Jacky Russell Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 At the moment we are static in a marina but I am vacuuming out about a pint of water from my hull floor every few days. The water pump is making a noise every 15 seconds, which I am told is caused by a pressure drop in the water system. The leaking water increases significantly when we are cruising. I have looked at the pump, the pipes and the calorifier ( I was sure the problem was there because it was completely boxed in and I had to remove a a built in cupboard to find it) Alas, there was no sign of leaking and I am none the wiser. Has anyone got any idea where the water is coming from baring in mind the water pressure drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloomsberry Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 I have a theory (from my limited knowledge of water systems)1) Water pump makes noise every 15 seconds - Leak in the water system somewhere ?2) Leaking increases significantly when cruising - The calorifier system increases in temperature causing greater pressure and hence a greater leak ?Probably doesn't help much but could explain what you are experiancing.Could try some diagnostic checks by say depressurising the water system (isolate pump & water supply and open hot & cold tap), go for a cruise and see if the same symtoms persist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springy Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 The first thing to find is the Pressure Relief Valve - should be attached to the calorifier, probably (but not necessarily) somewhere near the top of the calorifier, the outlet of which will probably have a hose leading somewhere - where ? ideally it should go to a skin fitting & thus overboard but given that it should only flow occasionally then other options can be found, and this could be the source of your water. PRVs have a tendency to dribble occasionally and sometimes this can be cured by simply re-seating the valve - turn the (usually) red knob to open and close the valve a few times - it will only turn in one direction, and you are lifting the valve open against a spring which will then snap the valve shut. If the hose is the source of the water and it continues to dribble then the PRV will need replacing. Assuming the calorifier is using the engine coolant as a heat source then the increase in pressure due to increased temperature causing more leakage past the PRV could explain the increase when cruising. It does seem that you've got a leak somewhere in the domestic system and if its not the PRV then all you can do is try and track it springy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boat&Bikes Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 You have a leak in your water supply somewhere. All you can do is track the leak down. If the pump is cutting in that often it will be leaking quite badly. Are you vacuuming the water from the stern of the boats cabin bilge? If pump is at the bow can you access areas near there in the bilge then work back? Have you checked all water pipe joints under sinks, loo etc? Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanted Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 If water is significantly more present in the bilge after a cruise it may well be from the stern gland. Do you have a stern gland greaser and if so are you using it after each cruise? Also, as has been said, if water pump is coming on this much you probably have a leak. Start by checking all of the joints around the pump. Then work your way along the pipe work inspecting each joint or union. If no leak is obvious then put a bit of paper under each joint, check in the morning to see which one is wet. Hopefully you can access it and it is obvious. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denboy Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 if its worse after cruising i suspect its on the hot water side,took me 3 years to find my leak as it only happened when i used hot water and the pipe leaked only while hot water was in the pipes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I would follow Springy's suggestion first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark99 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 For nasty innaccessible places don't forget you can see via cheap borescope connected to a laptop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FORTUNATA Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 At the moment we are static in a marina but I am vacuuming out about a pint of water from my hull floor every few days. The water pump is making a noise every 15 seconds, which I am told is caused by a pressure drop in the water system. The leaking water increases significantly when we are cruising. I have looked at the pump, the pipes and the calorifier ( I was sure the problem was there because it was completely boxed in and I had to remove a a built in cupboard to find it) Alas, there was no sign of leaking and I am none the wiser. Has anyone got any idea where the water is coming from baring in mind the water pressure drop. Shower trays have been known to leak water under the connections to the tray or through a crack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 If you're trying to trace a leak in your freshwater system, you're probably going to have to remove any boxing in of pipes to get to the joints. Check all the joints around the pump and calorifer first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheshire cat Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 We have just had similar and it was the inlet valve on the toilet. There's no easy way of tracking it down but if its above floor you should have damp carpets somewhere. Otherwise you need to look in cupboards and probably start to uncover the pipes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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