Date: 13 January 2022. Thru-Hull Leak
Series.
©
janice142
INFORMATION FOUND:
Perhaps a decade ago I remember reading the results
of a Mechanical Engineers review. They wanted to ascertain what best
separated corroded metals. Various products tested including WD-40,
PB Blaster, among many others. The winner was a simple 50/50 (half
and half) formula containing ATF (Automobile Transmission Fluid) and
Acetone. Thank you to Island Time, Rob and Cap'n Mike for letting me
know that Acetone was the other half of the formula.
This boater's nightmare became a multi-part series. This page, the
Thru-Hull Leak Series
contains all articles published regarding the leaking
thru-hull fiasco. For those on slower connections or who
prefer smaller pieces, the shorter articles can be found here:
Side
Note: If I am able to return to the
sailboat in question, I will update. For now, this is
everything I know. Thank you. |
Date: 11 January 2022. Finding the Leak (part 1)
It was a bad day a couple canals
south of here recently. Life lessons were reinforced. One neighbor
owns an older production sailboat. He experienced the nightmare of
water intrusion. Locating where the problem originated was the first
priority. Here is what was done.
Like responsible boaters, the
owner checks his vessel regularly. He had pumped the bilge dry the
previous afternoon. The following morning water was up once again.
There was obviously a leak however locating same was the problem of
the moment.
|
This is the ideal...
Though the sailboat pictured on the right
appears similar to the one featured in the
(Joshua Slocum's) Spray replica Anja
article, they are two different vessels.
|
Nobody wants to become this boat:
Sunken schooner
|
|
The first order of business
when taking on
water is to locate where the water is coming in.
Due to a recent injury the boat owner enlisted the assistance of my
neighbor who invited me to ride along. Fortunately the sailboat in
need was just a couple canals away.
Upon arrival our
emphasis was in finding where the problem originated. Wanting to
know if the water was fresh or salt, I did the finger in water/taste
test. There probably is a better method however mine offered the
fastest results.
|
When the
vessel is in salt water, this is
what a taste of bilge water will tell you: |
|
Fresh:
the issue is in the water tank or hoses inside the
vessel.
Side Note:
Though a lot of people swear that attaching to
pressurized dock water is fine, I am old enough to believe this is a
rapid way to sink your boat.
Salt water:
indicates water was coming from outside the hull, and
thus a MUCH more serious problem.
|
|
The bilge water was definitely
salty. Because the transom is higher than the keel on this sailboat,
I opted to start aft. Lifting hatches and checking, we noted zero
water. This eliminated one area of the bilge.
Next the main bilge hatch was opened. That is when we
saw water:
A THRU-HULL
↑ cover had blown. At
some point an inferior cap had been installed.
Most of us have
utilized a temporary repair at some point or another. The problem
with this is that too many folks do not return and properly finish
the job. That temporary cap/cover was installed years ago when closing
off a thru-hull without a valve. Galvanized steel does not last
forever.
The unit had rusted out from the
inside. When it finally broke fortunately the stream of water was
discovered before it became even larger. That the entire end did not
fail is indeed fortunate.
A wise boater
checks the bilges every day.
Tomorrow I will share with you the
initial part of the resolution for this leak. Thank you for reading.
Date: 12 January 2022. Temporary
Thru-Hull Fix (part 2)
The THRU-HULL
↑
is shooting water into the bilge.
To recap, a sailboat a couple
canals over from me had a thru-hull cap failure. Thanks to that
trite term "thinking outside the (wine) box" the problem
with the leaking thru-hull was
temporarily resolved. Definite emphasis should be placed on the word
"TEMPORARILY" as this is in no way a solution, however...!
A quick trip back to Seaweed
ensued. I picked up a spare roll of Rescue Tape:
In the meantime, like all
"interesting" boat projects, the bilge pump failed while we were
pumping out the vessel. Yes, it was that kind of day. Fortunately the
owner was sharp. He had a spare Johnson 2k bilge pump in his arsenal
of spare parts.
I replaced the Johnson We still had a steady stream of water coming
from the thru-hull.
At some point during the fiasco I
attempted to seal the end with wax, then the Rescue Tape. That
failed too. There is a lot of water pressure 4' (120 cm) deep, which
is where this thru-hull intake is located.
We needed to seal off an oddly shaped pipe fitting. At this point we
dared not wrench off that cap/cover for fear of breaking the
thru-hull. After pondering I came up with a solution. A quick trip back over
to my Seaweed ensued so I could pick up a wine bottle cap/cover.
A couple years back I bought one
blue silicone cap from
eBay. I
had intended to use
it
for a project. The Project List aboard Seaweed would be impressive if
it were not so scary!
These covers/caps are
silicone, approximately 1/8" (3mm) thick. Mine appeared sturdy
enough to be utilized as a temporary solution. First I stretched the
silicone cover up and over the nipple. Then I added a hose clamp and
tightened it.
I did not exert super-human
strength. Over-tightening might damage the threads and/or break
something. All due care must be employed so the final
repair can be seamless, and easy. Hopefully!
The wine bottle BOTTLE CAP
↑
is secured to the thru-hull fitting with a hose clamp.
The boys are calling it a thru-hull condom. Older boatmen are a
hoot. They have no filter.
Most important of all, the leak has
been stopped. We have bought time with the
simple use of a silicone wine bottle cap. This is definitely a
temporary solution.
|
Lessons
Learned: |
|
-
#1.
Check your bilges regularly. In this
case had the owner not caught the problem in the initial
stages of failure this could have been catastrophic.
-
#2.
Check if the bilge water is fresh or salty.
A quick taste test can determine if the
water in the bilges is coming from the water tanks, or
outside the boat. This presumes your vessel is in salt
water.
-
#3.
Obviously STOP the water. Though we
could not get off the galvanized part immediately, we were
able to prevent more water from coming into the boat. The
unconventional (silicone wine bottle cap) solution is, at
best, TEMPORARY. It will need to be carefully monitored
until the real repair is completed.
|
|
MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, remember that
temporary fixes are just that: an interim measure to buy time.
They will fail. That snafu definitely will not be at a
convenient stress free
time.
|
|
The sailboat owner was smart.
He checked his bilges regularly. Because of that he recognized there
was a problem before it became more serious. Additionally, he had
boating friends nearby. Together we were able to temporarily find a solution
until that galvanized fitting can be removed and replaced with
something suitable.
INFORMATION FOUND:
Perhaps a decade ago I remember reading the results
of a Mechanical Engineers review. They wanted to ascertain what best
separated corroded metals. Various products tested including WD-40,
PB Blaster, among many others. The winner was a simple 50/50 (half
and half) formula containing ATF (Automobile Transmission Fluid) and
Acetone. Thank you to Island Time, Rob and Cap'n Mike for letting me
know that Acetone was the other half of the formula.
|
That is life in bilges. If I may
be so bold, you might consider purchasing a silicone bottle cap for
your boat too. Fortunately mine was in my silverware drawer, and
thus easy to locate. I paid $1 for one from eBay a couple years
back.
Side Note:
Before anyone reminds me of the wooden plugs for thru-hulls, please
remember those will not work in all circumstances. This time the
threaded part of the galvanized cap was firmly stuck. Only a stream
of water 3/16" (5mm) was coming out of the middle so a plug would be
much too large.
|
|
|
For
full details on how to get the best prices on
eBay,
you might wish to read the
Screening My Hatch (eBay advice)
article.
Or search
eBay
for "Silicone bottle caps cover". Once the results load, chose
the option "Sort by Price plus Shipping, Lowest First" ...
Thanks! |
|
So that is life on the west coast. If the owner calls my neighbor/me
back, I will follow-up with the permanent resolution. In the meantime,
remember that Galvanized stuff rusts. It really is awful in a salty
environment.
Do not use
galvanized gear on your boat.
Signed, an opinionated Stainless Steel gal. :)
Thank you for reading.
I'd love to hear your tricks for removing a galvanized cap
from a bronze thru-hull.
And, is there anything you would not do re the galvanized problem?
Regarding the Comments Section,
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