Fresh Water Pump

[seasalt]

My Shurflo Smart Sensor water pump cycles every 30 seconds. It was every 15 minutes which I can sleep through. 30 second keeps me awake.

Given that all things Albin are pretty tight, I am not able to actually see where the leak is. I am pretty sure that extra water in the bilge is from this leak so I need some suggestions on how best to find it.

Since all fresh water plumbing is on the starboard side (from the head to the ice maker in the cockpit) I am wondering if placing dry paper towels in every space that I can reach might work. Everywhere that I have looked seems to be dry with the possible exception of a sorta shiny area visible just aft of the starboard fuel tank which may be coming from behind the ice maker where it connects to the main water line. The area inside the ice maker lower access panel is dry. If the source of the leak is behind the icemaker what is the best way to access the "T"? Pull it out of the hole or come up from the bilge area?

I am also going to test the pump itself to see if the pressure switch is bad. That is accomplished by attaching a hose/nozzle to the output side to see if it cycles with no water leak.

I have a fairly small friend coming over this week to help.

[mike66]

Good call on testing the pump. I had one fail that started to cycle more and more, and I couldn't find a leak. Luckily, things aren't so tight in a 40.

[Maye Marie]

Turn your pump switch off. Let it sit for a time without using any water. Open a cold cold water valve. If you have no initial water pressure than you have a leak. Do the same for the hot water side for there is a back flow valve on your hot water system. If water rushes out on both cold and hot then stops look into your pump.

This test requires sitting and having a few drinks in between test.

[Capt Ron]

I had a similar cycling issue a couple of years ago. Ended up being a pin hole in the water heater. Hard to spot due to the case and tight location it's mounted in a 28TE.

[seasalt]

I have found leaking water but still do not know exactly where it is coming from. I sent the message below to Chuck in an email but would appreciate anyone else chiming in on how to access the "T" off the main water line to the ice maker.

Chuck,

I now am able to see dripping water under the ice maker cabinet. After it hits the deck it runs down the side and overboard. I don't know why I did not see a pretty good size stream running down the cockpit.

As I mentioned before the water line behind the lower grill is dry.

I pulled the unit from the cabinet and found this:

The connection to the blue supply line behind the ice maker is dry. The blue water line, however, is dripping just inside the hole in the cabinet (next to the bulkhead) where the power and water enter the cabinet. It is dripping between the cabinet and the bulkhead down to the deck rather than pool inside the cabinet.

So either the blue supply line is split inside the hole or it is leaking where it is connected to the main water line.

Do you think I could see where the blue line is connected to the main line if I pulled the refrigerator or is it some where else. I hate to pull the refrigerator if nothing can be accessed.

Thanks for all the past help.

Ron

[seasalt]

Problem solved. I always said that I was to big and old to get into tight places...but my checkbook could.

Where my trusty and resourceful mechanic can't get to in person (he cusses the boat every time he comes aboard) his remote television camera can.

Found two leaks. One at the ice maker where the hose from the cabin had chaffed and one under a sink facet in the head.

The pump is not cycling any more except on demand but he did find a defective accumulator tank under the forward berth which will get replaced.

[mike66]

Time for a remote camera.......congrats on the fix. Now, off to the gym!

[seasalt]

I am going to see about getting one also.

Funny thing about this recent problem vis-a-vis the camera is that he was able to see the stream of running water from the head, down the starboard side of the boat on a ledge in the engine room all the way to the cockpit where it dropped and pooled just aft of the center fuel tank. It (the water) took several hours to get there. I would dry the area after running the pump and it would stay dry for hours after turning the pump off. Then the next day the water would mysteriously appear.

Once I knew this it was obvious that the leak had been there for some time because there is a small fully automatic bilge pump that sits directly where the water pools and a shiny area on the hull where it had been flowing down.

[seasalt]

This is what he has. It has a detachable monitor so the camera can be extended farther into the space.

http://www.amazon.com/Whistler-Wireless ... NTHRK8WKAA