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Bilge and Plumbing Issues

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Pascal, Apr 10, 2023.

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  1. Pascal, Apr 10, 2023
    #1
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 29, 2008
    Messages:
    8,546
    Location:
    Miami, FL
    Last month while in the exumas on the 110’ lazzara I got an alarm showing the mid ship bilge pump running briefly. Going once, going twice… time to check.

    Opened the hatch in one of the guest rooms and found water leaking out of cracked fitting on a diaphragm pump used to get the very last of the water out of the bilge. Salt water. Coming out of the discharge fitting.

    manual showed that pump discharge running aft and over board out of the ER

    took me a little while to realize the water was not just salty but very salty…. Yep, water maker was running and somehow the brine discharge was backing up into that pump and now into the bilge thanks to a cracked fitting.

    turned out that whoever installed the watermaker 17 years ago, tee’d the brine discharge into the bilge pump discharge. No idea if it was a factory job or an installer or if someone modified it at some point….

    Just when you think you ve seen it all.
    boatpoor likes this.
  2. Capt Ralph, Apr 10, 2023
    #2
    Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2004
    Messages:
    13,436
    Location:
    Satsuma, FL
    On a customers boat, we learned:
    Don't flood the potable tank with dock water, WHEN the water-maker charcoal filter is removed and apart.
    The tank fills, and the T fitting from the water-maker leads water to the laz where the RO and lots of other items are stored.
    If the final fresh water filter is off, the whole area gets very wet,, quickly.

    A nylon check valve fixed it quickly after discovery.