Leaks around bilge pump fitting

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Leaks around bilge pump fitting

Postby Malcolm Sadler » Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:47 pm

Hello all

When I’m staying on Rondo overnight I put my sleeping bag in the starboard quarter berth and during the day I roll it up and push along into the “tunnel” out of the way

On pulling it out just now I found it had (sea) water standing on it in little pools. About 100ml but enough to make it nasty to get into. I thought it may have wicked up water from the bilge, but the pools, on top, of the fabric pointed to another cause. I suspect the pump housing as I saw some drops around that.

Has anyone else experienced leaks around the bilge pump fitting?

I’ve been out in strong winds today in Chichester harbour with two adult crew. With that weight and a heavy chop the cockpit had 2” of water in it at times (up through the o/b well) and we were steeply heeled, so the pump fitting may have been submerged at times.

Also there was a lot of spray coming in over the bow, but I can’t see any place where wave spray could get in at that point. Hence my suspicion of the pump. There is also a small amount of water in the bilge- the first time Rondo has ever taken on water.

I can take off the pump fittings and reseat it with butyl or silicon. But before I try such things I thought I would ask if anyone has had the same problem and found a good easy solution to it.

It doesn’t detract from an exciting sail in f5/6 gusting 7/8 (and even 9 according to the marina anemometer!). Double reef from the outset of course and when I found I was making 4.8knt with just the staysail downwind I wasn’t rushing to put up the main. But we did when it was safe to come head to wind and with main, staysail and yankee Rondo was sailing well. What a great little boat we all have. There were hardly any other sailing boats in the Harbour - and on talking to the skipper of one of the few - a 32 ft Nautica - he found it very hairy.

All the best

Malcolm
Malcolm Sadler
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Re: Leaks around bilge pump fitting

Postby NickC » Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:27 pm

Funny you should say that!
Back in August I went from Chichester to Cowes in a F5 /6 Solent chop (wind over tide) And on arrival noticed that all the berth cushions were wet underneath. I had been well heeled all of the way and I noticed a drip or two near some of the rubbing strake nuts but more alarming was was water in the aft bilge which is unusual. After a damp night (had to use boom cover as a DPM under the sleeping bag) decided to go back home to discover why.
I came to the same conclusion as you, that being well heeled, water had entered the bilge pump skin fitting and despite the pipes being cable tied up under the gunwale, passing waves had forced water back through the system to the bilge which merrily then sloshed from side to side as I tacked up the Solent.
I can’t say that I noticed the actual pump leaking because the cushions were so wet. I investigated fitting a non return valve in the exit pipe from the pump but found a much cheaper solution....... shoving a champagne cork in the outside of the skin fitting :)
If it happens again or the solution goes missing I’ll start with a new bottle of champagne !

Nick
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