leaky icebox

Good afternoon all. Just bought an Ericson 34 and am slowly working through the boat and its' systems, tidying up things the survey and I didn't catch and had a couple of questions which I will post separately. Thanks in advance for any input and apologies if the answers should be obvious to me.

I have been noticing water coming out from the cabinetry under the starboard side icebox. It has likely been a problem for awhile as there is some water staining on the flooring. I was wondering if there was an 'easy' way to get at the underside of the drain hose fitting coming out of the box as I suspect this is where the leak is coming from. It looks to me like to do this I have to disassemble all the cabinetry around it to get at it. For the forseeable future Ice goes in a bucket to keep the icebox dry.... and I will probably keep this up before I consider pulling apart the joinery...

Any input would be appreciated, Thanks

Derek

Which Ericson 34

Is your boat a late 80's E-34?

Loren

Loren,

Yes a 1987 I believe, hull #201...

While I don't know the E34, a leak on the galley floor in our boat was caused by a leaky footpump. Just a thought.
Frank

Fwiw

Derek, I had a similar problem with my ole' 35 and it turned out to be the drain hose from the icebox got pulled out of position woorking on something else. The drain hose had been pulled back up under the cabinetes and was creating a wet spot (I use the boat a lot), upon investigation all I needed to do was pull the end back down so it could drain directly into the bilge. No more wet spot and I did zip-tie it in place then.

NOTE; if you are going to be able to work a new one in put in a water trap like under your sink at home, it will keep a lot more cold in the box by not letting it (the cold) run down the tube into the bilge unless ofcourse you store beer & wine in the bilge:0.

Dave Neptune

Thanks for the replies...

The icebox seems to be a sealed insert and it doesn't drain in to the bilge. It is connected to the salt water foot pump which is under the galley. To drain it you close the saltwater thru-hull, open a valve and pump. It drains in to the sink which then goes over the side... I will try pushing the hose back towards the box but it is a long run to get there so not sure it will help...

Thanks, Derek

Derek - On my 87 E-34 the problem with the cabin sole by the starboard ice box was actually caused by water coming from the bilge/head/whatever, not the ice box. There is a section of the triaxial grid under the sole that traps water and causes problems with the sole. The drain holes to the bilge are 3/4" above the hull so water doesn't drain, and when the boat was built the pieces of the sole were trimmed to fit after being sealed. The net result is delamination after the discoloration.

I replaced the entire sole and filled the bottom of the bad sections with 3/4" plywood glassed in by the head and then construction foam for the sections along the starboard settee. Along the starboard settee the water comes from overfilling the water tank that has a bad vent/poor seal on the inspection port.

The second pic shows the problem of the limber holes being above the hull allowing water to stand under the sole. As I remember, these were the only two sections I filled.

Tom,

Thanks for the info and the photos. Very much appreciated. I have a couple of other areas on the floor that are staining a bit at seams in a similar way and it might be because of what you illustrated. I am not at the point where I have any delamination but I will keep a watch on it. Again thanks, I appreciate the thoughts and input and the time taken to post for me.. I will try and post a couple of pics and maybe you can let me know if this is what your issues started like....

Derek

Derek - I wasn't overly concerned with the discoloration, it was there when I bought the boat, but after a year or two I started to notice a soft spot in the sole. This was forward of the the companion way ladder where the two pieces come together with no support. When I started to dig into it the project expanded to a complete replacement. It's a boat... every job expands. :0

When I redid the junction of the two pieces under the ladder I used a larger piece of 3/4" plywood tying the two pieces together and I through bolted them together.

All wood that goes into the sole or below should be coated with epoxy, bottom and sides, to prevent water penetration.

I have more pics if you need them.