overactive bilge

[Rick Warner]

My bilge pump seems to activate more with the engine on yet I do not see any obvious points of entry. I recently had my shaft skeg replaced and re bedded but water keeps finding its way in. It pumps every few minutes with the engine on. Under sail and in port, things are quiet. Nothing obvious coming from the fresh water engine intake.Shaft packing is ok so water is not entering there. No other obvious thru hull fittings are compromised.Could this have something to do with the engine cooling where some of the water from the exhaust is entering the bilge. The water is clean and does not have any smell or oiley feel to it.I just purchased this boat this spring and I am still going through the learning curve with all the systems.

 

[Dick Carey]

Look at Vented Loop Anti-Syphon

Rick,Look at the engine cooling water discharge vented loop. It is probably mounted on thr bulkhead behind the engine. It has a anti-syphon vent (plastic) on the top of it. I too had water collecting only when the engine was running and had a hard time finding the source. It turned out to be a crack in the rear of the plastic adaptor at the threads. It seems that when it is mounted on the bulkhead there is side pressure on the plastic vent and in time it fails. If it is that, and you replace it, put a stack of washers under the mounting tab (and a longer screw) when you re-attach it to the bulkhead to hold it off the bulkhead and reduce any side pressure.Regards,Dick C.S/V Puffin ('90 H-33.5)

 

[George Raleb]

check your muffler

I don't know if you have the same muffler that I do, but my muffler had a small hole on its underside and was leaking when the engine was running. Sea water is pumped through the engine and pumped out through the muffler. You may have the same problem. If you do, when the engine is running you will see a trickle of water flowing forward past the stuffing box from the muffler which on my boat is just aft and to the starboard side of the stuffing box.