After a month of detective work, I'm pretty sure I've figured out the source for an alarming but not catastrophic amount of water coming into my bilge. I have a drain from the shower into a sump poised over the bilge; there is an electric bilge pump in the shower sump that drains to a through-hull just above the waterline. I believe water is flowing back into the sump through the drain hose and pump.
There is no seacock on the through-hull for the drain line, and there is no vented loop in the hose. There is no moisture around the throughhull or along the length of the hose between the sump and the hull. There is what appears to be a check-valve in the hose shortly after it exits the sump on its way out. I believe the checkvalve has failed - the boat is from 1987, and I've owned it for decade, I suspect it's original equipment. A week ago, I disconnected the hose from the pump inside the sump and put a wooden bung in it, tightly held with a hose clamp. Today, after 6 days, the sump and bilge are still dry but the wooden bung is soaked through.
I've acquired a plastic "in-line non-return" valve, some new hose and hose clamps. I'm also replacing the electric pump since the old one only works after you kick it. Any advice or thoughts as I set out to do this? How robust does the checkvalve have to be?
Do I also need to put a seacock on the through-hull? And/or vented loop? I've got a couple of other drain lines (from galley and head sinks) in the same situation, though none appear to be pulling in water at all, and they terminate well above the waterline, not like the shower sump which is below. I wasn't planning on hauling this winter, though as the water flowed in I've been reconsidering....
Nan
Freedom 28
There is no seacock on the through-hull for the drain line, and there is no vented loop in the hose. There is no moisture around the throughhull or along the length of the hose between the sump and the hull. There is what appears to be a check-valve in the hose shortly after it exits the sump on its way out. I believe the checkvalve has failed - the boat is from 1987, and I've owned it for decade, I suspect it's original equipment. A week ago, I disconnected the hose from the pump inside the sump and put a wooden bung in it, tightly held with a hose clamp. Today, after 6 days, the sump and bilge are still dry but the wooden bung is soaked through.
I've acquired a plastic "in-line non-return" valve, some new hose and hose clamps. I'm also replacing the electric pump since the old one only works after you kick it. Any advice or thoughts as I set out to do this? How robust does the checkvalve have to be?
Do I also need to put a seacock on the through-hull? And/or vented loop? I've got a couple of other drain lines (from galley and head sinks) in the same situation, though none appear to be pulling in water at all, and they terminate well above the waterline, not like the shower sump which is below. I wasn't planning on hauling this winter, though as the water flowed in I've been reconsidering....
Nan
Freedom 28
