help with mystery on 37 cutter

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J

jim hayes

i have 3 battery boxes mounted aft of the engine and above the transmission there are two of these side by side forward and a third aft the starboard forward battery box is filled with a liquid within an inch of the top of the battery any guesses on where the liquid came from or how to diagnose it??? i do not think it is acid because no acid smell and the battery itself is full i am trying in the tight confines to drain the liquid out so it will not rise over the top of the battery my pressure water is tripping a breaker on the dc panel after les than 5 seconds the starboard side of the panel next to the engine seems wet is th pressure pump located to the right of the ac part of the panel behind the port saloon cushions???? would this battery box be under the pedestal guard??? the previous owner replaced the guard with another yet ran the wires out of the existing holes this may be the leak or it may be related to the pressure water problem thanks for your wisdom
 
E

ed

Try to eliminate the problem

the box is full of water. the water had to come form somewhere. 1. pressure water hookup is leaking and spraying water arround on the batterys. 2. The engine itself is leaking water broken hose? leaking gasket? 3. the stuffing box is leaking when the shaft turns throwing water arround. 4. the cockpit leaks water into the battery area. put a hose in it and let it run till you can look. 5. the pressure water sytem that is blowing fuses. maybe its throwing water on the pump. mine is under the sick. pretty sure its in the line between the tanks and the sinks. sure its not behind the electric pannel. but it should make lots of noise when you turn that on. so whatch that when you turn it on to see if you can see a problem. maybe the pump has seised up and its not turning so it tries till it heats up and trips the breaker. this could be and unrelated to the battery case being full of water. these battery boxes should be covered anyway. but if the battery were leaking it would be acid. you may have a break in the water fresh water line in the area. do you have a hose connection to hook up to shore side water. maybe the regulator failed and blew out the water piping. put a hose on it turn it on and see what leaks. you should be able to find it by searching out these options. Oh and maybe it lake water. from a compressor cooing pump, like refridgeration or air conditioning. pump comes on pushes water out the leak. Ya just got to go crawing arround till your nose gets wet! good luck
 
Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
One simple test.

Hi Jim, hi Ed, Ed is correct, the pump should be under the galley sink. And darn near inaccessible. But on the pump outlet you should find a hose going to the cold water faucet on the galley sink. On that hose there should be a 'T' fitting. The other hose on that 'T' feeds the rest of the boat. Easiest test(assuming there is enough residual hose) is to cut it off leaving about two inches extending beyond the 'T'. Then stick a plug(large bolt works) in and clamp it. Now your water system is just the inlet from the tanks and a short cold run to the faucet. See if the problems go away. The pump should run and stop as soon as pressure is reached. The galley cold water should run the pump and then shut off. If the breaker still pops then we have to search further. Could be a bad pump or wiring problems in the panel or anywhere in between. Could also be a bad breaker. The only water above the engine that could feed the battery box would be leaks. I had a hose off of a cockpit scupper. Your pedestal could be letting water in if not sealed and tight. Not much help because I cannot picture where your batteries are located. Mine are in the starboard locker.
 
B

Buccaneer37

Battery box

Your wheel at the base on the cock pit floor is leaking in to the battery box look above the battery box see if there is any rust on the backing plate under wheel stand.
 
Dec 23, 2003
61
Hunter 36_80-82 Gulfport, MS
37c plumb and elect diagrams

Jim, send me an email address and I'll send you pdf of original plumbing and electrical diagrams. boerngej@juno.com
 
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