Water in side tunnels near engine?

[solar]

Hi,
For some time now I find some water (1/2 -1 glass of water)in the tunnels on both sides of the engine bay?
No water under the engine.
Taste like sweet but not sure...
Can't see no leaks or source for this.
Anyone had this problem?
Many thanks.

[Lyra]

Is your water heater located nearby? In my boat it is under the starboard cabin bed just next to the engine compartment so it may be a source for sweet water. Don't remember if it has one but typically water heaters have a relief valve which may discharge.
Or maybe a small leak from the pressure vessel of the pressurized water system (in my boat it is under the port cabin bed - again very close to the engine compartment) - if your pressure system pump works occasionally even when there is no open faucet this can be an indication.
Other then that it could be rain from the cockpit (wheel pedestal base), or water from the aft (the slope is such that water will go towards the engine compartment) such as leaking stanchions at the aft part  of the boat or a leak in the deck shower system.

[Symphony]

As suggested most common sources are freshwater system, particularly calorifier and the short hoses, deck shower connections or head and rain water creeping under the steering pedestal. small amounts like that can be infuriatingly difficult to trace as they are just weeps rather than obvious solid runs of water.

[solar]

Thanks guys,
Still don't understand why only at both sides and not a drop under the engine?
Looks like the same basin to me...also my bilge is bone dry...

[MarkTheBike]

Solar, you don't mention it so probably not but is there any water in the space at the front of the engine or just the sides? As mentioned in another thread, I had a similar problem which turned out to be a couple of the fresh water T-connectors weeping (one for calorifier and one for heads shower). This led to the same effect but with more flow so water from the tunnels seeped into the front. Connectors replaced and problem solved (B34/2001 MD2030).

[landes_h]

If it is a single steering wheel boat, there is a chance water comes in from the steering console. On my boat it collects in the compartment underneath the cockpit and console where the steering wires come down. From there it can fill up and go either in the aft cabins or to the tracks left and right of the engine. In my case it comes along the casing and rear wooden wall of the cockpit in the aft cabins and provides whet mattresses. There are inspection panels in the cabins. You can also climb to the very back and remove the wooden "door" to the "anus"  of the boat.

[IslandAlchemy]

There is a small rib at the back of the sump bilge, so water in the back moves from side to side as the boat heels and ends-up going down the sides but not into the sump box.

Look for rainwater leaks (stern cleats, deck fittings, etc.), also could be freshwater pipes if you have them running through the tramsom, or likely it could be the deck shower head connection).  If it's salty, it could be the stuffing box.

[solar]

Thank you all.
Will hunt it a bit more and see.

[Salty]

Hi,
For some time now I find some water (1/2 -1 glass of water)in the tunnels on both sides of the engine bay?
No water under the engine.
Taste like sweet but not sure...
Can't see no leaks or source for this.
Anyone had this problem?
Many thanks.

I've just had a similar problem where water was, and still is leaking from the in line water filter fitted between the supply from the water tanks and the fresh water pump. This amounted to a drop of water every ten or eleven seconds from that filter onto the inside of the hull in my port aft cabin, and was not immediately obvious except for a tell tale stain on the inside of the hull. Those longitudinal tunnel mouldings each side of the engine bay do not directly connect between the engine bay and other parts of the bilge as an oil leak in the engine compartment would then be able to transfer to other parts of the boat. Water leaking from the filter will not cause the water pump to start up at odd times as it is not on the pressure side of the pump where the pressure sensor is located.
Water leakage from the area under the berth in the port aft cabin can enter the port side longitudinal tunnel before it gets as far as the engine bay, and will run forward to the lowest point within the hull where it will then run into the transverse tunnels. On my boat those transverse tunnels have a hole drilled in them which allows water out of the tunnels and into the bay containing the bilge pumps (manual and electric) as well as the next bays further forward. This is the reason why you have little or no fresh water entering the engine bay, but it's all a matter of proportion, timing and the direction from where the water is coming. A big enough leak in a very short period of time and the water will take any way it can to get to a lower level, so you still can get fresh water into the engine bilge

[Craig]

As mentioned by others, water in the channels at the side of the engine bay could be coming from either:-
1. Water Heater or fresh water pipes. (particularly the first hot water fitting after leaving the hot water tank.
2. Leaking wet exhaust system. The Volvo system is stainless steel and pits. We replaced ours with an all-plastic Vetus system.
3. Leak from sugar scoop. Sometimes deck leaks make there way into the boat from the stern area and may appear to come from the sugar scoop.


Water from anywhere behind the engine bay will go down these channels. On many of the Bavaria designs, you can get to the compartment behind the engine by removing the bunk matresses. See if there is also water in the shallow bay behind the engine.

Regards
Craig
"Shirley Valentine"
Gold Coast
Australia

[solar]

Will do.
Thanks again.

[Trapeze Artist]

I have the same on my 2006 30. It's only a tiny amount and I sponge it out occasionally. I tried tasting it, and it tasted of diesel!

I know I have a leak from the holding tank deck fitting into the cockpit locker, so it may be that. But frankly, it's not much and I'd rather spend my time sailing.

[tckearney]

Hi had the same problem with my B42.  Ended up the water heater in the adjacent cabin, as everybody else has mentioned.  Mine only leaked after the engine had been running for over a certain time so hard to find.  Easy fixed though.

[solar]

I have a new water heater installed.
Can't see no leaks from it nor from my exhaust system.
How did you find the leak after motoring and how did you fix yours?

[Craig]

If you are only getting the leak after the engine is running is probably because either:-
(a) The leak is from the wet exhaust system
(b) the boat is moving and rocking water into the side bilges.

Our initial water heater had a leak in the heat exchanger where the hot water from the engine heated the water in the fresh hot water system. In this case we had water coming out of the fill tank on the engine when the boat was stopped and the fresh water was pressurised. The fresh water was being pressurised by the pump, forced through the leak in the heat exchanger, through the engine and out the plastic fill tank on top of the engine. In this case, the fresh water was pooling on the Port Side channel but also in the main engine bay.

If you have coolant/rust inhibiter in your engine cooling fluid, the discharge should be green/yellow. If you only have fresh water in your cooling system then you may have a leak in the flexible pipes running from the engine to the fresh water heater. This would discharge while the engine is running and look like ordinary fresh water.

Craig
"Shirley Valentine"
Gold Coast
Australia.