I do now shut off all thru-hull valves when I leave the boat, I did not at first.
Over the weekend I made a visit to the boat, spent the night. I went to the shoreside facilities for my morning consitutional and a shave. Upon returning to the boat I opened the head door to put a towel back and noted water on the floor, I could hear water spraying under the sink cabinet and the water pump was cycling.
Upon opening the cabinet door I was sprayed in the face with water. I shut down the pressure water system and bleed the pressure off at the galley sink.
What I found that had failed was an in line head odor treatment despenser, a Head-O-Matic Tankette. This unit has a housing with a plasitc cap on it and contains a deoderizing tablet that desolves in the incoming flush water for the head, the cap had become brittle and cracked. I had installed this system when using raw water flush trying to combat the smell of dying salt water organisms. I gave up on raw water and plumbed system and went to fresh and eliminated the bulk of my head odor problems. My head odor problems now are more direclty related to my crews diet.
I note all this as if I had left the raw water system installed and and failed to shut off this thru-hull this failure of a simple part could eventually have scuttled the boat.
Cepheus dream
C36 MK I # 825
MK I Tech Editor No Mas
+ 1 for shutting [U]all[/U] thru-hulls when away from the boat for an extended period of time.
At least it was a failure when you were at/near the boat. Under your old set-up, if you were gone for a day or so (or 5 days like most of us) you would probably be talking with your insurance provider right now.
Jack
Solstice
Hull #1598
1996 MKII/TR/FK - M35AC - 3 Blade MaxProp
Lake Texoma
www.texomasailing.org
We shut off all thru-hulls even when we are sailing (except for the engine cooling water of course). When away from the boat, its recommended to shut all off but most do not do the engine cooling shutoff because they fear forgetting to open it back up. I know one fellow who closes it but then hooks his ignition ky to the valve so he HAS to go down to get it and it reminds him to open the valve at the same time.
Chuck Parker
HelenRita 2072 Mk II
2002 Tall Rig - Winged Keel
Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Chuck,
I learned that one the hard way with my Catalina 30. (Starting without opening the valve). Fortunately no damage to the engine or impeller since I didn't see water when I started the engine and shut it off.
Ever since then the engine key went on the valve. If I forget to open the valve at this point, I deserve what happens.
Also on the AC and sink valves, I take the bottom STB Side galley drawer out to close the valves. I store the drawer on top of the stove cover when I am away. When I open the boat back up, I immediately see the drawer on the stove and know to open the valves for the AC and sink when I put the drawer back in its place.
Jack
Solstice
Hull #1598
1996 MKII/TR/FK - M35AC - 3 Blade MaxProp
Lake Texoma
www.texomasailing.org
Unless I'm on board, they're ALL closed. I shut the water pressure off at night, too. Good call, Steve.
Stu Jackson, C34IA Secretary, C34 #224, 1986, SR/FK, M25 engine, Rocna 10 (22#)
We try to close ALL seacocks even if we're only planning to be off the boat for an hour or so. Remember, a burst hose or other mechanical failure could sink your boat, or at least do serious damage, very quickly, and Murphy's law -- by its very nature -- may ignore your schedule.
A short tale may reinforce the need for such vigilance: Last summer, when we had some guests aboard who used the shower, the shower sump seacock was forgotten (not often used) when we were about to go ashore for dinner. By sheer good fortune, as we were about to push off in the dingy, my wife decided she should take along a sweater for the evening ("just in case"), and I climbed back aboard to get it for her. As I passed the head, I noticed that the floor was completely awash. Turned out that the anti-siphon valve for the shower sump hose was stuck, and seawater was siphoning back in.
But for that serendipitous sweater request, we likely would have had nowhere to stay later that night when we returned to the mooring and found only a mast sticking out of the water....
Matthew Chachère
s/v ¡Que Chévere!
(Formerly 1985 C36 MKI #466 tall rig fin keel M25)
2006 Catalina Morgan 440 #30.
Homeported in eastern Long Island, NY