Water tank leak

I have an e-34t that has the water tank enclosed under the port side settee. this boat has been an on-going project and I have just recently hooked up the pressure water system in the small compartment just foreward of the tank where I found a 1/2" fitting comming out of the bottom of the tank. Problem is there is this mystery hose that appears from under the very shallow bilge in the engine compartment. I know that it is connected to the tank somewhere because it leaked when I filled up the tank. Seeing no purpose for this hose in the new plumbing system I just capped it off and left it. Now it seems that the other end of this hose may be leaking since my fresh water now ends up in the bilge in 3 deays time. Pleeeaaassee, let it be the hose and not the tank.
Can anyone tell me where the other end of this goes to and how to access it?? I have looked everywhere that is easily accessable.

Mike-Lake Lanier Georgia

It may be the overflow/air relief line that is usually plumbed into a sink faucet. When the tank is filled this line, will start to overflow. If you cap the line, air will not be able to enter the tank when you open a faucet.

If the mystery hose comes from the bottom of the tank, it cannot be for the vent. If it was for the supply, capping it would deprive you of drinking water...
My S.W.A.G. is that it goes (or went at one time) to a manifold or into a T fitting to combine with a second tank. If a T fitting, then filling the second tank would now drain into the bilge.

So, does the boat have a second tank? Is it in use?

More information is needed to diagnose this situation....


Best,

Loren

Yeah, but Mike doesn't say the mystery hose is connected to the 1/2" fitting at the bottom of the tank (at least that was my reading following a Talmudic exegesis of the text).

You gotta love those 'glassed in water tanks. Extremely
limited access with mystery hoses appearing from dark
scary places in the bilge. And god help you if the tank
develops a leak, there is only one way to replace it.
Get out the sawzall and......oh, THE HORROR! THE HORROR!

My guess is that your mystery hose is the tank vent, and
should be hooked up-either to a sink drain, or overboard
vent fitting. If a nylon hose barb was used at the tank,
this would be the first thing I would check for leakage
assuming you can get to it. On some models, the tanks
could actually slide a little fore and aft and over time
this could damage the barbs enough to cause a leak.

Keep us posted.


Martin King

Thanks for the responses!
I think I can rule out the possibility of the Mystery hose being a vent as I can trace the vent hose out of the top of the tank, under the toe rail and back to the transom.
One thing I forgot to mention. Before I capped this hose off I tried to blow through it and it would not budge, yet water was comming out it. This made me think that there was some sort of check valve somewhere in this line. So, Loren, you bring up a good point.
There is no second water tank on the boat and I dont think there ever was because the boat was rigged for racing in its past life rather than cruising. But, maybee that (t-valve) was an option placed there by the factory before setting the floor pan in place?

Is it possible that there are two supply lines in this tank? One foreward for the head and one aft for the galley? I have never seen a water tank with two supplies. If this is the case then there must be a way to access the the aft supply without cutting a hole in the nav station floor.This would also explain a check valve. Allthough it would not explain why I can not get to it.AAARRRGGHHH!

Still Thirsty,
Mike
E-34t
Hull #134

My E34T doesn't have a pressure water system, and your Mystery Hose sounds like a twin for the galley foot pump supply on my boat. There is a stainless nipple welded into the front of the tank for the foot pump in the head, and (I assume, cuz there's NO access) another at the rear of the tank for the galley.

If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It, so I haven't tried to reach the tank end of the galley supply hose. When I finally have to, my guess is to try to reach it by cutting an access hole in the vertical after end of the port settee base (working from a comfortable position under the chart table) .

Thank for the input Fred
I have been suspecting that a second supply was the case but have been putting it off. I think I will go ahead and break out the saw this week end and get it over with. will let you know the results next week.
mike

Interior Boat Surgery Trauma...

I would agree that sawing holes in your interior surfaces is rather low on the "fun scale".... but over the years I have added access to 7 places in the interior of our 34 footer, each now covered with a louvered vent. In each case I was accessing plumbing or wiring, or just ventilating areas left to fester with mold since the boat was built. Now I can get into these areas by removing a few short screws and taking off the plastic louvers.


Also, after owning the boat for 9 years, when opening up the hatches now there is NO smell of mold or mildew -- nada, zip.

I still have no idea why so many boat owners just accept a foul smell as being "normal" for boat ownership. OTOH, maybe more people live that way at their land home than I had thought...
Ick!


Best,

Loren in Portland, OR

Leak Fixed!!!

I finnally did it and took the chain saw to the inside of my boat (just kidding!). But it did feel like a chain saw with a 8"x10" hole under the nav table. once opened, it completly exposed the aft end of the water tank and the other end of the "mystery hose". the factory had installed the hose as a supply for the galley sink before the interior pan was set in place. when the pan was installed the hose was pinched and several years later started leaking. i could not even pull the old hose out. i had to leave it there and abandon it.
I took your advice Loren and found a louvered teak insert at west marine and cut the hole to fit. I figured if i am going to cut a hole why not cut A REAL HOLE. And i'm glad I did. Now I not only have more ventallation but i now have access to an otherwise dark and scarry place. And best of all I now have a full tank of water and a dry bilge!!!
Thanks for everyones advice and input!!

Mike R.
Lake Lanier, Ga.
E-34t #134