Water in Bilge

[bajturner]

I was just reading a thread another member posted and there was some discussion about water in the bilge. It's a bit of coincidence, because I was getting the boat ready for the season yesterday and I was thinking about this very subject.

My marina did the spring commissioning and launched the boat about a week or so ago. One of my objectives yesterday was to bleach the water system since I noticed a bit of a rotten egg smell from the hot water tank last fall (the boat had been sitting for over a month last fall during the purchase, survey, sea trial, and transportation process). To get all the water out of the hot water tank, I opened the drain valve on the bottom of the tank, and it emptied into the bilge. I did this several times through the sanitizing process and the bilge pumps took care of it. The marina tech actually recommended draining the tank every Sunday when I leave the boat if I really want to avoid any smell problems through the summer.

Now, before I opened the hot water tank drain, the bilge was complete dry...not a drop of water. The boat had only been in the water a week or two, but it had been raining a lot so I thought this was good, and I liked the idea of keeping it dry. If I do this hot water tank draining at the end of every weekend, however, it will be a pretty big job to dry it out completely each time with a sponge or similar.

This is the first cruiser I have ever owned, so I am curious about a few things:
1) Is it reasonable to keep the bilge bone dry all the time?
2) Is it important to keep the bilge dry?
3) Regarding the hot water tank, will water start to smell after a week (occasionally two), if left in the tank (I would be turning off the power to it while away)?

Any thoughts/opinions?
Brian

 

[carterchapman]

Hi Brian,

For your #3 question:

Our boats are about the same age. I leave the water in the tank year round. Once a month I drain it and refill it (if we didn't use it all sooner - which we usually do in the summer months). When refilling, I add two tablespoons of bleach. I turn the HW heater OFF when we leave the boat. Never had a "smell" problem.

 

[Go Aweigh2452]

You should not have that smell if you leave the water in the tank... I don't drain mine all the time but have never had that problem.

I have had the rotten egg smell but it was from a battery that the water level had gone below the plates. That was on an older boat w/o a smart charger. Check your batteries to see if the water is above the plates but not up to the bottom of the slotted tube. The water should be almost touching the bottom of those slotted tubes.

I try to keep my bilge dry but it never does. I vacuum the bilge after every outing. Water is OK as long as it is not so much as to splash the engine or the starter.

If the bilge pump can't get excess water out then there is not too much water in the bilge...

 

[Lazy Daze]

In just a couple of weeks, you shouldn't get the rotten egg smell. Can't say for sure how long it would take, but 2 weeks shouldn't be a problem - especially if you're using a water treatment.

If you were so inclined, you could hook a drain hose to the drain fitting and run the hose to a simple pump that would then pump the water overboard. Or, heck, keep things simple and just drain it into a bucket. But, I think that's more work than is needed. If you were going to be away for a good month or so, then it might not be a bad idea. Just be sure that you don't leave the heater on.

It's good to keep your bilge dry to be able to see problems as soon as they arise (including oil drips).

 

[Henry Boyd]

I agree on the bleach. The ounce of bleach to 28 gallons of water will also keep down the micro marine life in the water system.

ALso if you drain the hot water heater, you MUST turn off the electricity to it if you are on shore power otherwise you will burn out the electrical element. That will then be a real PITA to fix.

Henry

 

[tbirdvet]

It is not reasonable to expect the HWH to be drained every week. Heat up the water and use it in a normal manner and you should be OK. Water in the bilge will not hurt anything. I always have a little in mine especially after it rains.

 

[Presentation]

If someone put antifreeze in the hot water heater then turned on the electrical element that could result in a funky smell. This odor would be difficult to remove. It may require replacing the heating element, which is not that expensive of an item and is a do it yourself job for a person of average mechanical skill.

I clean my fresh water system once per year in the spring. However we use our fresh water a lot.

Water tank if it smells
1. Use a solution of 1 pint Purex or Clorox bleach to 25 gallons of water). With tank empty, pour chlorine solution into tank.
2. Complete filling of tank with fresh water. Open each faucet and drain cock until air has been released and the entire system is filled. Do not turn off the pump; it must remain on to keep the system pressurized and the solution in the lines
3. Allow to stand for at least three hours, but no longer than 24 hours.
4. Drain through every faucet on the boat (and if you haven't done this in a while, it's a good idea to remove any diffusion screens from the faucets, because what's likely to come out will clog them). Fill the tank again with fresh water only, drain again through every faucet on the boat.
5. To remove excess chlorine taste or odor which might remain, prepare a solution of one quart white vinegar to five gallons water and allow this solution to agitate in tank for several days.
6. Drain tank again through every faucet, and flush the lines again by filling the tank 1/4-1/2 full and again flushing with potable water.

 

[Mood Swings]

Sometimes the magnesium anode rods in water heaters can react to stale water and create a rotten egg smell. The solution is usually to change the anode rod to an aluminum one. I am not sure if your heater has an anode rod or not but it may be a good place to look if nothing else fixes the issue. Good Luck.

 

[bajturner]

Thanks all for the great input. My hunch was the weekly draining of the hot water tank (and hence the entire freshwater system) was overkill, but it's very good to get confirmation from people with experience. I will follow all of the advice, which was consistent from everyone. I think I will try to keep the bilge dry if it seems to stay that way easily.

 

[Skuza]

Bilges can be dry. Ours will stay dry for months actually. Last year the ice maker supply hose developed a hairline crack which was VERY hard to track down. This spring I have to replace that line and hope this gets things back to bone dry.
Now some boats may weep a bit on certain running gear maybe due to design or age but I'm not an expert.

 

[HUMPH]

I finally have my bilge dry after finding every little spot that leaked! If you get wat in the bilge, remove it and keep it dry. If it gets wet it will be easier to find what is causing this. Draining the water heater every week is basically nuts. I have never had an issue with a funky smell from mine on either of my Sea Rays.