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Ducatihottie

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Can I just hook the water hose to up to my boat, turn it on and leave it hooked up, (like we did with our Winnebago)?

Or do I have to turn it off everytime I fill my water tank?

I've been told by a "boat" washer that my docks have, "great water pressure". Could this blow some water lines, faucets or toilets in my boat? Could my water tank overflow?

Thanks in advance for your gentle answer's.

Brian
 
Not a good idea unless you are physically on the boat, if something anboard in the water system fails the unlimited dock water coming in could sink the boat.
 
You can have a pressure limiter but just think about what could happen in case anything goes wrong when you are not there.
In a winibago you have no risk to sink.

L
 
It can be done but you need to put a pressure regulator between the boat and city water. You still need to turn off the water each time you leave the boat.

The danger is of course that a line inside the boat might fail and sink your boat while you’re not there.

It used to be standard practice to hook to dock water but not so much any more. I like using the tank water and refilling once in a while. Keeps the water fresh in the tank.
 

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I'll probably only be on the boat a few days a week. So thanks to you all, I'll turn it off when full.


I have 2 stainless steel tanks, 250 gallon total. A tank level guage, electric flowjet water pump and a new Rariton hot water heater.

I'm asking these following questions cause I'll be filling up my tanks for the first time tomorrow, (I think their empty cause there's no water coming out of the faucets). They were working during the survey but I think the tanks are empty now?

Plus I won't have captain lessons for about two week to teach me these things.

Maybe my tank ARE NOT empty? After all the water worked during the survey.

1. IS THERE SOME BUTTON, SWITCH OR KNOB I HAVE TO TURN ON TO GET WATER TO MY FAUCETS AND TOILET? Do I have to turn on the flowjet water pump?

2. I think this was answered above, I just want to make sure. Can I over fill the tanks or will it just stop once it's filled?

3. Any harm leaving the hose attached while off (other than riding off with it)?

4. Will my hot water tank fill on its own or do I have to divert water to it some way?

5. See my water tanks above. If I'm just a weekender, "about " how often will I have to fill up the water tank, (probably no showers since a real boater should smell like fish).

6. If my tanks were empty, about how long does it take to fill them?

7. Don't laugh, where migh my tanks be on a 42 foot CHB Ponderosa.be? I think I should watch them the first time I fill them, (dont cha think)?

Thanks
 
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Ducatihottie said:
I'll probably only be on the boat a few days a week. So fill it up, then turn it off seems safe to me.

I have 2 stainless steel tanks, 250 gallon total. A tank level guage, electric flowjet water pump and a new Rariton hot water heater.

I'm asking these questions cause I'll be filling up my tanks for the first time tomorrow, (I think their empty cause there's no water coming out of the faucets). And I won't have captain lessons for about two week to teach me these things.

1. IS THERE SOME BUTTON, SWITCH OR KNOB I HAVE TO TURN ON TO GET WATER TO MY FAUCETS AND TOILET? Do I have to turn on the flowjet water pump?

2. Can I over fill the tanks or will it just stop once it's filled?

3. Any harm leaving the hose attached, (other than riding off with it)?

4. Will my hot water tank fill on its own or do I have to divert water to it some way?

5. See my tanks above. If I'm just a weekender, "about " how often will I have to fill up the water tank, (probably no showers since a real boater should smell like fish).

Thanks
Click to expand...

I never use shore pressure, just fill the tanks with the hose. That way there is no risk of sinking the boat and the water in the tanks gets turned over so it is always fresher.

The vent for the tank will/should let excess water out but it will likely still backup at the filler so you will know they are full.

I don’t leave the hise attached because someone could turn it on by mistake or just a kid to mess with your boat.

The hot water tank should fill on its own if it isn’t in bypass mode from being winterized.

500 gallons of water will last quite a long time, maybe too long as the water may start to smell if the tanks aren’t good and clean.

Did you get Peggie Halls book on smells on a boat? I believe it has a method to clean the tanks and I would do it if you just bought the boat.

Good luck.
 
Yes I have Peggy's book, thanks

Dave, I might have added a few questions after your post :)

Like

Maybe my tanks ARE NOT empty? After all the water worked during the survey.

1. IS THERE SOME BUTTON, SWITCH OR KNOB I HAVE TO TURN ON TO GET WATER TO MY FAUCETS AND TOILET? Do I have to turn on the flowjet water pump?

7. Don't laugh, where migh my tanks be on a 42 foot CHB Ponderosa? I think I should watch them the first time I fill them, (dont cha think)?
 
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Check the switchboard for an appropriately labelled switch/breaker for the fresh water pump.

Look at the fillers set into the decks. There should be (?)2 marked Diesel and others marked Water, one for each water tank. The filler location should help tell you where the water tanks are, go into the ER and locate them. The fuel ones will have pipes leading to control valves which should be marked for what they feed. Leave them alone as is until you know the system.
Look for the water overflows, my previous boat had one water tank which overflowed into the bilge, you knew the tank was full when the bilge pump kicked in..

Yes, do go below and watch the filling of tanks with someone up top controlling flow, at least until you get to know the boat, and even then for fueling.

DO NOT mix up the diesel and the water tank fillers. Disaster lies that way. It`s been done.
 
You just have to look under the decks for the tanks, I am not familiar with your boat.

Make absolutely sure you fill water tank with water and not diesel. Huge mistake if you mix them up. Make absolutely sure that the fillers are labeled clearly, if not add some labels so they don’t get mixed up by you or some dock hand. I added labels like this one by each filler just in case.
 

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The tanks may be aluminum or maybe plastic or S/S. Look for the filler and then go below the filler there should be a hose that is 1 1/2” and follow the hose to the tanks. Same for fuel. Same for holding tank. Diesel tank may be steel or black iron, same thing.
 
Thanks.

Now I'm confused since you're saying I could fill up the fuel tank with water. Are they usually next to each other?

Do I need a key to unlock the water tank like I do for the fuel?

I thought I just hook the hose up to a spout similar to a spout outside home? Although I don't recall seeing one, I just assumed there was one. Or am I just dropping the hose down a hole like my gas thank?

I guess I'll find out tomorrow.
 
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No, I am saying absolutely do not mix them up. Make sure you know which one you are filling. If you put water into the fuel tank you will have to pay someone to filter the fuel for you and it isn’t cheap. If you put diesel into the water tank you may never get the diesel taste out of the tank, so be really careful. If they are not labeled clearly, get some labels by each one so there isn’t any confusion.
 
Hooking up to shore water may have nothing to do with filling your onboard freshwater tanks. On many boats, the attachment/fill points are separate.

Not particularly safe to leave dockwater turned on... not even all that great to leave it physically connected (lest some well-meaning doofus turn it on when you're not there). There are some timers and "quantity-limiters" (?) you can buy and insert in between shore hose and boat, but it's cheaper to physically disconnect.

Or just fill the tanks, and use your own freshwater supply. You can review threads about pre-filtration for ideas about that.

If your freshwater tanks are stainless, watching them as you fill won't be very exciting.

Yes, you need a key to open deck fills; usually one key fits all. Do learn the difference between diesel, freshwater, and waste (holding tank) caps. You should be able to figure out why.

The onboard freshwater pump is what gets water out of your tank and into your glass. That pump is electric. Find the breaker on your main DC panel.

If you need to flush an ELECTRIC or Vacuflush toilet... they're electric. Find the breaker on your main DC pane.

If you want hot water in that glass, it'll have to pass through the water heater and the water heater will have to be turned on first. The water heater is electric. Find the breaker on your main AC panel.

You MIGHT have some plumbing bypass around the water heater, usually for winterizing. If you find the water heater and put eyeballs on... and if you basically see two hose connections -- one in, one out -- and these two hose runs aren't also connected to each other in some different way... then you probably don't have a bypass. I mention this because IF YOU TURN ON THE WATER HEATER WITH NO WATER IN IT THE HEATING ELEMENT WILL BURN OUT AND YOU'LL HAVE TO DO SOME WORK TO FIX THAT. In other words, you might want to check the water heater innies/outies first. Or maybe ask the previous owner.

-Chris
 
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Based on the questions you are asking, I would urge you to get the surveyors (engine and hull) back on board and have them go through the boat in detail. It will be money well spent, take copious notes.

For instance, nobody here knows what sort of plumbing you have on board, including things like pressure regulators, or how robust your plumbing system is.
 
Good advice so far.
One clarification- even if you do not have a water heater bypass or it is set to run through the heater you will need to ensure it is filled before turning on the elec heater elements.
The WH does not fill itself but all you need do is turn your FW pump on and open a HOT water faucet and run it until you get (cold) water from the faucet.
You now know the WH is full and safe to turn the breaker on for the water heater.
You need only do that once after spring commissioning . Even if your FW tank runs dry the WH stays full until you drain it.
 
I have a Diesel fill on one side of my boat and a fresh water fill in the exact same spot on the other side of my boat. They are clearly labeled and both originally took the same two-pronged "key" to unscrew them.

After learning that a fellow boater, with the same make/model boat as mine, accidentally put diesel in his water tank, I decided the same could easily happen to me. As a preventative measure, I changed out the fill for the diesel with one that has a cap requiring a REAL key (like one you have cut at the lock smith). I have this key on a cork float and keep it locked inside the safe I have in my boat. This way, I really have to think about what I am doing to fill the diesel tank. You can correctly infer that I was more worried about putting water in the diesel tank than vice versa) I know this is not foolproof, but I think it significantly reduces risk, as the process for each type of fill activity is now very different. I also fill the diesel tanks much less frequently than I fill the water tanks.

See before & after pictures below...
 

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Paint the diesel fill cap red. Doing so may be a reminder.
BruceK said:
Check the switchboard for an appropriately labelled switch/breaker for the fresh water pump.

Look at the fillers set into the decks. There should be (?)2 marked Diesel and others marked Water, one for each water tank. The filler location should help tell you where the water tanks are, go into the ER and locate them. The fuel ones will have pipes leading to control valves which should be marked for what they feed. Leave them alone as is until you know the system.
Look for the water overflows, my previous boat had one water tank which overflowed into the bilge, you knew the tank was full when the bilge pump kicked in..

Yes, do go below and watch the filling of tanks with someone up top controlling flow, at least until you get to know the boat, and even then for fueling.

DO NOT mix up the diesel and the water tank fillers. Disaster lies that way. It`s been done.
Click to expand...
 
The poster mentioned that his pump is a flojet. Flojet pumps are shallow well 110VAC pumps usually in concert with an accumulator.
ranger42c said:
Hooking up to shore water may have nothing to do with filling your onboard freshwater tanks. On many boats, the attachment/fill points are separate.

Not particularly safe to leave dockwater turned on... not even all that great to leave it physically connected (lest some well-meaning doofus turn it on when you're not there). There are some timers and "quantity-limiters" (?) you can buy and insert in between shore hose and boat, but it's cheaper to physically disconnect.

Or just fill the tanks, and use your own freshwater supply. You can review threads about pre-filtration for ideas about that.

If your freshwater tanks are stainless, watching them as you fill won't be very exciting.

Yes, you need a key to open deck fills; usually one key fits all. Do learn the difference between diesel, freshwater, and waste (holding tank) caps. You should be able to figure out why.

The onboard freshwater pump is what gets water out of your tank and into your glass. That pump is electric. Find the breaker on your main DC panel.

If you need to flush an ELECTRIC or Vacuflush toilet... they're electric. Find the breaker on your main DC pane.

If you want hot water in that glass, it'll have to pass through the water heater and the water heater will have to be turned on first. The water heater is electric. Find the breaker on your main AC panel.

You MIGHT have some plumbing bypass around the water heater, usually for winterizing. If you find the water heater and put eyeballs on... and if you basically see two hose connections -- one in, one out -- and these two hose runs aren't also connected to each other in some different way... then you probably don't have a bypass. I mention this because IF YOU TURN ON THE WATER HEATER WITH NO WATER IN IT THE HEATING ELEMENT WILL BURN OUT AND YOU'LL HAVE TO DO SOME WORK TO FIX THAT. In other words, you might want to check the water heater innies/outies first. Or maybe ask the previous owner.

-Chris
Click to expand...
 
There is probably a holding tank pump-out cap on deck. Like the diesel fittings you do not want to put water in there. A little water won’t hurt and we usually add a small amount to flush the hose out after pump-out but you surely don’t want to over-fill or over-pressure a holding tank.

On deck we have two holding tank pump-outs, two fresh water fills and four diesel fills. We usually take on water, diesel and pump-out at the same time so there could be up to eight deck fittings used, typically in a rush if there are other boats in line. Easy to become confused. Double or triple check.

The suggestion to thoroughly go over all systems with someone experienced is worth following. Small mistakes can become very costly.
 
No. Boat plumb designed to about 40psi, muni water 80psi or more for homes not boats. Your boat has pressure reducing reg. Reg fails, or hose fails, fills boat it sinks.
 
I personally prefer to use tank water and refill the tanks when at the dock, as it keeps the tanks fresher.

However, I don't understand the "a failure will sink your boat" fear mongering. A failed water line while hooked up to shore water will make a mess, but even if it fails before the regulator and your marina has great water pressure, by the end of the hose I doubt you'll even see 20 gal / minute. If you don't have bilge pumps that can keep up with that, then the boat is seriously lacking in the bilge pump department. Running a hose flat out into the bilge shouldn't be able to sink any properly equipped boat.
 
I agree with the other comments that say it's a bad idea to leave unrestricted shore water connected to your boat.

There absolutely needs to be a pressure regulator at the inlet, as municipal water pressure can be considerably higher than what the on-board plumbing is prepared to handle.

I'll also add that if you do leave it connected, add an in-line hose shut-off valve at the boat end of the hose. Why? Because someone else trying to use the pedestal will undoubtedly screw up and turn your water back on. A shut-off at the end on your boat is an added prevention. You can turn it off there and be reasonably confident it's not being left pushing municipal pressure unattended.

Additionally, it's probably less trouble to use a polymer/plastic fitting rather than metal. I've had my share of residential hose fittings corrode and become impossible to remove. Understand that either way these should be considered maintenance items, ones to be checked each season and likely replaced every other. Bear in mind, though, that plastic is likely more susceptible to being degraded by UV exposure. Either way, corrosion or sunlight will cause you trouble.

https://gilmour.com/products/connectors/splitters-valves/light-duty-full-flow-shut-off-valve-0001

There's still the risk of a hose failure dumping water into the boat and overwhelming the bilge pumps and/or the batteries powering them.
 

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Whoa, filling my water tank just got real tricky:). I'll spend tonight reading all of this and won't be hooking water up to my boat today. I have Captain training with a mechanic soon as someone above mentioned.

I honestly thought I just hooked up a hose like Winnebago and that's it.

Thanks to all again.
 
Usually filling your tank is from a deck fill while connecting the hose only provide water to your water lines but not to the tanks.
Your tanks should also have a vent so overfilling them will flow water out from the vents.

L
 
Some boats do have a valve that allows you to fill the tanks from a hose hookup rather than only through the deck fill. I've got a valve on mine that I can open that'll allow water to the tank, although I've never had a reason to use it.
 
THANKS, Bill, rslifkin, bgillroy, DCDC, Chris & Dave again, bgillroy, catalinajack (my new pirate name), Scott, Don, George and all.

It appears that filling up my water tank just got real tricky. I honestly thought I just hooked a hose up and turned it on. Maybe observe for a few leaks.

I'll read the posts tonight and in the meantime, I won't be touching anything on my boat today :)

I do have a captain and mechanic coming on board in a few weeks as someone recommend.

Again thanks. This would be funny but I don't think my insurance covers sinking my own boat filling it up with water.
 
catalinajack said:
The poster mentioned that his pump is a flojet. Flojet pumps are shallow well 110VAC pumps usually in concert with an accumulator.
Click to expand...


Ah. Didn't know that. In that case, change that instruction to "find the breaker on the AC panel."

Seems odd, though. Water while underway requires genset on or inverter?

-Chris
 
Flojet makes all sorts of 12 volt pumps for marine use, including models that do not require accumulators. So the breaker could be on the DC side of the panel.
 
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Yesterday this whole problem got easier. I get to the boat no water for sinks and toilets. After about an hour I figured out what "F W Pump" means on the electrical panel. Flicked the switch an walaa water. Go figure:)

I found my water tank filler is in the back of the boat on the teak flooring. Don't know where the key is though, I'll have to ask the PO. I'm happy the water fill is no where ear the fuel fill.

My survey says I have 2 water tanks. Wouldn't there be two fill holes?

Brian
 
"My survey says I have 2 water tanks. Wouldn't there be two fill holes? "

Maybe... maybe not. It depends.
Both previous and current boat had/have 2 tanks - port & stbd- but they are cross connected to balance and draw is from only one.
Other boats have separate tanks and fills and calving to manage.
Trace hosing, pumps, etc to where things are and how they are connected. Make a sketch as you go so you have records and dont have to rely on memory.
I like to encourage owners to start by diagramming where their thru hulls are located and what they are for. In case of an emergency it's nice to know exactly where to go to prevent flooding or sinking? Also good practice to exercise them periodically to make sure they work easily.
 
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