Filling water tank with shore connection?

[Gunni]

Bad idea. Water pumps are cheap, and you need to use and flush your water tanks. Over-pressuring a tank, water fittings, back-siphoning your neighbor's bucket of cleaning solution, or filling your boat with water, represent significant risk against whatever convenience there may be in having a hose connected to your boat.

 

[Chris Patterson]

I've gotta admit, I don't use shore water pressure anymore. I used to do it, but I'm the type that even with a shut-down checklist, I'm always second guessing the nagging thought, "Did I shut off the water?" It just bugged me.

But I could see how this would work well. But if I'm not plumbed in anyway, it's a moot point. Just me now, but I took that potential mistake out of the equation. It doesn't seem hard to imagine either replacing the Pergo in a R.V., but a burst pipe in a boat more likely than not is going to hurt a lot more than your flooring.

And I could be very wrong on this, but 80 P.S.I. seems like it would be little match for a plastic tank. The vent would also have to expel the same amount of water going out, as water coming in.
There is one way to find out. Jam the hose in the tank with positive pressure, and turn the hose on. See if the tank ruptures. Or if water will shoot out the vent like a fountain. Might be fun to try. Expensive maybe, but fun..

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I've gotta admit, I don't use shore water pressure anymore. I used to do it, but I'm the type that even with a shut-down checklist, I'm always second guessing the nagging thought, "Did I shut off the water?" It just bugged me.
..

I must admit I once left the marina only to have that same feeling but a call to one of my dock neighbors confirmed I had shut off the water.

As the saying goes, your boat, your choice.

Every time I read one of these discussions, I can't help wonder how many people shut off the water, gas, electricity, etc.. when they leave home.

 

[seadaddler]

Water

WaterWater it does not matter where in a boat or RV or a Home or any place where a water leaks maybethat is it a big mesh.
I don't understand what is the big deal about filling your water tank with a hose.
But than again we all try to make things easy and we all look to add a better system for our boats and if you do all the things needed to keep from making more bigger problems than go for it.
I have done things that suppose to be better but instead it made things worse.
But **** happens so good luck.
Nick

 

[Captn TJ]

I do think that the plumbing on most sailboats was ever designed for the pressure that is delivered from municipal water systems. You may want to check the archives and check out the subject.

I do use dockside water all the time however we also always have a pressure reducer at the water spigot on the dock. It's supposed to take it down to about 40 lbs which more normal for boat systems.

 

[gettinthere]

The safer way to do this is to add a pressure regulator and a timer. Timers are available for lawn sprinkler systems. The timer limits the number of gallons that will flow, limiting the amount of flooding to something your bilge pump SHOULD be able to handle.
But I prefer to fill the tanks regularly to keep the water fresh in there. KISS

 

[arf145]

Boats have definitely been sunk this way. And I don't think your boat's plumbing was built for that kind of pressure.

 

[Sumner]

.....My plan is to install a section of water line with a valve to allow the pressurized shore water to bypass around the pump/antibackflow and flow into the tank...

We use a system on the Endeavour while living on her in the yard something like that. I put in a fill up high that can be connected to a pressure line (what we do in the yard) that bypasses all the tanks and is a supply line to the galley and head. I can open a valve and fill the 5 water tanks with it also.

One of the tanks is smaller and up high in the coaming that remains. It is normally not used and stays filled with a shutoff on the outlet. When we are out if for some reason our main pump goes out to the 80 gallons of water in the bilge tanks I can pump from them into a 4 gallon container with a small portable 12 volt pump and take that up and fill the high tank that then gravity feeds into the system. There isn't much pressure using it, but that is good as it forces you to conserve water and you would only use it if you had a problem.

The four 20 gallon tanks in the bilge area are all on a manifold and can fill or empty individually or all be connected. The boat came with one large 90 gallon tank that had a problem and I didn't like having all of the water in one tank in case of a tank problem or a water problem.

I agree with the others and wouldn't want the pressure water open all of the time in a slip, we do this in the yard only, but I will like using it to fill the tanks on the water at times when we have the opportunity.

In the past with the Mac we have taken 20 gallons of container ashore with the dinghy and returned with water and will still probably do this in places where it would be a pain to take the Endeavour into fill water or where it just isn't possible.

There is a "T" at the pressure input and a cap on the side opposite where you attach the pressure hose. If we are out and bring water to the boat in containers we will fill the main tanks via the cap at the "T" like you would at a deck fill. The deck fill is no longer connected to the tanks as this replaced it.,

Sum

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[capta]

I'd guess that racer/cruiser types would prefer to keep their tanks empty most of the time, so the argument for always having full tanks while at the dock doesn't necessarily fly. There is no reason for a boat to not be plumbed to the same standard (or better) than your house is plumbed, so why not do it as proposed? Municipal water pressure shouldn't be a problem, and I'm actually surprised about those thinking that a plastic tank will burst under municipal pressure. 80 psi would be on the high side. Are you telling me that a plastic tank can't handle 80 psi? But it's vented anyway, so it's just not going to be an issue. With all the friction losses, I'd be surprised if most marinas could have pressure any greater than 40 psi (particularly out at the docks with the small lines they run out there) unless they just happen to be near a storage tank or a booster pump in town.

In fact, any properly built boat with a factory installed dockside pressure water inlet has a pressure reducer in the line (and RV's too, I believe). If it doesn't, shore pressure can far exceed the pump system design maximum water pressure. Dock attached water is probably responsible for more boat sinkings at the dock than any other fault.
Caution, guys; KISS.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Municipal pressure is limited by regulation to 80 psi in most circumstances. Although it is not unheard of for pressure to be up to 100 psi, 40 to 60 psi is more in the normal range within a municipal system, where pressure reduction is mandated to keep homes from water-pressure related problems. Friction losses in small diameter pipes can really drop pressure, so it would surprise me to find marinas with dockside lines where the pressure exceeds 60 psi.

That said, PEX water lines are rated at 100 psi at 180dF. (Water is rarely heated in excess of 140dF, no?) At 73dF, the rating is as high as 160 psi. Fittings must be similarly rated. There is a built-in factor of safety. Is there an ABYC regulated water pressure rating for boat plumbing? What would that be? I would guess that plumbing in new boats would be rated in excess of municipal water pressure.

While I understand the prudence for shutting off the pressure water feed when leaving the boat, I don't see any reason for not utilizing the pressure while condo-living at your dock.

(We don't shut off our washing machine outlet valve when leaving the house, even though there are numerous reports of washing machine hoses being a weak link - how many people actually do shut it off?)

 

[Old Skool Neil]

any properly built boat with a factory installed dockside pressure water inlet . . . . .

isn't a properly built boat in my book. Any builder who thinks this is a suitable system on a boat will never see a nickel of mine.

As for the house, condo and motorhome examples, they won't sink and be totally destroyed by a leak will they? You mop up the mess, fix the leak and you're back in business. Not so with a boat. Its engine, upholstery, fine woodwork and electronics will be sitting on the bottom. Why would anyone take the risk? I swear I don't get it.

On top of everything else, those comfortable with such a system are counting on the integrity of their on board plumbing system. How old is it? How well was it originally installed by some ape at the factory? When was it last thoroughly inspected, if ever?

Oh yeah, floating Winnebago's. Great idea.