particularly if it is through a window or through the hull - which is why I think I need professional help. Hence the potential hole drilling

Fair points. I have water in the back bedroom that has rotted the floor. It is clearly something historic as the damaged floor I found shortly after I had bought the boat, but the bilge then was bone dry so it was, or so I thought, a case of replacing that section of floor - low priority. Noticed some damp in the wardrobe, lifted the rear step and water was up to floor level. Hoovered it out, but it is slowly creeping up again. Very worrying and I am out of my depth (no pun intended!). I was thinking that I might drill a few holes in suitable places in the floor along the boat to try and isolate where it is coming from, but starting to panic slightly.

Will they be OK working on a boat or doesn't it much matter? Not at all - you are being too cynical MtB 🙂

I am near Daventry and need a plumber. Everyone at the marina is either off sick or unavailable. Any suggestions please?

Yes, perfect clear signal on the well deck etc. Don't really want to report anything as I'm sure lord Grade will have enough on his plate choosing the new wallpaper, more puzzled about what is causing it

Ha ha. That would be too much to hope that it is a self-editing radio. Hears the Archers and gives up until the next day! The only other FM radio I have gets nothing except when outside the boat

Thanks Tony I'm In a marina at present. Shoreline charger is in use (no solar) and is pretty much always on float. I sorted out the bilge pump by the way, thanks for your advice with that. Thanks Chewbacka. It's running on it's own batteries. The interference, once started, seems to last for the rest of the day / eve. i don't have anything on timer myself and I can't see anything obvious in the immediate locality. Thanks Jen. Only made a note of the time today, so that might be a bit of a leap by me, but certainly always during the lunchtime news on Radio 4. it kind of fades away to be replaced largely by static. Bit puzzling

I have a DAB radio which pretty much works perfectly anywhere on the boat. Rather than buying another one to save moving the first one around with me, I have an FM/MW radio which gets great reception in the kitchen on top of the bread bin with its aerial extended across the window, until precisely 13:28 every day!? Then it's just static and can't use it. Anyone had this before and does anyone know what causes it? Do the turn the transmitter down at lunchtime 🙂 ?

Thanks all. Not bothered about a tiny bit of water - which I know the pump won't deal with. Happy to sponge it out - was doing that yesterday. Real pain trying to get the voltage as I only have probe attachments for my multimedia and the damn thing won't keep still. I have ordered some crocodile clip leads that plug into the meter. For now I think I am just going to disconnect it, clean the pump and replace the hose, and I'll get back about the voltage. Tried nappies blackrose - probably too much water in the bilge at the time as they mostly burst spilling the gel stuff all over - taking them out earlier would have been good, or only using them for the last of thewater

David, Tony thank you. The wiring problems were at the control panel which had been disconnected when the engine was being dealt with. Bit of a nightmare behind there so got an electrician to sort the control panel out. Don't know the voltage, but will attempt to find out tomorrow with a multimeter. In fairness, it does seem to push the water up to the join between hoses, which is not much lower than the skin fitting - certainly over half the height. Will get back to you re: voltage Thanks Thanks OldGoat. I have to go with what's there until my knowledge improves, but thanks for the suggestion

😀 Probably not to be perfectly honest, but some problems I have come across seem so obvious that I question my solution - particularly when what I think as obvious is not so when applied to boats. I suppose what I was mainly worried about is whether the pump wasn't lifting the water enough - |I will replace the hose a at least i will know it won't be the hose that is blocked. Thanks

My bilge pump now works (wiring issue) and is joined to the skin fitting by two lengths of hose joined in the middle by a short piece of stiff tube on the inside of both hoses (crap description, sorry). Sucks up water but doesn't appear to be dumping it over the side. When the pump is turned off, a lot of water just comes back out of the pump. When I disconnect the joined hoses and operate the pump, water comes out of the pump-connected hose. Would I be correct in thinking that therefore there is a block in the hose connected to the skin fitting? I assume that it would be preferable to replace both hoses with a single hose? Thanks

I bow to your greater knowledge. I think rewiring the boat is certainly going to make life a lot easier - which means getting someone else to do it as that's beyond what I feel competent doing. Normally that wouldn't stop me trying something new - best way to learn - but not with electrics, or indeed anything that can kill me or sink the boat!

no idea about the heat resistance but the brown lead is multi-strand cable. Definitely not solid cable. I, too, was not happy about two black cables and a red. I wired the black cable that was in the original neutral back into the neutral and the other into the earth connection. I don't think it's black sleeving over solid copper, I think it's a black cable (if that makes sense)

I have no idea who did the wiring Alan. I am finding that every time I look at the electrics (trying to deal with it a bit at a time) even to my non-electrician's eyes it looks like a dog's dinner. That was going to be my next question about solid core cable. I didn't think it was right, on a boat or anywhere else. At the very least it seems very dated. It's also a bugger to wire anything up with as it's very stiff. I think I am getting to the point where I am going to get a proper electrician in to rewire the whole boat as I don't know what i'm going to find next. Thanks David. Yes, I was getting that impression from what people have said - and thinking about it some more. Rewired the correct way round and it all works as it should

Thanks Jen and Paul. I attach photos of old and new switch. I think you are right Paul and i have wired the load and feed round the wrong way. What an absolute arse! Because the load (blue / brown etc) was at the top of the old switch next to the light, I have wired up the new one the same way as the photo shows. The wires feeding the light are going from the feed (black / red) have the feed wires connected to them (which is how the old switch was wired but without the light wires). so the light will be permanently on but the switch still works - presumably the other way, off for on etc. I have disconnected the circuit breaker at the moment because i was worried I had done something dangerous. No relevant instructions with the switch that I could see so just assumed load at the top of the new one. Should have realised about the light wires - does that sound like an accurate assessment ? Honestly, you couldn't make this stuff up! David, nicknorman - yes, I think you are right, as are Jen and Paul. It all seemed so obvious, just 180 degrees different from the old one! It does seem obvious tat the light should be wired to the load rather than the feed - i just went with old wiring.

Yet another question from me I'm afraid. Immersion heater switch light flickering and nasty white sparks appearing when the switch is flicked so bought a new one. Pretty much replacing like for like - live and neutral from the supply (mains) and live and neutral to the load. Earth from supply and load into common. The neon light was already wired across the supply - the supply was two blacks and a red - solid core, whilst the load was the usual brown, blue and green/yellow, Wired up as before, reconnected the supply and the neon light is on all the time, irrespective of what position the switch is in. Nothing has tripped. What am I doing wrong please? Is the immersion on all the time whether it is witched on or off? Thanks

Thanks for that. To be honest, I would be a little worried of making a shoddy job of it and ruining the cratch, but it's a nice clean solution