hot water blowout

[dpiano]

Last night I was preparing dinner on our new 29 Ranger, and over the sounds of Simon and Garfunkle, I heard the water pump start running. Not good. The salmon was almost done on the grill...... Earlier that evening I had replaced the water pump, so assumed I had mucked up a fitting. Opened the engine hatch, and my fittings were fine. Switched on the pump again, and still running. Looked in the engine room, and hot water was pouring into the bilge from regions forward unknown. Did more research and discovered that the hot water hose to the galley sink had decided to remove itself and drop down behind the cabinets. No way to retrieve it. Ate salmon, called Ronnie, and bless his heart he always answers. He recommended removing the fridge, crawling back there, and handing the wayward hose up to my lovely assistant (the admiral). It sounded like not much fun, but really took just a few minutes. The point of this post is that Ronnie said the hot water hoses have a penchant for coming undone so he says it's a good idea to reach under the cabinet and tighten the hose clamps occasionally.

Then, I realized the bilge pump was still running..... there was a goodish amount of water in the sump, no more coming in but nothing going out either. Called Ronnie. It is now 9pm. He answers. He tells me that these bilge pumps have a habit of getting an air lock, and instructed me to how burp it. Which I did. What an evening. I love boating....No really!

 

[baz]

Nice story, especially the part where Ranger gave you advice/help.

As an aside, it's IMO good to occasionally check the bilge pump operations as you just never know when they will be needed for an emergency.

I typically pour at least a whole bucket of water into my bilge now and then to make sure those pumps work AND eject the water over board. 🙂 Note: It takes a fair amount of water in the bilge to activate the midship bilge pump on our R-25.

 

[Arya II]

Ahhh! Salmon and Garfunkle! 😀

 

[knotflying]

I try to make it a practice to tighten up all hose fittings annually. This means engine hoses, heater hoses and water hoses. A pain in the neck, but helps alleviate sudden water loss.
As far as those bilge pumps go, it is a good idea to unscrew the pump and make sure no fuzz or other items are twisted around the impeller. A two minute chore, but it can save your pump. And also cleaning and checking the electronic sensors on a regular basis can save you from a real bad day. I have had two sensors go on me within a year. And if there is any oil slime build up on them they will not switch the pump on, so cleaning regularly is a must.
Glad you got it fixed

 

[ttlmac]

I had the same thing happen on my new R31 this summer. Happened after we had filled up the water tank and headed out for a ride. 5 minutes after leaving the dock we noticed water gushing out the cabinets under the sink. Once we determined that we weren't sinking, I turned off the water pump and noticed one of the lines to the kitchen sink had separated from the faucet fitting. Very exciting ride.

Tom
Indian Summer II

 

[PhilR]

I figured there was a good reason why I never use the fresh water system in my boat.....now I know.

Phil

 

[down stream]

Had the same problem on my 2013 R27. Called Andrew he had Kenny to the rescue two days later. They replaced the hose clamps with a new style. Problem solved.
Thank you Ranger Tugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Just Dreamin']

I would be interested to know what the new style hose clamp mentioned looks like or a name?
My experience, at the tail end of our first summer owning boat could not figure out why no hot water, no pressure and bilge running. Hose on water heater connection in starboard storage locker had come loose (sure had a nice clean storage locker). After that, I also check all connections at start of each season. As noted previously, it does take a little time but well worth peace of mind.