2010 R25 Freash water leak heals self????

[Namaste]

We live aboard our 2010 R25 in winter in Florida. Last night my wife woke me up at 3 AM to tell me the water pump kept running after she shut the faucet off. I told her to shut the water pressure off and I'll deal with it in the morning figuring one of the hose clamps had come loose again.

Next morning I found half the water in my tank had made its way to the bilge before she shut it off. Unfortunately all of the usual suspect hose clamps checked tight. Here's where it gets weird. I turned the water pressure back on. No leak. I filled the water tank. Still no leak.

Question: Is there a seal in the water pump that could temporarily malfunction then seal itself? I dunno why the water is no longer leaking.

 

[Namaste]

Area around hot water heater and under helm around water pump is dry as a bone. I would think any leakage of half a tank of water would have shown wet if leak was in those places.

 

[Rocky]

I had the door on my outside shower trigger the sprayer once when I left the faucets open.... it took me a few minutes to figure that out- of course the sprayer sprays to the bilge when stowed...... possibly something like that and when the pressure relieved itself the sprayer moved enough to close???
Good luck. I hate those things that heal themselves- because they will act up again.

Rocky

 

[Brian B]

Maybe a faucet wasn’t completely closed. I’ve had that happen.

 

[stwendl]

There is a pressure valve on the hot water heater that can leak. Mine had a stubby hose and caused water to collect in the are where transducer is located on the classic r27.

I extended the hose to drain into the bilge, however I can not imagine this to account for half a tank. If the pump runs there is a pressure leak. I am not to convinced that the slip fittings are the best solution on a boat with all the vibration. They are also difficult to get on in tight spaces when you need some pressure to engage the seals. Don’t ask how I know this.

Spread out some blue shop towel sheets in strategic locations and you can see where the leak is.

I make it a habit to always turn off water pressure and hot water heater when not in use and over night. I have a light sleep and can hear all noises, even the fridge bothers me

 

[Namaste]

Thanks all !

It is still a mystery to me what happened here but I will be turning off the water pressure whenever we leave the boat going from now on.

 

[aculverwell]

Does your R25 have a city water connection— Which allows you to connect a hose directly to the water system? My 2011 R27 had such a connection— which I found was prone to leaking the contents of my freshwater tank directly overboard when the water pressure was on.

 

[Namaste]

It has the city water connection but I never use it. I fear the sump pumps would not come on when needed if I were away. The real mystery here is the water ended up in the bilge. Has not reoccurred so knocking on wood .. . .

 

[knotflying]

You never know. Perhaps the hot water pressure relief valve opened for some reason and then closed.

 

[BB marine]

Over the past 3 years of owning C26 we have had fresh water leaks. These leaks have not been to the extent of your experience emptying half a tank of water. I would suspect the pressure relief valve lifted and did not seat properly until the water pressure decreased because the pump was shut off. In your description of checks you had mentioned " the hose clamp had come lose again". Hose clamps don't really loosen. The clamping force of the hose clamp compresses the hose and after a period of time the hose stays compressed and the hose clamps clamping force "relaxes" but the clamp will still be effective. If the hose clamp is properly sized this connection still should not leak. Reasons hose clamp connections leak, improperly tightened at installation, improper sizing of hose to barb fitting and improper sizing of hose clamps. Over the past three boating seasons I have had intermittent water leaks (fresh water system) (raw water system)( closed cooling system). A quick tightening of the hose clamp seems to resolve the issue. Over tightening is not the answer. This winter I added inspection and tighten all hose clamps in the boat. I found many hose clamps improperly sized for the hose.I also found many hose to barb fitting connections that the barb fitting was not large enough to except double hose clamps but double hose clamps were used.

*Hose clamps are manufactured to operate over a specified diameter range. It is important that the diameter of the hose to be clampled is within this operating range.

*Other specifications to consider when selecting a hose or band clamp include band width and band material.

*Clamps should be installed so that about a quarter-inch of hose is visible between the band and the hose end, and so that the band is completely seated on the barb of the fitting to which the hose is attached. Note that the Coast Guard doesn't require double clamps anywhere on recreational vessels. The American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) requires them in only two places — fuel fill hoses and exhaust systems. But both the USCG and ABYC standards are minimums. Below-waterline fittings, including stuffing boxes, should always have two clamps installed if at all possible. Keep in mind that a hose fitting has to be long enough to accommodate two clamps, plus a quarter-inch space between them, otherwise the second one can damage the hose.












I replaced several clamps while inspecting the connections and cut back a few inches of hose when necessary because the hose was damaged from the improperly sized clamp.

The positive note is Fluid Motion is going above the standard of installing double clamps at every connection. The Negative note is the Fluid Motion technician installing the clamps is not properly installing the clamps (sizing, spacing, and confirming the location of the clamp is actually clamping the hose to the fitting).I'm sure fluid Motion has every size clamp available. Quality control! How many post are made "I have a leak"? The answer it's probably a" loose hose clamp"! Before tightening it confirm it is the right clamp and installed properly.