Water leak

[Leaky boat]

I have a semi trad narrow boat that has recently had a leak from somewhere of water, clean water it appears although the leak may have been there for a while as there is mould on the ballast and polystyrene insulation.

ive pumped out most of the water now but it is slowly seeping back in.  From what I’ve seen so far the water appears to be under the bed at the stern end of the boat.

does anyone have suggestions on what to do next?

the water is rusty coloured now and there is now only about two inches deep at that part of the boat.  At the bow end my water tank is only holding about 6 inches of water currently.

any advice welcome.

 

[Murflynn]

if the boat is trimmed in the usual manner, the water will always appear on the baseplate at the rear of the cabin space .........  the water will appear to be rust coloured because there will probably be rust on the upper surface of the baseplate at some point. 

 

even though you pump out all the water, it is likely that water will be trapped under ballast and in the corners of the baseplate stiffeners, and the water will gradually make its way to the back as the boat moves around.  

 

the most likely source is window leakage.

Edited April 5, 2019 by Murflynn

[Arthur Marshall]

If you keep checking towards the front of the boat you ought to be able to see where the flood started, unless the whole floor was under water? That said, a couple of winters ago I had a couple of inches of water under the floor that was entirely due to condensation from a bit of bulkhead at the front that I'd forgotten to insulate. 

[Leaky boat]

Ok thankyou

[WotEver]

Keep removing it for now and see if it gradually becomes less. If it does then it’s just the residual slowly making its way to the back. If it’s consistently a couple of inches even after a week then you probably have a leak somewhere. Do you ever hear your pump cycling?

[BEngo]

Wot Murflynn said, but another possible source is your domestic water system.  Does the waterpump occasionally run for short periods for no apparent reason?  Or go   'BurrP'  in the night from time to time?  If so you may have a leak in the water piping.

 

 

In the meantime bale out the two inches of water, or suck it out with a Wet n Dry vac, then  chuck some disposable nappies into the space.  Check these every couple of days and replace when soggy. 

 

Leave the hatch off whenever you are not aboard, so the air can get in to help things dry out.

N

[Leaky boat]

Don’t think it condensation as I had to use a 2 inch petrol pump to clear about 8 to 10 inches of water in that small area.

i will check further along the boat to investigate the pump and pipes.

thanks both of you for you input.

much appreciated.

Yes I’ve heard my pump cycling occasionally during the night.

[rusty69]

Calorifier PRV overflow

Leaking stern gland.

Condensation.

Domestic water leak

window/hatch leak

Engine coolant/tank leak

Shower/bath leak.

Skin fitting/drain leak

Washing machine leak

Engine board leak 

Toilet leak

Deck leak

Hull leak 

Edited April 5, 2019 by rusty69

[Leaky boat]

This is the leak, not coming from the stern gland/engine room or my pump out tank.  No odour.

 

[Boater Sam]

If your water pump is occasionally coming on, you definitely have a leak on your plumbing. Where does the pressure release valve on the calorifier discharge? 

[Slim]

33 minutes ago, BEngo said:

Wot Murflynn said, but another possible source is your domestic water system.  Does the waterpump occasionally run for short periods for no apparent reason?  Or go   'BurrP'  in the night from time to time?  If so you may have a leak in the water piping.

 

 

In the meantime bale out the two inches of water, or suck it out with a Wet n Dry vac, then  chuck some disposable nappies into the space.  Check these every couple of days and replace when soggy. 

 

Leave the hatch off whenever you are not aboard, so the air can get in to help things dry out.

N

Firstly I'd come down in favour of a fresh water leak. Any form of porous ballast such as slabs, bricks etc will leech out water over several weeks. More significantly whilst nappies are great for soaking up water don't leave them for several days. They will split and dump their gel everywhere.   

[Murflynn]

1 hour ago, Leaky boat said:

Don’t think it condensation as I had to use a 2 inch petrol pump to clear about 8 to 10 inches of water in that small area.

 

where/how did you measure 8 to 10 inches?

 

that depth of water would be sloshing about over the floorboards, and would extend half the length of the cabin or more.

[Arthur Marshall]

2 hours ago, Murflynn said:

where/how did you measure 8 to 10 inches?

 

that depth of water would be sloshing about over the floorboards, and would extend half the length of the cabin or more.

That's what I thought. If it's that deep in a small area, and doesn't extend through the boat, it's either a year or twos worth of condensation or a hole in the boat. The only time I've had that much in, is in the engine bilge when the boat sank! If it keeps coming at the rate it seems to, I'd get the floor up fast to find out where from and get to a boatyard. (which is what I did, though my hole was in the bilge so I saw the water coming in, dropped a wodge of epoxy in it, shoved a rubber pad on top and stuck a brick on it). 

You need to find how far towards the front of the boat the water has extended, which will give you a clue as to where it's coming from. 

[Boater Sam]

4 hours ago, Leaky boat said:

Don’t think it condensation as I had to use a 2 inch petrol pump to clear about 8 to 10 inches of water in that small area.

i will check further along the boat to investigate the pump and pipes.

thanks both of you for you input.

much appreciated.

Yes I’ve heard my pump cycling occasionally during the night.

Do you have a basement?

Its the plumbing leaking somewhere, stop panicking.

Everytime the pump cycles its dumping maybe half a litre of water into the boat, I bet you haven't pumped out more than 30 litres, It can't be 8" to 10" deep, your socks would be wet and the carpet floating.

Do you have webbed feet?

[Arthur Marshall]

My pump cycles if the battery level is low or if I've an almost unnoticeable drip from a tap. I do agree that there's no need to panic as the OP is still afloat, but having to use a fairly hefty pump to get a lot of wet out, and more still coming, would worry me a bit. 

[Onewheeler]

My water tank has just emptied into the bilge. The filter on the pump inlet somehow managed to undo itself. The two halves are secured by a sort of bayonet fitting without a final 'clicky bit' to stop it undoing without a push. B'stard.