Little leak, little problem??

[Stephen Trapani]

Of course, most little leaks in boats are little problems, but some of them are big problems and I want to try to figure out which I have. I have a 79 H33 with the water tank under the V-berth. I'm pretty sure the tank is leaking very slowly into the bilge. Is there any way for me to be confident it isn't leaking into the hull also? Could there be some other untoward effect? If not, I'd just as soon let it leak.

 

[Bill Roosa]

If you can confirm that it is in fact a seperate tank (most likly) and not one of the "built into the boat" using the under sole spaces as the bottom/sides and has a screwed on top types then I can say with confidence that the tank is not leaking into the hull. All interior hull spaces should have dranage to the bilge. yes there are some places that puddle when flooded but they all have fiberglass and gelcoat to protect the hull innere materials. So the worst that can possibly happen is you have some puddling that gets nasty with sea beasties and smells or creates a humid environ where mold and our old friend mildew can hang out.
If you can find the leak and the tank is plastic the application of a soldering iron can probably reseal it. Kinda depends on the hole. i've also seen folks use additional matching plastic plates and a soldering iron to repair a tank, just like welding a metal tank but with lower temps.

 

[Nelsonhow]

My bet would be a leaking connection. Check the hose clamps on the tank outlets, the pump and water heater as well as the various fawcet connections. Some of these leak only when pressurized by the pump.

 

[SamLust]

The fresh water tank in all 33 Cherubinis is a triangular .090 or .100 aluminum tank with all fittings at the top. No side or bottom inlets, outlets to leak. I can tell you from direct experience, not guesswork is pinhole leaks from the water sitting for years on end. I was unwilling to tear the boat up to remove or install a tank nor was I willing to loose capacity to an ill-fitting tank. My solution was to seal the inside if the tank and bridge all the pinholes with "sloshing solution". It is a two part product intended for fuel tanks. I believe the product I used was KDS. I spoke with them and they said while they don't put any FDA rating on the stuff they felt there was no problem with it fully cured. That was several years ago and the tank is just fine. I also did my aluminum fuel tank and it is fine also. If you need more info feel free to PM me.

Sam

 

[Ed Schenck]

Sam, I remember you writing about that sealant. How clean did you have to get your tanks before application? And how did you clean them? I know my water tanks are covered in scale. The diesel tank only had a very thin film last I was in there.
Is this the product: http://www.kbs-coatings.com/tank-sealers.html .

 

[SamLust]

Yes. Thems is the guys. Like any paint job the better the prep the better the outcome. On the other hand the stuff is intended to resurrect badly rusted car and motorcycle fuel tanks so it appears capable of dealing with surface crud. I believe I used the "Gold". They sell a kit with more than enough to do both tanks if you do them at the same time. The kit includes the coating and prep solution which I think is a cleaner / etch. As I remember the coating itself seemed to be some sort of very heavy polyurerhane or something very similar. After using their prep solutions I poured the compound in through my large access port and slathered it around with a cheap radiatior brush. With a car or motorcycle tank you constantly turn the tank to distribute the compound but I felt it might be a bit trying to turn the boat as I was not willing to tear things up pulling the tank out. I distributed coating up the sides and top with the brush. The solvents they use are intense to work with so you need to vent well and make sure you have lots of time for it to cure off. Like weeks. This was several years ago and I have had no further problems with pinholes.

I posted a couple of pictures. They seem to be before the coating. You can see the baffle inside. I changed the opening from a 6" to an 8" with the Beckson clear screw off cover. Another worthwhile job. I can see into and hand clean the tank any time I want to.