Where is water coming from??

[stormalong]

Whatever you do DO NOT block up the water flow inside your mast. I saw a mast that had a diagonal plate inside to divert water. The mast corroded along the line of the plate. That is where the mast broke.

I am amazed how much water comes down the inside of my mast from rain. in a heavy rain the automatic bilge pump comes on quite regularly.

If you do not have an automatic bilge pump fit one. Appreciate the free fresh water rinse.

[salfarina]

Originally Posted by psk125

You can caulk around the mast all you want, but if water is getting INTO the mast, through sheaves, light fixtures, rigging fittings, or rivet holes, it will come down inside the mast where you can't see it and end up in your bilge. Lots of rainwater can also get into the bilge by getting channeled into the luff groove on the mast.

I agree with PSK125. Observe to see if the bilge water is greater after a wind swept rain versus the amount of bilge water after a heavy yet straight downpour. I found this to be the case in my previous boat, a Hunter Cherubini 30, tall rig with many mast openings. Wind swept rain - water in bilge. Deluge, yet straight down - bone dry! Cure - next time you have the mast unstopped make sure you’re satisfied with the caulking around the electrical wires inlets. Apart from that, drop an ounce or two of bilge cleaner into your bilge before leaving the boat!

[MJH]

Originally Posted by dmksails

Hi All.

I'm trying to find where the water in my bilge is coming from. The water is fresh, so it has to be rain. She's a Tashiba-31. The only deck teak is in the cockpit and I replaced that last year. She also has a keel-stepped mast. I've already caulked on both sides of the cap rail.

Any suggestions for finding where this water is coming from? I've already eliminated around the mast (dry). I also can't find any obvious leaks - windows and hatches are all dry. I swear someone is sneaking aboard and dumping 3 gallons of water into my bilge!

How do you know it was fresh water...did you taste it? However, boats moored in salt water over time get a salt coating over everything and fresh water leaking across a surface might very well taste salty.

You don't say if any sailing happened between bilge water observations. Water could be trapped and not appear until the boat was significantly heeled. I had a similar experience on my previous boat's starboard side that was driving me crazy. Seven years after purchase, one day while sailing, I had to use the head while the boat was significantly heeled...I surprisingly saw water coming from the head faucet and missing the sink. I added a small length of hose to the faucet tip to stop that leak. But another leak in the head continued.

This boat had the head sink draining directly through a "T" fitting to a thru-hull. The upside of the "T" was a short hose running vertically to the medicine cabinet base. Two more years later I replaced that short vertical head sink hose with one that was 4-6' long from the head sink drain "T" fitting going vertically to the ceiling of the head. That finally stopped the starboard leak nine years after I bought the boat.

I would start by considering to drain your fresh water tanks. Then log your bilge water observations and any boat characteristics that may be relevant...or not. Try all the other recommendations made on this forum. Look for a pattern.

Good Luck.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Oeanda

In my search for my alleged water tank leak last month, I dumped a lot of food colouring in the tanks. Eventually it turned out the leak was related to a valve elsewhere in the system. Still enjoying green rice, blue tea, green orange juice...

Happy St.Patrick's Day

[Oeanda]

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Clivevon

"The water is fresh, so it has to be rain."

No, it doesn't. Could be a leak from anywhere in your onboard domestic plumbing system.

If it were your pressure water pump would cycle even with everything turned off. That would be a dead giveaway.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Oeanda

In my search for my alleged water tank leak last month, I dumped a lot of food colouring in the tanks. Eventually it turned out the leak was related to a valve elsewhere in the system. Still enjoying green rice, blue tea, green orange juice...

Originally Posted by MJH

How do you know it was fresh water...did you taste it? However, boats moored in salt water over time get a salt coating over everything and fresh water leaking across a surface might very well taste salty.

You don't say if any sailing happened between bilge water observations. Water could be trapped and not appear until the boat was significantly heeled. I had a similar experience on my previous boat's starboard side that was driving me crazy. Seven years after purchase, one day while sailing, I had to use the head while the boat was significantly heeled...I surprisingly saw water coming from the head faucet and missing the sink. I added a small length of hose to the faucet tip to stop that leak. But another leak in the head continued.

This boat had the head sink draining directly through a "T" fitting to a thru-hull. The upside of the "T" was a short hose running vertically to the medicine cabinet base. Two more years later I replaced that short vertical head sink hose with one that was 4-6' long from the head sink drain "T" fitting going vertically to the ceiling of the head. That finally stopped the starboard leak nine years after I bought the boat.

I would start by considering to drain your fresh water tanks. Then log your bilge water observations and any boat characteristics that may be relevant...or not. Try all the other recommendations made on this forum. Look for a pattern.

Good Luck.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

As noted in my first quote, problem solved by the OP early on and posted. What a shame so many apparently don't read the entire thread prior to offering forth their wisdom.

[JPA Cate]

@Uncle Bob,

Sorry, I only saw the #1 post by dmksails. I have not yet seen one from him saying he has solved his problem. Would you be so kind as to post the post # that you saw that gave you the idea that dmksails solved his problem? Thanks in advance,

Ann

PS. Someone above suggested listening for the pressure pump to cycle. Waiting for a pressure pump to re-pressurise to find a tank leak only works on boats that are set up with pressure water. We prefer foot pumps, probably not the only ones.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

@Uncle Bob,

Sorry, I only saw the #1 post by dmksails. I have not yet seen one from him saying he has solved his problem. Would you be so kind as to post the post # that you saw that gave you the idea that dmksails solved his problem? Thanks in advance,

Ann

PS. Someone above suggested listening for the pressure pump to cycle. Waiting for a pressure pump to re-pressurise to find a tank leak only works on boats that are set up with pressure water. We prefer foot pumps, probably not the only ones.

Ann, my bad, I mistook Oeanda for the OP, please accept my apologies to one and all. .

[wefleenor]

I am not familiar with your vessel, but I had a situation where I found that a frequently cycled water heater will fill with cooler water and then would expand when heated and be expelled through an overflow into the bilge.

[glcalahan]

If You have an AC unit, where is the condensate draining into??

[sinnerman]

It is amazing how much water a single leak at a poorly sealed bolt can produce.

I once came back to my boat to find the chart table and my stove flooded with water. Both were due to deck bolts dripping in heavy rain.

One issue I have (and others have discussed) is water trapped in the bilge pump outlet hose leaking back into the bilge. It is only a rubber joker -type valve similar to that used in a Jabsco toilet.

This weekend I came back to a completely dry bilge only the next day to find a bunch of water in it, but it hadn't rained. Turns out the wind had shifted and blew against the bilge pump exhaust thru-hull in the transom and forced all of the standing water in the hose back into the bilge..

Cheers

[Tudorsailor]

Just had a similar problem. Then in heavy rain I noticed that the water was coming in through the manual bilge pump deck gasket.

TS

[Rob19321]

Originally Posted by psk125

You can caulk around the mast all you want, but if water is getting INTO the mast, through sheaves, light fixtures, rigging fittings, or rivet holes, it will come down inside the mast where you can't see it and end up in your bilge. Lots of rainwater can also get into the bilge by getting channeled into the luff groove on the mast.

I have some that comes down the mast "groove" or the rail where the sail hanks slide. The sail is above the deck (Obviously) but that groove runs the entire length, above and below deck... its a nice little channel to guide water directly in to the bilge.

(That's only one idea so far.)

[removalizer]

As a former car and truck mechanic I used to have a smoke machine to find leaks in pipes etc, you could use one or something similar like a dry ice machine I think you can hire them, then seal up the saloon and let it run, see what pops out from outside