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Bilge drain plugs

Dferr

Member II
This weekend, I was cleaning the bilges in my new to me 1982 E-38, when I accidentally knocked out a drain plug down in the bilge. I had the bilge completely dry, when this plug came out, the amount of water coming in was alarming! Since the boat is in the water I was concerned. My wife thought we were sinking. After pumping all that out, I opened the other plugs and got quite a bit of water out of them also. So what are these plugs for? Where did all that water come from?
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Were these "plugs" in the tops or sides of the molded sections of the TAFG?
LB
 

e38 owner

Member III
excellent question

My 1981 has plugs in the tafg also. I leave the plugs open but have always wondered about it. On day may years ago I was also alarmed at the amount of water that came from the plugs.
 

Dferr

Member II
No, they don't open to the sea. I think they just drain the floor grid system. I'll take some pictures next week. I don't know why that area would be sealed off from the bilge when water obviously gets in there anyway.
 

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
I have the same thing in mine, holes but no plugs. The water comes and goes as it needs to. The only hole I put a plug in is the shower drain sump. There is a hole in the sump that allows the shower sump to drain out into the rest of the bilge. Not a good thing, IMHO, so I plugged it and have a dedicated pump for that. Works great. RT
 

Dferr

Member II
Pictures

Here's some pics of the plugs I was referring to. I checked for water again this weekend, there was very little. My first thought was maybe this was some sort of water ballast system. If anyone knows exactly what thay are for please let me know.

Thanks,
Don
 

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Terri

Junior Member
Is the consensus that I should quit worrying about those bilge plugs?

Hi folks,

I've been playing in the bilge all weekend (3 months new to me boat, still in the yard, though now in the water at the yard, E38 1882). I too have these odd plugs in the TAFG -- some still with the plugs in, some where the plugs are gone, some have been epoxied over. I opened one of the closed ones and some water came out. Don had asked where the water comes from and had commented "I think they just drain the floor grid system"

How does water get inside the grid? (except from these holes) What kind of maintenance, if any, do you suggest?
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Water seeks its Level

Hi folks,

I've been playing in the bilge all weekend (3 months new to me boat, still in the yard, though now in the water at the yard, E38 1882). I too have these odd plugs in the TAFG -- some still with the plugs in, some where the plugs are gone, some have been epoxied over. I opened one of the closed ones and some water came out. Don had asked where the water comes from and had commented "I think they just drain the floor grid system"

How does water get inside the grid? (except from these holes) What kind of maintenance, if any, do you suggest?
________________
Speaking very much in general, and until some former Ericson employees check in.... I know that when you mate up interior drop-in sections (TAFG) with the hull there are bound to be a few places where the tabbing has some pinholes in the resin surface - or even a fraction of an inch gap.
When you consider the size of the internal grid system that is being lowered into place and the cure time of the poly resin (what, maybe 20 min. at most?) a large number of square feet of grid flanges has to be glued in quickly. :rolleyes:

Then, on the smaller internal moldings on our model, heavy tabbing is laid in place to further bond these sections to the hull. This would be true adjacent to the motor mounts and where the rigging loads transfer to the hull inside.

On all the Ericsons with the TAFG, you end up with hidden spaces inside all of these hollow "ribs." Every time you heel enough to wash bilge water up out of the sump against these many seams, some of this water may be seeping into the inside of the grid spaces.

My take on it is to be sure that any low-down plugs are removed and drained/aired out in the off season. The reason for leaving the plugs in place the rest of the sailing season is to limit any direct ingress of bilge water into the grid... on the grounds that such water may show up much higher on the inside of lockers, etc, when you are rail down.

Remember, that if you are driving to weather with the lee rail dipping water, any loose water inside the boat will be *trying* to match that same level!
And all the dry stuff you have stored in lockers behind the settees could get... wet. :p

Sidebar: Our Olson has an arc-shaped bottom with no sump like the King-designed Ericsons, and we have learned some interesting lessons about migrating bilge water when heeled over. :(
Nowadays that's one reason we have a PSS shaft seal for the engine. As a friend puts it: "a dry bilge is a happy bilge."

Loren

:egrin:
 
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