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Post by lynnardm on Sept 14, 2019 17:18:37 GMT
I’ve finally found the cause of the last water leak that was in my NC895. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The 695’s, 795’s and 895’s are designed to have a dry hull. My 695 never had a single leak or a bit of water collecting in the hull. My 895 was a different story. Water collected in the bottom of the hull near the stern and under the cockpit area. It also collected in the area forward where the windshield washer tank is located. All of the water was fresh water. Within the first 6 months l located all the leaks in the aft area of the boat. They were all from rainwater or wash down coming in through unsealed or improperly sealed screws, latches, access panels, flex tubing, and the cockpit door to floor seal (or lack thereof). Good news is once I identified them the Sundance folks fixed them under warranty. But The water that was collecting under the windshield washer tank really had me stumped. Well I finally figured it out. The water is coming from the water heater safety pressure release valve. It has a slow leak when the system is pressurized. The valve has a rubber hose that takes any water from the valve to the area at the windshield washer tank. The rubber hose goes directly to the back of a bulge pump that’s next to the windshield washer tank. It’s hard to see the hose but it’s there. This makes sense. If the safety pressure valve detects an over pressure situation it opens and the water is directed to a bilge pump so the pump can extract it from the boat. I haven’t yet replaced the valve on the water heater but fortunately access to it is easy. So why am I describing all this? If you don’t have a dry hull there is a reason or perhaps multiple reasons. And it’s worth the effort to find and fix the leaks. Water in the bilge can over time lead to mold and mildew and adversely affect components mounted low or in that water.
Capt’n Lynn
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Post by timbray on Sept 16, 2019 0:44:47 GMT
Got any hints on how to go about tracking these down? I have the tiniest trickle of water down in the bottom of my 795 and would like to reduce that to zero.
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Post by lynnardm on Sept 17, 2019 16:50:10 GMT
Timbray,
To find the leaks you will need to put your detective hat on and get a good flashlight. The water is likely fresh water but check that first by tasting it. Of course if it has a foul smell you might not want to taste it as it might be from the black water system. Knowing that its fresh or salt or black water will help to zero in on your search. There are two general approaches for finding the source(s). Bottom-up or top-down in either order. For top-down open up every panel to have a look. Climb and look inside as best as you can to see everything. A mirror can sometimes be useful. Look at and put your hand on all the components (pump, hoses, etc) with the water system pressurized. And look and touch drain hoses and connections shortly after putting water down the drain (like a sink). Look and feel for water droplets hanging on the bottom of every possible source - for example hose connections, the bottom of access panels, thru-floor screws, etc. On my 895 I actually had someone close the big cockpit door while I was inside looking when it was raining. Don't have your wife as the one outside if she is possibly annoyed with you :') For the bottom-up approach, get down into each section of the hull and wipe up all the water to get it all dried out. If there are some areas you can't quite get to, stick your finger thru the bulkhead water flow hole (at the bottom of the bulkhead) to check for water in the next bulkhead. I had an area or two like this where I found water and used a turkey baster to reach through the hole and remove most of the water that had accumulated. Once your hull is dried out as best as you can get it, place a small dry rag in the bottom of the hull at each bulkhead hole opening. The idea here is to determine which area of the boat the water is coming from. Water might be coming in the front of the boat but of course it seeks the lowest point so one leak can result in water throughout the boat. Once all your rags are in place come back after the first rain or after a good washdown by hand and check each sections rags to see which are wet. This can then give you a clue for which area of the boat the water is coming from. Or to test your water system do it during a dry period with no rain but keep the water system pressurized and come back after a while to look. Water could also be coming from one of the drains, for example a sink drain, so this is another area that may require a separate test. I've had to employ all of these methods to find all the leaks in my 895. Good luck.
Capt'n Lynn
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