Inspecting tanks for buying purposes

[Mark Burrows]

Peggy:I have started looking for a new boat (yippee), well actually a "previously enjoyed" boat. Most likely targets are 10-15 years old. Given the likelihood of holding tank problems for these boats, what is a quick way to determine if there is a leak or other problem during the initial visit (pre-survey). The tanks seem to be wedged under a settee and hard to get at (especially with the broker sitting on top of it). Any tips?MarkPS. I tried to find an answer to this in the archives but came up empty. In a lot of posts you recommended references from the Head Mistress forum. I didn't see any links to specific reference materials except your book. Did I miss something?PPS. There is a typo on the link to "reserve your copy now."

 

[Kevin Whalen]

I put

blue dye in the tank than filled it with water. While the tank was full I went for a sail. After a few tacks the bilge had blue water in it and I had a blue trail back to the leak.Kevin

 

[Peggie Hall/HeadMistress]

If the tank is plastic, it's likely to be ok

If it's aluminum, your best bet would be to pressure test it...which is easy to do during the survey: Make sure the tank has been pumped out and thoroughly rinsed out. Fill it with clean water to which some food coloring has been added. Block the tank vent. Pump the toilet in the dry mode until you start to feel some real backpressure (just don't OVER-do it!) Go away overnight. If there are no signs of leaks--moisture around the tank that's the same color as the food coloring you put in the tank) in the morning, the tank is still sound. Just don't forget to UNblock the vent before pumping the water out! It may not have much life left in it, but unless it's actually started to leak, you're gonna have a hard time convincing any seller that it has to be replaced as a condition of sale. Otoh, it would be unusual to find a boat that's much more than 10 years old that still has an original aluminum tank.(I have no idea what link you're referring to)