Water in bilge area normal.???

[billnpat]

Noticed a inch of water or less in the bilge channel where the bilge pumps are
located...NO water anywhere else, water is below pumps.....

I remember a while back on the forum it was noted that a little water was normal in that location :huh:
true?

 

[Searaybio270]

BP - I have the same issue in my 270DA and my 400EC. Most of my dock mates have zero water in their bilge areas. Now I do know that some of them pump it out with some sort of a hand pump. Not sure if it is normal. If it is why?
Wow - just realized my post didn't help much. LOL Bored at work today b/c I am taking tomorrow off.

 

[Groucho]

Same here...I have owned 7 boats, every one of them seems to have a little water in the bilge. I think it may splash in from the hoses etc. in the back.

 

[floriduramax1]

When I first got mine, she had water in the bilge. Now, after fixing all the leaks, she has been in the water for almost a month and 3 weeks with not a single drop down there! Very proud!

 

[Hampton]

Very, very common, maybe normal, but...

With my 340, I couldn't beat it because rain came in through the hinged area for the engine hatch. I kept it dry when there wasn't so much rain.

On my 44, I'm tracking small leaks daily and catching up on them. Now, at the dock, the bilge stays dry all of the time. The last couple of culprits were loose hose clamps on the through hulls for the A/Cs and genny. Right now, I'm watching a small leak that occurs while we're running - we've had the genny on too. My guess is that it's between the genny and the through hull on the side where the cooling water flows out. The engines are not dripping anywhere - those areas are clean, dry, and have diapers underneath.

Once you get all of the little leaks chased down, you'll be able to tell if anything is starting to go bad.

 

[KeithD]

Hi Bill,
I spent two hours a couple weeks ago in the bilge cleaning out all the old oily water (had a generator oil leak last season thanks to my previous service people overfilling the generator with oil). Soaked up all the water except for a slight bit (1" or so) way down in the back below the pumps. Scrubbed the sides of the bilge, used bilge cleaner, simple green, elbow grease. Almost impossible to get all the way back there to get out all the water, unless you're using a shop vac or something - (and some people recommend against a shop vac because of the possibility of sparks, etc). So I was happy just have done what I did.
After all the rain we had, and my canvas not being as tight as it should, there's now more water in the bilge again. Not a whole lot by any means, but it's there.
As long as it doesn't increase I'm not worried at all. There's always some spill-over from when I mop and wash the cockpit floors; those channels under the hatch panels get clogged pretty quick (especially with my dog...).
At least I know it's clean down there, so if there is oil or another fluid in the water, I know it's new oil, and I know to look for a problem.
Looking forward to seeing you this season...
Keith

 

[Lazy Daze]

It all depends on why it's there - in other words, where did it come from? Obviously, raw water is not good (although, to be honest, it's not necessarily bad - but it may be an indicator of problems to come). Rain water - well, that all depends on the boat and how tight it is. Keeping your bilge dry (and clean) is an excellent way to spot potential problems - both water leaks and oil leaks from engine.

 

[Bucit]

It's wired, sometimes I have water down there (less than an inch and below the pumps) and sometimes I don't. I can't figure out for the life of me where it is coming from and why it only happens sometimes and not all the time?

 

[LetsRock]

I usually have a little bit of water waiting for me after the boat sits at the slip during the week but after I come back from running the boat it is mostly dry so I am guessing its rain water.

 

[AKBASSKING]

I am installing chech valves on my pumps and with all the rain the PNW has had this year (broke all the records) it is just about impossible to keep the bilge dry.

 

[HUMPH]

I did have water down there all of the time until I tracked down small leak either ihoses or holes drilled through the transom! I finally found the last ones and that was after I replaced all of my engine water hoses. These hoses were 8 years old and rotten! How often does everyone inspect and/or replace their hoses?

 

[rondds]

My boat accumulates water when it's on land. I have no idea where it's coming from but obviously it isn't seawater. The last thing I do before launch is use a shop vac to dry it out. During the season, I suck it out every few weeks and I'll usually give it a taste (fingertip to the tongue) to gauge salinity.

I do have old fashioned stuffing boxes and rudder posts that will drip so it's hard to gauge. But sucking the bilge dry on a regular basis will give you an idea of what is excessive water, which can clue you in to a problem.

 

[billnpat]

I did have water down there all of the time until I tracked down small leak either ihoses or holes drilled through the transom! I finally found the last ones and that was after I replaced all of my engine water hoses. These hoses were 8 years old and rotten! How often does everyone inspect and/or replace their hoses?

That's on my spring 2012 work list......replace engine water hoses.:thumbsup:

 

[billnpat]

My boat accumulates water when it's on land. I have no idea where it's coming from but obviously it isn't seawater. The last thing I do before launch is use a shop vac to dry it out. During the season, I suck it out every few weeks and I'll usually give it a taste (fingertip to the tongue) to gauge salinity.

I do have old fashioned stuffing boxes and rudder posts that will drip so it's hard to gauge. But sucking the bilge dry on a regular basis will give you an idea of what is excessive water, which can clue you in to a problem.

I haven't looked down there since before 2010 winterizing, so the little bit of water may be from the rain we had or being on the hard...but i will clean it out this weekend and keep an eye on it.....Thanks.....

 

[billnpat]

Same here...I have owned 7 boats, every one of them seems to have a little water in the bilge. I think it may splash in from the hoses etc. in the back.

or maybe rough sea's????

 

[billnpat]

BP - I have the same issue in my 270DA and my 400EC. Most of my dock mates have zero water in their bilge areas. Now I do know that some of them pump it out with some sort of a hand pump. Not sure if it is normal. If it is why?
Wow - just realized my post didn't help much. LOL Bored at work today b/c I am taking tomorrow off.

Enjoy your day off.......

 

[billnpat]

Hi Bill,
I spent two hours a couple weeks ago in the bilge cleaning out all the old oily water (had a generator oil leak last season thanks to my previous service people overfilling the generator with oil). Soaked up all the water except for a slight bit (1" or so) way down in the back below the pumps. Scrubbed the sides of the bilge, used bilge cleaner, simple green, elbow grease. Almost impossible to get all the way back there to get out all the water, unless you're using a shop vac or something - (and some people recommend against a shop vac because of the possibility of sparks, etc). So I was happy just have done what I did.
After all the rain we had, and my canvas not being as tight as it should, there's now more water in the bilge again. Not a whole lot by any means, but it's there.
As long as it doesn't increase I'm not worried at all. There's always some spill-over from when I mop and wash the cockpit floors; those channels under the hatch panels get clogged pretty quick (especially with my dog...).
At least I know it's clean down there, so if there is oil or another fluid in the water, I know it's new oil, and I know to look for a problem.
Looking forward to seeing you this season...
Keith

Hey Keith looking forward to seeing you also.
As big a guy as you are, and working in that tight area in that bilge, must have been NOT one of your favorite things to do:smt009 Ill tackle it this weekend and do the best i can to make it cleaner..:smt001

Your previous service people will also be my previous people coming this year......:smt009

 

[Skuza]

I was proud of the spider webs around the drain plug last year! Was that way till the ice maker supply line developed a hairline crack that was a PITA to track down. Just fixed that this spring and have yet to fill the tanks and make sure problem is solved! On a newer boat with dripless I think everything should stay dry unless there is a problem. Its a great feeling knowing nothing leaks! Ok enough I don't wanna jinx anything!

 

[carterchapman]

If you haven't tightened all your hose clamps in about two years, you will be amazed how loose they are. And I think each of my 8.1s have 50+ clamps! And my small leak was coming from the oil cooler hose clamps under the engines...

 

[duckmnn]

I must have a bad drain plug.It really doesn't tighten up.It will spin in til you can't put a wrench on it.I bought a new plug no help.I put silicone once a year before I splash and it's fine. But it would leak water,but not enough for pumps to kick on til I glued it in.Check your drain.