J/46 - Underneath water heater - what’s there?

[David Jade]

Does anyone have any pictures of what is beneath the board that the water heater sits on?

We have a fresh water leak somewhere that is I believe coming from that area. There is a small black ribbed hose that goes into a hole just above the bilge on the port side and water is dripping out from that spot. Our fresh water pump also is cycling once an hour or so.

Whatever is leaking does not appear to be coming from anywhere around the fresh water pump, any hose, or the HVAC pump either. From what I can tell, underneath the water heater (between heater and the board it sits on) is also dry (probed by shoving strips of paper underneath the water heater). Also, the water is very cold - not warm or hot. This area is adjacent to the forward head shower sump but it’s dry as well.

But I can’t access or see underneath that board that the water heater sits on without removing the water heater, which I’d like to avoid. But this leak slowly fills our bilge and triggers the bilge pump once a day or so.

If anyone has any photos of that area, or know what might pass through that area, that would be super helpful. We’ve been chasing this one for days now.

David _/)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[S/V Sweet Ruca]

Do you have transducers forward? Those may drain down through limber holes under the shower? Also, the sink drain through hull area may make its way through this to the bilge.

My guess would be though, in this area, a leaking fresh water hose connection.

Sorry, no photo under the water heater.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "J/4X Owner's Group" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to j4x-owners-gro...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/8F837AFF-4879-41E4-ADA2-EE67DCF9D188%40mutable.net.

[David Jade]

We do have transducers under the small vberth seat but they are dry. I also suspect a leaking fresh water hose somewhere, but I have yet to find it. So many hoses on these boat…

Thanks,

David                      _/)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Apr 11, 2024, at 3:28 PM, S/V Sweet Ruca <rucas...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/CAGSa-zOGQ8-ofjo%3D-%3D9COzNrznqLZY87pHuDp23ONsyOekBFxA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Bernie Coyne]

Does this picture help? I have many more if you need them.

We replaced our leaking original Atlantic HWT with an Isotemp 11 gal HWT in August 2021.

Bernie
J/46 #10 Mystic Rose

Bernie Coyne
Email: bernie...@outlook.com
Cell/text: 781-789-0762

[G. Jan van Heek]

Bernie,
Does the white hose come out of forward shower?
I don’t think we have that drain.
Jan
Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 11, 2024, at 4:21 PM, Bernie Coyne <bernie...@outlook.com> wrote:
>
> Does this picture help? I have many more if you need them.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/BL3P221MB0545EFC91271818DEC26D9E29B052%40BL3P221MB0545.NAMP221.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.
> <20210825_142529.jpg>

[David Jade]

Yes! Thanks so much.

So we must have something following a path from somewhere and just running through that area. Must be sink, shower faucet, or forward head.

David _/)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> On Apr 11, 2024, at 4:22 PM, Bernie Coyne <bernie...@outlook.com> wrote:
>
> Does this picture help? I have many more if you need them.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/BL3P221MB0545EFC91271818DEC26D9E29B052%40BL3P221MB0545.NAMP221.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.
> <20210825_142529.jpg>

[Bernie Coyne]

Yes that white piece of PVC is connected to the forward shower sump. There could be some leaking on the outside of the PVC pipe where it doesn't quite seal with the whole in the rib that it passes through.

Here is another picture of the same area cleaned up and with the new Isotemp HWT straps installed.

Bernie

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/AB8BB01B-A102-4362-AB1B-11D3FCE0AFEC%40yahoo.com.

[G. Jan van Heek]

Thanks!
I guess impossible to reach with water heater installed.
On our boat shower only drains when pump activated. So any rain water from mast opening stays in shower till we activate pump.
Prefer your setup I think.
Jan van Heek
J46 SweetBeam
Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 11, 2024, at 5:24 PM, Bernie Coyne <bernie...@outlook.com> wrote:
>
> Yes that white piece of PVC is connected to the forward shower sump. There could be some leaking on the outside of the PVC pipe where it doesn't quite seal with the whole in the rib that it passes through.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/BL3P221MB0545A8E4015804F5A6B779549B052%40BL3P221MB0545.NAMP221.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.
> <20210828_153357.jpg>

[William Stellin]

Try drying all the inside bottom hull to bone dry within a few inches of where the water is puddled. Turn your fresh water pump on and look with a very strong light for a trickle of water on the hull. If the water heater is on and the water hot it’s probably coming from the heater tank. If it’s cold it could be coming from any fresh water connection. Just try to follow the trickle to its source. Make sure the bottom has been wiped bone dry under the sink area and look for a dribble.
Bill #6
Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 11, 2024, at 3:22 PM, David Jade <da...@mutable.net> wrote:
>
> Does anyone have any pictures of what is beneath the board that the water heater sits on?

[William Stellin]

Once an hour is a pretty big leak. If I recall a cycle with a good pump should produce about a liter before cycling again
Bill#6

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 11, 2024, at 3:22 PM, David Jade <da...@mutable.net> wrote:
>

> Does anyone have any pictures of what is beneath the board that the water heater sits on?

[William Stellin]

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 11, 2024, at 3:22 PM, David Jade <da...@mutable.net> wrote:
>

> Does anyone have any pictures of what is beneath the board that the water heater sits on?

[William Stellin]

The shower sump is pumped into the forward sink and overboard. Not into the bilge. There would be no need for a sump if it just went there by gravity to the bilge. If your fresh water pump is cycling it has to be a leak in a fresh water hose, connection faucet etc. look for a dribble. It’s there but very hard to find. Bone dry the bottom wherever there are fresh water lines, connections etc. use a very very strong light.
One more semi-extreme measure is to put safe very strong food coloring in one tank at a time and look for the colored puddle or dribble. Pump the tank almost empty then add lot of very dark coloring or you will never see it. Another easy way would be to disconnect the water supply hose from the pump and pour directly into the supply hose while the pump is running.
Bill#6
Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 11, 2024, at 5:24 PM, Bernie Coyne <bernie...@outlook.com> wrote:
>
> Yes that white piece of PVC is connected to the forward shower sump. There could be some leaking on the outside of the PVC pipe where it doesn't quite seal with the whole in the rib that it passes through.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/BL3P221MB0545A8E4015804F5A6B779549B052%40BL3P221MB0545.NAMP221.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.
> <20210828_153357.jpg>

[David Jade]

I believe we finally found it (I’ve said this now 3-4 times, as we hunt each of these down). This one was under the sink in the forward head, which I did check just a few days ago when I searched for the previous FW leak. Seems I squash one and another takes its place - even in a place that was previously dry. This one was a steady drip that was following a line down towards the limber holes.

Thanks everyone for the tips. It’s so awesome and invaluable to have this group. And thanks for patience for all my questions as we get through this new-to-us phase of our J46.

Thanks,
David _/)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> On Apr 11, 2024, at 7:25 PM, William Stellin <wste...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> The shower sump is pumped into the forward sink and overboard. Not into the bilge. There would be no need for a sump if it just went there by gravity to the bilge. If your fresh water pump is cycling it has to be a leak in a fresh water hose, connection faucet etc. look for a dribble. It’s there but very hard to find. Bone dry the bottom wherever there are fresh water lines, connections etc. use a very very strong light.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/CH2PR19MB40713569B9124D761E266417DD052%40CH2PR19MB4071.namprd19.prod.outlook.com.

[Bernie Coyne]

That is how ours operates too. That PVC pipe and then bilge type hose is connected to the forward head shower pump. So water from mast only gets pumped out when shower pump is run.Sorry if I gave the impression it drained directly into the bilge...it does not.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/865D35F4-9267-4B54-B582-316BCCCED386%40yahoo.com.

[Bernie Coyne]

I have found that the plumbing T's under the sink in both the forward and aft head are problematic leakers. After every winter one of them seems to leak even though I have blown out all the water with air as best I can.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/9F7EA1B6-019B-47F0-801A-A9FD7FA2F885%40mutable.net.

[HautBrion22]

- I now have a fixed prop - she is shallow draft & I'm daft enuf to think of being in the American YC Spring series.... any ideas about my phrf

Years ago she had around a 120 phrf in Newport but she had a folding prop... now replaced?   ciao