Water tank full but not full

[Porcupine]

I just tried pouring a few Jerry cans of water into my water tank. Water started overflowing from the neck but I know the tank isn’t full. Could anyone tell me why the tank isn’t taking any more water despite being quite empty?

 

Thanks, 

Matt 

[LadyG]

Air is a fluid, so the tank is full of fluid, try a filter funnel with a long spout, and pour the water in slowly.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Blocked breather, or breather can't let air get out as fast as the water is trying to get in, so the excess water overflows. Mine does this. 1.5" filler hose, 1/2" breather hose.

 

Altenatively, Schrodinger's water tank, where it is in a superimposed state of being full and not full, till you look down the filler and observe the level.

[Ex Brummie]

Even if the filler is 1 1/2", if you are filling with a 1/2" hose, the breather is more than adequate. 

When the taps on the Thames, before the ridiculous modifications, used 1" hose with a decent pressure, the 15mm breather plus the area round the filler did not cause a problem.

What connection do you have between the filler and the tank?

 

Edited March 14 by Ex Brummie

[Tracy D'arth]

43 minutes ago, Porcupine said:

I just tried pouring a few Jerry cans of water into my water tank. Water started overflowing from the neck but I know the tank isn’t full. Could anyone tell me why the tank isn’t taking any more water despite being quite empty?

 

Thanks, 

Matt 

Are you seriously suggesting that you cannot work out why you cannot get water into the tank?

[Tony Brooks]

20 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:

What connection do you have between the filler and the tank?

 

That is important because if there are bends or slopes, even in a 1"+ pipe/hose, it could result in an airlock. I doubt anything nested in the filler over winter if it has a cap on it, but they may have done so in the breather.

[system 4-50]

45 minutes ago, Porcupine said:

Water started overflowing from the neck

? Is the connection between the filling fitting and the tank defective?  This would not leak if you put a hose right down into it but would if you tipped water from a jerrycan in.

[blackrose]

I'd also guess it's a blocked breather. I couldn't unblock mine so I took an angle grinder to it and cut the top off as it had rusted up completely inside.

 

I took a drill to the bit of breather pipe still on the deck to unblock it and then cleared the curved bit I'd cut off with a wire coat hanger. I then used a couple of inches of hosepipe to fit them back together as it was exactly the right ID to push the breather pipe into for a tight fit. Anyway at least now I can easily take it apart again if I need to and it's easily serviceable.

 

 

Edited March 14 by blackrose

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Are you seriously suggesting that you cannot work out why you cannot get water into the tank?

 

Porcupines are small, very prickly and climb trees, but are not known for having much in the way of mechanical or engineering abilities.

[Porcupine]

Great, thanks, so I try and unblock the breather pipe with some wire and see if that helps. Thanks everyone. 

[haggis]

10 minutes ago, Porcupine said:

Great, thanks, so I try and unblock the breather pipe with some wire and see if that helps. Thanks everyone. 

Or just use a funnel which allows air to escape as you pour water in. Your "problem" is probably caused by the water being poured in filling the input tube and thus not allowing any air to escape 🙂 

[Porcupine]

4 minutes ago, haggis said:

Or just use a funnel which allows air to escape as you pour water in. Your "problem" is probably caused by the water being poured in filling the input tube and thus not allowing any air to escape 🙂 

I used a Jerry can. Now I’m using  a Jiggle Hose and water is still overflowing. 

40 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Porcupines are small, very prickly and climb trees, but are not known for having much in the way of mechanical or engineering abilities.

True. 

[haggis]

37 minutes ago, Porcupine said:

I used a Jerry can. Now I’m using  a Jiggle Hose and water is still overflowing. 

 

Is there plenty of space for air to escape up the outside of your hose when you are using it? 

[Porcupine]

29 minutes ago, haggis said:

Is there plenty of space for air to escape up the outside of your hose when you are using it? 

Some room not loads. 

[PaulJ]

Have you got an access panel that you could remove see at least some of the tank ? I often poke my moby into inaccessable places and take a few pics.

Be worth having a look to see if the filler hose is installed badly -perhaps slumps and then goes uphill or even possibly kinked if it does a sharp bend.

[Arthur Marshall]

5 minutes ago, Porcupine said:

Some room not loads. 

Same applies - if you try to put water in faster than the air can get out, or than it can go down the pipe into the tank, it's going to bounce back and make your feet wet. Just slow the flow down until it doesn't.

Unless you've previously been able to fill it with a roaring hose, I wouldn't worry.

[haggis]

46 minutes ago, Porcupine said:

Some room not loads. 

That's probably the answer! Allow more air to escape by using a thinner hose or a funnel.

I can't believe this conversation and wonder of someone is taking the Michael 🙂 

[1st ade]

10 minutes ago, haggis said:

That's probably the answer! Allow more air to escape by using a thinner hose or a funnel.

I can't believe this conversation and wonder of someone is taking the Michael 🙂 

On the other hand - give a (relatively) new poster a bit of room - I'm fairly sure every boat (hied or family) I've been on has coped with a water point at full chat (while admitting that some water points "full chat" won't fill the dog bowl faster than he drinks it...)

[David Mack]

3 hours ago, Porcupine said:

I just tried pouring a few Jerry cans of water into my water tank. Water started overflowing from the neck but I know the tank isn’t full. Could anyone tell me why the tank isn’t taking any more water despite being quite empty?

 

Thanks, 

Matt 

How do you know the tank isn't full?

If you are not getting water to the taps there could be any number of reasons beyond an empty water tank.

[Alan de Enfield]

27 minutes ago, 1st ade said:

On the other hand - give a (relatively) new poster a bit of room - I'm fairly sure every boat (hied or family) I've been on has coped with a water point at full chat (while admitting that some water points "full chat" won't fill the dog bowl faster than he drinks it...)

 

On the other hand, lets give a long-time moderator a bit of room, for not reading that the OP is not actually using a water-point / hose, but is pouring it straight into the tank from a 'Jeremy can'.

[Bee]

I think I would start by looking for a collapsed or kinked hose.

[MtB]

19 hours ago, haggis said:

That's probably the answer! Allow more air to escape by using a thinner hose or a funnel.

I can't believe this conversation and wonder of someone is taking the Michael 🙂 

 

Surely the reason is obvious, but Team Mod has asked us to stop pointing it out actually in the threads.

 

 

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

Surely the reason is obvious, but Team Mod has asked us to stop pointing it out actually in the threads.

 

 

Those of us here who are likely to contribute to such topics almost certainly have some innate practical ability, but my time in FE tells me there are people around who do not so appear to believe or do, what to us, look like stupid things. This is a good reason not to keep on pointing out that a post looks like a wind up or a bot. However, when the OP fails to respond to suggestions and question in a sensible way, I think they forfeit such consideration.

[Porcupine]

22 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Surely the reason is obvious, but Team Mod has asked us to stop pointing it out actually in the threads.

 

 

If the reason is obvious please tell me? 

[Tony Brooks]

3 minutes ago, Porcupine said:

If the reason is obvious please tell me? 

 

Without inspecting the boat and possibly stripping parts of the fit out for access, I doubt anyone can say much more than has been said. However, the symptoms do seem odd and have given rise to suspicions that some have voiced. I am just intrigued and somewhat stumped.