Input re: Marina water fittings for pressurized water...

Stu Jackson · Jun 5, 2010

Just read this: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...1151&catalogId=10001&page=Fresh-water-Systems

The West Advisors should be your new friend!

Maine Sail · Jun 5, 2010

Stu Jackson said:
Just read this: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...1151&catalogId=10001&page=Fresh-water-Systems

The West Advisors should be your new friend!

What West fails to mention is that connecting to a municipal supply canbe dangerous and wind up potentially sinking your boat. Municipal supplies can have upwards of 100 PSI and can blow out the PVC hoses / Hose clamps used on many boats. It this happens while you are away your boat simply sinks as it fills with municipal water.

The safest method is to simply fill your tanks when they get low. There is a large human error factor if you say "I'll just turn off the supply hose every time I leave"... You can install a pressure redicing valve but this is still not as safe as just filling the tank/tanks.

Bad Obsession · Jun 5, 2010

Once upon a time I thought about adding one of these into my system. Then I started thinking about having the issue of my boat filling up with fresh water if the system failed. I have to agree with Maine Sail on this one because it makes sense.

I know that I have left the boat in a hurry a few times and discovered, when I came back, that the through hulls were open. We all will do this and we all forget about things. Why add one more possible thing to fail!

Don S/V ILLusion · Jun 5, 2010

Not sure size makes any difference but shore water hook-ups are common at most marinas with which I am familiar.

WM or any marine store sells a thruhull fitting intended to connect the hose from the shore water. It includes a pressure relief valve which is undependable but probably fine for your purpose.

Do not connect to the tank! Boat tanks are not designed for pressurization.

T the connection on the pressure side of the onboard pump and don't leave the water on while away from the boat for obvious reasons.

There are some simple diagrams of the whole setup on the WM Advisor pages

Hermit Scott · Jun 5, 2010

This is more dangerous than leaving sea cocks open. You have 15 pounds or so of pressure trying to break through hoses connected to seacocks. 100 pounds of pressure is quite different. Though at my slip it's no where near 100. If you live aboard and aren't away from your boat for very long it may be a different story. Your bilge pump will take care of it unless it fails for some reason.
I won't connect a city supply to my boat for any length of time unattended. I am sick of filling through deck plates though and I do intend to find a better way to do it.

Old Skool Neil · Jun 5, 2010

The risk of water system damage and filling the boat is very real, OK for RV's but not for boats.

When I moved into my marina the boat next to me had a city pressure water system. In a few weeks I'd never seen anyone on the boat and considering it was tied to the same floating finger dock as me, his problems could quickly become my problems. Needless to say I requested and was immediately granted a different slip.

Snotter · Jun 5, 2010

The sell inline pressure regulators for this very purpose.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Jun 5, 2010

Yep...

Snotter said:
The sell inline pressure regulators for this very purpose.

But there are only two kinds of pressure regulators: those that have failed, and those that will.

txtowman · Jun 5, 2010

peggy is right I know from experience!

Old Skool Neil · Jun 5, 2010

Snotter said:
The sell inline pressure regulators for this very purpose.

In the event of an on-board water system breech, how does a regulator protect from filling the boat? There may be less stress on the system but that's no guaranty.

It's not about controlling the pressure, it's about stopping the water. Not having it there in the first place (potentially unchecked water flow) is the only sure thing.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Jun 5, 2010

Neil2099 said:
In the event of an on-board water system breech, how does a regulator protect from filling the boat?

It doesn't....YOU have to do that. Which is why it's ESSENTIAL that the dock water be connected to the boat only when someone is aboard and also AWAKE to hear the FIRST sounds of gushing water below and can hop off the boat to turn off the water immediately...'cuz bilge pumps can't keep up with the inflow.

This subject comes up every now and then...I remember a poster here several years ago who reported being awakened in the middle of the night by the need to pee...and stepping out of the v-berth into knee deep water.

It happens fast! A friend of one of my dockmates only left his sailboat for a little over an hour on a Sunday morning to take his dog for a run...came back to 6" of water over his cabin sole.

Dock water is a real convenience, but whether it's safe or not depends on you. If you're an ultra-meticulous type who has both "preflight" and "postflight" check lists and rigidly adheres to 'em, go for it! But if you have an "oh well...close enough for gov't work" approach to most things, best to just keep on using your tanks.

KD3PC · Jun 6, 2010

most are mechanical and it doesn't take much to render them useless...a little grime in the valve,

even with the smart ones, that sense the amount of water passed, the batteries die at inopportune times, or they simply don't work by design flaw. OK in the garden or at home to run a 1" pipe for hours, but on the boat that goes somewhere.

Don't ...unless you are there all the time and in tune with water flow.

Maine Sail · Jun 6, 2010

Neil2099 said:
In the event of an on-board water system breech, how does a regulator protect from filling the boat? There may be less stress on the system but that's no guaranty.

It's not about controlling the pressure, it's about stopping the water. Not having it there in the first place (potentially unchecked water flow) is the only sure thing.

A PRV can lower the incoming pressure to something closer to what your boats system can handle thus HOPEFULLY preventing a leak or blow out due to the high street pressures.

Still not a guarantee and if there is a leak no system will stop it other than a human..

RAD · Jun 6, 2010

One of the very first items I installed when I bought Free Spirit was a city water supply inlet and a reducing valve and plumbed it to my water system......then became a daily reader to this site and this very subject came up, well I can count on my 2 hands the amount of times I have hooked to city water and I'll only do it if I'm aboard.
I don't mind using the onboard tank cause then I get to refill more often with fresh water.

Gail R · Jun 6, 2010

RAD said:
One of the very first items I installed when I bought Free Spirit was a city water supply inlet and a reducing valve and plumbed it to my water system......then became a daily reader to this site and this very subject came up, well I can count on my 2 hands the amount of times I have hooked to city water and I'll only do it if I'm aboard.
I don't mind using the onboard tank cause then I get to refill more often with fresh water.

And IIRC, a certain expert in the field has said that the best way to keep your fresh water system fresh is to USE it and keep the water flowing through it!

captstu · Jun 7, 2010

When the Shearwater is at a dock, I hook a garden watering timer to the shore supply, hook the supply hose inlet to the timer and the outlet to a tank fill. Every time I leave the boat, I twist the timer to a few minutes of fill. The timer feeds the hose, the hose feeds and fills the tank, and if I've guessed right on the time, a very small amount flows out of the tank overflow and into the bay.

No risk - even if the time fills open, all that is "lost" is a small amount of fresh water that overflows from the tank.

No chance of overpressure, the tank is full and ready to go, and the water in my fresh water system is exchanged routinely.

Donald6425 · Jun 7, 2010

My O'Day 272 and City Water Issues

abk said:
Got a nice slip for a month and I was wondering for help on being able to bring on board water supplied with the slip at the marina...

Is there a certain type of fitting?
Where should I mount it?
Where to buy stuff?
Where to everything?
All help is welcome!!!

Pictures, stories, plans, ideas disasters would help...

Thanks in advance!!!

Bruce

City water pressure can be up to 100 psi and will cause grief. On O'Day 272 I had city water, The previous ower insyalled it and did a good job except for smooth connections and single hose clamps. One night at about 0100 it borke loose and by the time that I made it to the water shut off I already had 2 inchecl of water above the cabin sole. Always use barbed connections, double hose clamps and an RV pressure regulator.

Good Luch
'Crash'
S/V Daoine Sith

Barbed connections, double hose clamps and RV pressure regulator

thereisabelle · Jun 7, 2010

Re: My O'Day 272 and City Water Issues

wow! lot's of input here, mine seems meager. untill i replaced our pump, we relied on hooking the hose to the system straight. the marina pressure was 50+ psi. i bought a pressure reg. and it made te galley and head sinks more manageable, down to 30+ psi. and no kapow! now with the pump back as it should be it water on.....brrrr. water off.. brrrr. off. happy crew. when leaveing to go home the pump is switched off. the only things that will cycle is the frig. and the bildge pump. which reminds me " change the filter next time." and check the small one on the pump. thnks. jimbob

J Hunter · Jun 7, 2010

Hermit Scott said:
This is more dangerous than leaving sea cocks open. You have 15 pounds or so of pressure trying to break through hoses connected to seacocks.

If you have any raw water fittings or hoses that are 33 feet below the water line you'd be right, but the pressure on sea fittings and hoses is actually only about a half a psig per foot below the waterline that the fitting/hose is located, so the pressure difference between municipal or marina supplied domestic water vs. sea fittings open to the ocean/lake is even more pronounced.