'97 330DA Fresh water leak

B

bliss

New Member
Nov 17, 2006
305
chicago, il
Boat Info
330 Sundancer 1997
Engines
454 Mercruiser w/v drives
Before I go bilge diving do any of you have a guess where the leak is? I don't use the water tank. Water and pressure come from the dock by hose attached to the transom. The leak is evidenced by periodic operation of the bilge pump ONLY while dock water is turned on. I looked at where the hose attachs, the pressure reducer and pipe attached on the inside. That area is bone dry. So it should be leaking somewhere down range. Any thoughts??
Thanks.
 
Yes, I have AC that I run at the dock only. However, the bilge pump runs periodically ONLY when the dockside water is attached and turned on. The water that is pumped overboard is fresh clean water from the dockside tap not the grungy river water that is used to operate the AC.
The boat is in fresh water, not salt. I suspect the heater or a connection. Maybe the leak was caused by a poor job of winterizing, by a previous owner, of course.
 
The reason I brought up the AC was that you should check to see if your AC condensation pans (i.e fresh water) are able to drain properly and also, where in fact they drain. They can get plugged up fairly easily from lint and other debris and the pans will overflow fresh water. You will not be able to tell the differnce between AC condensation water and the fresh water on the dock. I know... it happens to me all the time. Part of the AC maintenance on top of washing out the filter is to pour some fresh water in the pan and make sure it drains where it is supposed to. I don't know your boat, but it is also possible the AC condensation just drains into the bilge if it does not go into a sump box.

Obviously, checking connections is a good idea but you know that.

If you are suspect on winterization, you may want to also check the shower mixing valve(s) behind the wall. Freezing a mixing valve can expand the brass rough in housing and destroy the gasket between the cover and body and produce a leak.

Another check you may want to do is unplug your water from the dock and put some water in the tank and see if the pump cycles on and off with every plumbing fixture turned off. Then you'll know if it is even the fresh water system or something else like the AC condensation.

You may also want to check the parts/layout manual for your boat from the searay.com site and see if they have a schematic of your plumbing system and AC drain system so you'll know exactly where to look for things. I know on my boat, all the plumbing fittings are accessible via cut outs and/or easily removable panels.

Just to show how tough leaks can be and why you shouldn't always think they are plumbing related, I had a leak coming from under my bridge floor and I swore it was a plumbing leak from the freshwater sink up there. Everytime I would get on plane, water would drip out of the starboard cockpit light fixture. It ended up being a caulk joint on the PORT side right below the windshield and everytime it rained, water would puddle up under that floor and then when I would take off, it would drip out the light. Fighting leaks is a top priority for me because the inside of these boats are not designed to get or stay wet.
 
Last edited:
When you connect a shore water source, you are connecting to a pressure regulator which Tees into the cold water circuit. It may be time to "dive" the bilge, concentrating on the Tee connection and/or the regulator.

good luck.
 
bliss said:
Yes, I have AC that I run at the dock only. However, the bilge pump runs periodically ONLY when the dockside water is attached and turned on. The water that is pumped overboard is fresh clean water from the dockside tap not the grungy river water that is used to operate the AC.
The boat is in fresh water, not salt. I suspect the heater or a connection. Maybe the leak was caused by a poor job of winterizing, by a previous owner, of course.
Click to expand...


check high pressure relief valve and possibly open drain on your water heater
those two valves drain right to bilge
lets hope that heater is not cracked and leaking internally
to verify that you can bypass water heater and check for leaks
 
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