Water in cabin bilge

[Ricco1]

I checked the cabin bilge the other day, first time in probably 2 months. I was a bit shocked to find a fair amount of water under there. Exactly how much is difficult to say, I would estimate close to a gallon. The last time I checked the bilge, in the autumn, it was bone dry.

 

The previous owner of the boat had an 'accident' with a shower pump that flooded the bilge and wetted the existing flooring. New flooring was put on top (bad, I know). The wet chipboard underneath never had a chance to dry out properly. Because of this I left a gap around the inspection cover, allow air to circulate, hopefully dry the wood out. This worked nicely. But more of this later...

 

So I set about looking at the possibilities for the cause of the water:

 

1/ Shower/ pump. The pump has been re-sited in the engine bilge. I ran the shower for 20 minutes to make sure that the link between shower tray and pump wasn't the problem. No water went into the bilge.

 

2/ Water pump/ sink/ all piping. Ran the water pump for 10 minutes, no drips. I've felt all accessible pipes and joints, there's no sign of wetness.

 

3/ Leaking windows. We had a deluge here last night. No more water in bilge so I've ruled this out.

 

This leaves, I think, either condensation or water from the canal. My boat is 15 years old and has been blacked regularly. Unlikely to be the hull, would you agree?

 

So that leaves me with condensation. I do get condensation on the windows but I wouldn't say it was too bad. Of course, I don't know how much is forming on the hull and running down...

 

Back to the open inspection cover: It's quite small, maybe a foot square. Yesterday I dried this area off completely with kitchen towel. An hour later it was damp again. When I thought about it, warm boat, cold canal water, of course condensation will form. So I'm now wondering if leaving the inspection hatch partly open has contributed to my problem by allowing warm air to reach the hull = condensation?

 

Apologies for the long winded nature of this, I wanted to include as much information as possible!

 

Any thoughts on this? thanks.

 

[junior]

 

or water from the canal. My boat is 15 years old and has been blacked regularly. Unlikely to be the hull, would you agree?

 

 

What did the surveyor say about hull thickness? That's probably the only way of answering that question rather than just assuming it's ok because it's only 15 years old.

[The Lockie]

Think you are probably nearer the mark with the condensation theory, if it was me I would close the bilge hatch. If you had a leak through the hull reckon it might be more than a gallon or two:-) :-)

[comfortably numb]

I've just come across exactly the same problem so will watch this thread with interest and if I can identify my problem I will report back in case it helps. The only difference is that I don't know how long my damp patch has been there. My boat is 17 years old and the surveyor said it was one of the best hulls he had seen for a boat that age.

[peterboat]

What insulation do you have? if it is not spray foam you tend to get more condensation also do you have liners to the roof vents? if not warm damp air will condense on cold surfaces within the roof/walls This is from experiance in my old boat my new one has th above and no water in the bilges

 

Peter

[Chop!]

We had this problem too and there was a lot more than a gallon or two.

We found that the shower drain pipe led through a bulkhead, behind the calorifier to a pump under the sink in the galley, and while the pump seemed to be working, no water was being pumped out.

We re-routed the pipe towards the bathroom sink (with help from Taslim) and fitted a WhaleGulper and the problem was solved.

I have toyed with the idea of fitting some low powered computer fans, one sucking air into the bilge at the bow and another sucking it out of the bilge at the stern.

Hope you all have a nice dry-bilged New Year!

[sassan]

We have an older boat, and I gather that on newer boats this is not usually the case, but if we overfill our water tank, the cabin bilge fills with water.

 

Managed to damage some flooring that way, and was fortunate I stopped it in time to avoid electrical problems!

 

But in your case, I'm guessing it's just condensation and nothing to worry about.

[Neil2]

I remember the first boat we had, I was convinced there was a leak from the bow deck as water would appear in the bow locker whenever it rained. It turned out to be condensation and simply because all the steel in the bow locker had no insulation. If you have absolutely dismissed a pipe/drain leak condensation is almost certainly the cause. I'd monitor it and see if it goes away during the warmer months.

[dor]

Condensation is a very likely cause. Also, leaking windows can let water in and run unseen behind the lining into the bilge. Any damp patches inside. Not necessarily under the windows either as water can come in then run down along the gunwale covering then down the hull side lining a couple of feet or more away.

[Lewis 53]

FWIW I think I'm with the condensation brigade on this one. Our cabin bilge is normally completely dry but occasionally in winter when we get the stove going and get warmed up small amounts of water appear in the same place in the bilge. The boat is ballasted slightly down port rear and its always in that spot. It looks a huge amount as its spread out on a flat surface, but is rarely more than a pint or so. We have plenty of bilge ventilation and you can feel the draft if you lift the inspection hatches.

 

Like previous posts when I first discovered this I thought we had a major hull problem. I've been in a plastic boat with 1mm hole in the hull and its amazing how much water gets in in a short period of time. This experience has given me "bilge paranoia" and I now check the bilge every day when on the boat.

[DeanS]

This experience has given me "bilge paranoia" and I now check the bilge every day when on the boat.

 

Perhaps consider putting in an automatic pump which is float activated. (£20 on Ebay). No more paranoia

[PaulJ]

 

Perhaps consider putting in an automatic pump which is float activated. (£20 on Ebay). No more paranoia

Good advice.

The other advantage to that is that you can be fairly certain if the water level gets high enough to switch on the bilge pump it wont just be condensation and you really do need that pump :-D

[station tug]

what did the water look like?? clean or dirty canal?? your into condensation time of year. if you dry a very small area that you can see water will seep back and make the area damp again. be serprised if the hulls breached. iv had an old hotel boat in the past were the chine was completly worn away and the outer base plate to hull side weld worn away and still been dry, dont panic and be objective

[Ricco1]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to monitor it very closely from now on!

[Chop!]

If you do fit a small bilge pump it can pump into your engine bilge if there is no nearby outlets on your hull

[Psycloud]

When we had loads of water in the bilge it turned out to be from a crack in the shower tray. Did a Heath-Robinson repair and a year later all seems ok.

[Ricco1]

An update on this: I've been mopping up between half and three quarters of a pint of water a day from the back of the cabin bilge. The amount has remained the same whether it's rained or not. I've not found any evidence anywhere on the boat of a leak or dampness. The water pump isn't coming on without me using water, so I've ruled out a leaking pipe. I've not had a shower each day, so it's not that.

 

I can therefore only think that it's condensation water or there's a problem with the hull. Is that amount of water possible each day from condensation?

[bizzard]

An update on this: I've been mopping up between half and three quarters of a pint of water a day from the back of the cabin bilge. The amount has remained the same whether it's rained or not. I've not found any evidence anywhere on the boat of a leak or dampness. The water pump isn't coming on without me using water, so I've ruled out a leaking pipe. I've not had a shower each day, so it's not that.

 

I can therefore only think that it's condensation water or there's a problem with the hull. Is that amount of water possible each day from condensation?

Or a leak between the water tank and pump.

[SamKingfisher]

Or it is still making its way down from the bow (gets trapped by small drain holes and ballast) but seems a lot for that.

[Ricco1]

Or a leak between the water tank and pump.

 

I've checked that, all seems watertight.

[Keeping Up]

Or a leak in the tank itself?

[Ricco1]

OK some possible progress. I re-visited the water pump with a good torch and there is dampness around and under it. Feeling with my hand, the chipboard plinth it rests on is saturated. I tried running it for a few minutes expecting to see some more water but not so. Anyway, even if it isn't the only cause of the water in the bilge it needs sorting.

 

When water pumps leak do they tend to do so only when running, or could they leak all the time? I know I haven't stated the model but in general, are they an expensive item to replace?

[Waynerrr]

This sounds exactly like my afternoon, albeit with 60l of water I've removed so far with a mop and bucket. Like you I'm fairly sure the pipes aren't to blame having done similar tests. I'll be taking another look tomorrow to see if there's any more. The idea about overfilling the water tank is an interesting one as it fits with the time-scale, although I've never noticed this in the past. The water I've been taking out is dark brown, either canal coloured or rusty bilge type water, I can't decide.

 

If the leak has stopped and I can no longer get any more out with the mop, would anyone recommend using a dehumidifier? The only issue I can think of is they need to be run constantly and probably require a fair amount of power.

[Grace and Favour]

>>>

 

If the leak has stopped and I can no longer get any more out with the mop, would anyone recommend using a dehumidifier? The only issue I can think of is they need to be run constantly and probably require a fair amount of power.

We use a dehumidifier through the winter, but only when we're on shore power.

 

It definitely creates a more comfortable envirionment, specially when the housekeeper is drying the washing

Edited December 24, 2013 by Grace & Favour
spelllling

[saxplayer]

I have just solved a similar problem. Mine was from the shower pump out. The boat builder had welded a spigot onto the hull for the outlet, instead of using a skin fitting. This had corroded through causing water ingress when the pump was operated.

shaun