Water Supply
- Thread starter Mule
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
Mr. M. Hose. Disconnected if away for more than a day.
Mr. M. Hose. Disconnected if away for more than a day.
psneeld
Guru
liveaboard and use city water...just turn it off if leaving fo more than an hour or so. (have a ball valve in-line so it's a flick of the foot)
Have a little tag that we put on the lock when we leave saying the water is off to remind us to turn it back on before we get comfortable.
Have a little tag that we put on the lock when we leave saying the water is off to remind us to turn it back on before we get comfortable.
OP
OP
Mule
Guru
caltexflanc
Guru
Both, here. We like to cycle the water in the tanks every so often if we are going to be at the dock any length of time. You can put a pressure regulator/limiter in-line if your boat or the dock doesn't already have one. Under 10 bucks or about 15 with a little gauge built in.
Amazon.com: hose pressure reducer
Amazon.com: hose pressure reducer
ranger58sb
Guru
Usually: fill, with 25/1 micron and .5 micron filters in line. Mostly to cause frequent cycling of fresh water in our tanks, partly because the connection and subsequent hose routing at our home slip would create a bit of a trip hazard unless I did some fancy routing.
Occasionally, as at a transient facility: dock water, usually with only the 25/1 micron filter in line.
-Chris
Occasionally, as at a transient facility: dock water, usually with only the 25/1 micron filter in line.
-Chris
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hmason
Guru
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2013
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- Lucky Lucky
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- Pacific Mariner 65
We use the tanks. I can't trust myself to remember to turn off the dockside connection every time I leave the boat or go to sleep for the night or take an afternoon snooze. A broken hose or loose hose clamp can sink your boat pretty quick with dockside water. Ain't worth the risk IMHO.
I fill the tanks and refill when needed or before leaving a marina. There is no city water inlet on my boat.
It's not that adding one is beyond my skills, it is not. I just don't think it's safe to have the city water connected, especially if we are not on the boat or are sleeping. If a pipe breaks or leaks in your home, there may be water damage but it won't sink. On a boat, it will sink.
It's not that adding one is beyond my skills, it is not. I just don't think it's safe to have the city water connected, especially if we are not on the boat or are sleeping. If a pipe breaks or leaks in your home, there may be water damage but it won't sink. On a boat, it will sink.
OP
OP
Mule
Guru
RW, I have a Mainship I lived aboard and fed it off the hose. Had a turn off but no high water alarm. I think I was 'dancin with the devil. I just reworked my bilge pumps on the Present, 5500 GPH theroical pumping capacity, adding a VERY big alarm bell for high water and with 150 gallon water I am ok with on board. I am going to lay back a new, spare fresh water pump though.
If I have a leak (I did once, a hose came off the fitting), the worst that can happen is that sixty gallons of water will be in a different place (the bilge) on my boat. Some of it will be pumped out of course. Using and then refilling the tanks hasn't proven to be an inconvenience.
MurrayM
Guru
Seem to remember a device for automatically shutting off the city water supply to prevent flooding in summer cabins or periodically used apartments...it had a programmable amount it would allow through at one time, then would shut off the water. Might be useful on a boat.
Living where we do, on BC's north coast, fresh drinking water is usually just a short dinghy ride away so we never worry about running out
Living where we do, on BC's north coast, fresh drinking water is usually just a short dinghy ride away so we never worry about running out
Attachments
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psneeld
Guru
If you even have one small working bilge pump...it takes awhile to even get a reasonable amount in a 36-40 foot typical trawler to cover anything (many things actually can use a fresh water rinse every once and awhile).
I had a series of splits and leaks in my hot water hose for the 1st 2 years owning the boat...finally figured out about the quality of the hose and the way the PO had it clamped together.
With a high water alarm for when sleeping...I just don't see it as a major issue after 10 years of living aboard 3 different boats.
Having the fresh water pump on will still cause leaks in the vast majority of the system so water damage is possible unless you turn the pump off every time you are done with a fixture (even then residual pressure will result is some water damage).
Forgetting to turn off the water and walking away for the week is a different story.
I have used the water meters that can be set for a total number of gallons allowed...unfortunately the ones I had were plastic and if you forgot to take them off the hose and drain them during an overnight freeze....oooopps...plus it's as easy to remember turning of the water with a "tag" system as it is to remember to reset the meter.
I had a series of splits and leaks in my hot water hose for the 1st 2 years owning the boat...finally figured out about the quality of the hose and the way the PO had it clamped together.
With a high water alarm for when sleeping...I just don't see it as a major issue after 10 years of living aboard 3 different boats.
Having the fresh water pump on will still cause leaks in the vast majority of the system so water damage is possible unless you turn the pump off every time you are done with a fixture (even then residual pressure will result is some water damage).
Forgetting to turn off the water and walking away for the week is a different story.
I have used the water meters that can be set for a total number of gallons allowed...unfortunately the ones I had were plastic and if you forgot to take them off the hose and drain them during an overnight freeze....oooopps...plus it's as easy to remember turning of the water with a "tag" system as it is to remember to reset the meter.
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OP
OP
Mule
Guru
Seem to remember a device for automatically shutting off the city water supply to prevent flooding in summer cabins or periodically used apartments...it had a programmable amount it would allow through at one time, then would shut off the water. Might be useful on a boat.
Living where we do, on BC's north coast, fresh drinking water is usually just a short dinghy ride away so we never worry about running out
What about the moose, elk, weasels, bears, skunks and so forth up stream.....I love, just love BC, did a bare (bear) boat charter in Puget Sound.
Ghostrider42
Veteran Member
Don't have that problem we make 100L/hr
Bay Pelican
Moderator Emeritus
We do both depending upon whether we want to use up older water in the tanks. However, we attach a water meter to the shore water inlet when we are operating on shore water. Meter will only allow 200/300 gallons depending on setting before it shuts itself off. A safety concern if a hose breaks.
caltexflanc
Guru
While we have a habit of turning the dock water off when away, we are not always religious about it, especially if just gone for the day. I sometime muse about this paranoia. It can and should be mitigated by inspecting and maintaining your plumbing on a regular basis. Having a high water alarm in all bilge compartments that is quite audible outside the boat. Having adequate bilge pumps and back ups.
I see so many people who are freaked by this, yet leave their shore power plugged in and on when away.
I see so many people who are freaked by this, yet leave their shore power plugged in and on when away.
OP
OP
Mule
Guru
Shared with USA...?Least that is way map looks then farther up the Straights of Georga.
kulas44
Guru
I just refill my tanks. Used the dock hose connected for awhile but when not hooked up the tank water was not "fresh" . Kinda nasty smelling in the shower. We dont drink the tank water, just use it for house needs. I usually have 2 cases of bottled water in the freezer that I transfer to the fridges when we fill them with food and not so cold items (beer) when leaving for a cruise. It jump starts the cooling and as the bottles thaw we have enough drinking water. I'm paranoid about "ice bugs" so I disinfect all of the ice I use with some type of alcohol. I have a pair of 250 gallon fresh water tanks so if not used it can get stale.
Great Laker
Senior Member
Apparently American Tug agrees with this risk as they do not provide a dock hose connection on their boats. I have not found it at all inconvenient as my AT 34 has a 150 gal water tank which easily lasts for a couple of weeks. Why take the risk of a high pressure inlet?
caltexflanc
Guru
Shouldn't be high pressure; get a regulator if so.
psneeld
Guru
What risk? With a pressure reducer, possibly a meter, a couple of bilge pumps and the wits to turn it off when gone for longer than 8 hours?
Thousands of live-aboards do it all the time and the boats I salvage are never because of a fresh water leak.
As someone pointed out..more likely a shore power issue and boat fire than sinking because of a burst pipe.
Thousands of live-aboards do it all the time and the boats I salvage are never because of a fresh water leak.
As someone pointed out..more likely a shore power issue and boat fire than sinking because of a burst pipe.
MurrayM
Guru
We did a 6 month sea kayak trip on BC's coast and drank water from dribbles in the cracks of bedrock on the outer coasts low lying islands that was brown as root beer, and had a creamy head as well. Didn't boil it, didn't add bleach, and never got sick. (Came from bogs inland).
Water in creeks mere minutes from snow fields and glaciers in more mountainous areas is nummy.
Given a choice, I'd rather take Alaska's panhandle
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Delfin
Grand Vizier
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No, Puget Sound should rightly be considered part of Greater British Columbia.
The Canadians are still sore about the outcome of the Pig War.
Pig War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wxx3
Dauntless Award
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- Kadey Krogen 42 - 148
Me too. The part about forgetting to either turn it on or off.
and then, some genius on TF mentioned a inline volume gauge. Now, when hooked up to marina water, I set it to 300 gallons.
Works great. cost about $40.
Gives me peace of mind.
Boydski
Senior Member
I use a pressure reducer and always try to turn off the dock water when leaving the boat. The few times I have forgotten to turn it off, I just call the Marina and ask them to do it for me. I just think its a good habit to have.
On the subject of leaving the shore power connected: When I arrive at the boat, I turn on the water and always put my hand on the 50 Amp connections to check for heat. One of the nation's top Forensic Fire investigators told me that most of the boat fires that he has investigated were easily preventable by simply developing a habit of the checking the connections for heat. He said the heat, burning and discoloration are usually present for several weeks before there is any type of ignition event and fire.
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