water in the refridgerator

Mar 2, 2010
10
catalina 30 st petersburg
my 89 cal 30 keeps getting 1"-2" of water in the refer whether I wash or if there is rain/no rain. It all pumps out but I can't figure out where it's coming from. Any ideas? Mike
 

mortyd

.
Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
do you mean the ice box? if your boat is plumbed like my 91 the water in the ice box should get pumped into the sink via a foot pump, but it won't go overboard unless you open the sink seacock. are you opening said seacock when pumping? if not, the ice box water ain't going nowhere.
 

JIM B

.
Jun 27, 2006
107
Catalina 30 MKII ROOSEVELT AZ
Check Valve?

My C30 (ice box only, no frig) did the same thing and a check valve was the solution.
 
Feb 26, 2008
603
Catalina 30 Marathon, FL
Yep, I had the same check valve problem. The bottom of the fridge is a bit lower than the bottom of the sink. Washing dishes would get water backed up into the fridge.

I eliminated the foot pump and let the fridge drain into the biilge. Problem solved.

Morty, I think all the MK III's came through with a fridge instead of an ice box, and a fridge was an option on earlier boats.

Gotta have ice cubes for your dark 'n stormy ! :dance:

Jim
 
Jun 29, 2011
142
Catalina 30 Mk II Gibsons
I had the same problem on my 88 Mk 2, so I corked the drain with a wine bottle stopper, that helped, but I still check it often.
 

Bob S

.
Sep 27, 2007
1,805
Beneteau 393 New Bedford, MA
Just curious where you picked up the check valve? This subject keeps popping up from time to time. I have the same issue. The foot pump T's just above the through hull for the sink drain. When I pump mine out it actually runs back up into the sink then drains out and back to the frig/ice box. It's been low in priority but maybe I'll tackle it this spring if we ever see one.
 

mortyd

.
Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
im guessing i don't have this problem because i leave my water tanks empty and my boat has enough clearance above the water to prevent this. the thought of drinking, bathing in or washing anything with whatever is in the water tanks has never appealed to me. i have a system where i bring frozen bottles of tap water to the boat, use the frozen bottled water in the ice box as a coolant and save the thawed water to flush the head. no fuss, no muss, no odors.
 
Nov 24, 2011
95
Catalina 30 San Diego
I have an 86. It came with a refridge. The drain t's into the galley sink drain. Never had a problem with water backing up in it. I use the fresh water a lot as refilling often keeps algy growth down. I keep the head drain closed and use the sink water to flush. Don't have to mess with water bottles except for drinking water.
 

mortyd

.
Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
i guess i left out that my system of using tap water in plastic bottles porovides me with fresh and safe drinking water.
 

jrowan

.
Mar 5, 2011
1,294
O'Day 35 Severn River, Mobjack Bay, Va.
I don't think that too many sailors drink from their water tanks unless they have to.
But using bottled water to flush your toilet? That sounds like a PITA, & you better have a lot of bottles lying around if its more than just yourself on board. I have a family of 4 & usually friends too, so that's just not gonna cut it. A lot of us freeze water bottles to bring on board, so that's not new news, but carrying all of your water on board is not very practical. Why not clean out your water tanks properly & at least use it for cleaning & flushing as it was designed? On our boat the sink is plumbed to drain into the head, so soapy water runs through the head helping to clean it on its way out.

I also second replacing the check valve on the galley sink drain, because if this thin rubber disc fails, it will cause water to back up into the sinks & can cause flooding.
 
Oct 5, 2010
322
Catalina 30 mkII St. Augustine
Maintaining water tanks is not a big deal if one has ready access to the boat. Here is what I do: during periods when I'll just be day sailing, I empty the bow tank and just use the starboard tank. We have water filter mounted on galley faucet. Before trips I empty the starboard tank and add 1/4 cup of bleach to each tank and fill both tanks. Then draw water through both faucets (head and galley) until the smell of bleach comes through. I do this for both the hot and cold taps so the the water heater also gets treated. I then place a paper sign in each sink that says do not drink bleach treatment in progress. After 24 hrs of treatment or at least overnight, I drain both tanks with hot and cold taps open at both faucets, then fill both tanks and drain again as noted above. Finally I refill the tanks and I am good to go.
 

mortyd

.
Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
using bottled water just to flush the head does not make much sense perse, but if you already have once frozen water used to cool ice box, and thawed tap water to drink, keeping the excess to flush the head is really no sweat. almost every sailor who comes aboard asks how come our boat doesn't stink; no smelly ice nox, no salt water stinky holding tank.

and by the way, a doctor told us that using hydrogen peroxide instead in toxic chlorine is a much better way to decontaminate water.
 

jrowan

.
Mar 5, 2011
1,294
O'Day 35 Severn River, Mobjack Bay, Va.
Stu, I personally just don't trust 30 year old tanks & hoses & fittings etc., that have bacteria laiden water sloshing about for months at a time. I do the typical cleaning regimine every spring, but the water never really tastes right. I don't mind using it for washing up or flushing, but bottled water is the only type I trust to drink from.
Dysintery or diarrehea is not how I prefer to spend my weekends, mate.
 

mortyd

.
Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
30 year old tanks and hoses? what makes anyone think the tanks and hoses are clean coming froming the factory?