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I do love a mysterious leak (help please!)....


helrow

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Water appearing where it shouldn't is part and parcel of boating. It can get you down but I watched that Robert Redford film "All is Lost" last night and I strongly recommend it as the antidote if and when things get on top of you..

 

In my experience "a fair amount of water" is unlikely to be caused by either condensation or a leaky window or flue seal. I reckon you are looking at a plumbing problem. As others have said, the old Shurflo pumps were notorious for leaking from the pump body but I believe this fault has now been cured and as you say the pump has been replaced recently - presumably with a new one - so that seems an unlikely cause. If you use an expansion vessel you could still have a leak without hearing the pump cycling constantly, expansion vessels stop that annoying cutting in noise if you have a dripping tap, so you could easily have a slight leak without noticing it. Also it could be on the inlet side.

 

The thing to do is get a load of tissue and laboriously wipe all the pipe joints down bone dry, then check after a few minutes. It's easier said than done of course owing to the tendency of narrowboat builders to hide all the plumbing away and then fit the water pump in the most inaccessible place on the boat. But it's the only way.

 

 

 

Point of order here...

 

The pipes should be bone dry in the first place. Any pipe needing wiping down to dry it is a prime suspect in the first place.

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Point of order here...

 

The pipes should be bone dry in the first place. Any pipe needing wiping down to dry it is a prime suspect in the first place.

And another thing: if Robert Redford had backed up his shoddy repair simply by using his bench cushions as padding, it might well have held and with wood from his cupboard doors... Reasonable damage control techniques could have saved his boat, so if Robert Redford comes on here telling folks how to do it, ignore him.

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Point of order here...

 

The pipes should be bone dry in the first place. Any pipe needing wiping down to dry it is a prime suspect in the first place.

Not necessarily. Condensation! Especially on copper pipes. At least between tank and pump. Moreso if you have topped up with clay-cold water.

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Not necessarily. Condensation! Especially on copper pipes. At least between tank and pump. Moreso if you have topped up with clay-cold water.

 

 

As I said. If they are already wet, that is probably the source of the bilge water. Whether it is condensation or water escaping.

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Not necessarily. Condensation! Especially on copper pipes. At least between tank and pump. Moreso if you have topped up with clay-cold water.

 

Dead right.

 

At this time of year unlagged pipes will often feel wet to the touch.

 

Condensation on pipes is not enough to create "a fair amount of water " in the bilge, but a weeping joint is. Our OP needs to distinguish between the two.

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