Water collecting in forward bilge

[GregNashville]

Ok, I've got same problem and can't find the source. It is a system issue because pump kicks on and off. If I leave fresh water pump off, no water. I've looked everywhere and can't locate it. Had my mechanic come out and he spent two hours and no luck. Said it will need to get worse before he can find it.
Suggestions?

[km1125]

Do you still have the grey plastic piping?? (I also have a 3607 - '83)

If so, plan on changing that out to PEX, or something else. I started having leaks EVERY SINGE YEAR with the grey plastic stuff. I'd fix one and the next year had another. Had one SO SMALL on a 90 degree fitting that I could not see the leak or the water coming out of it, but only by luck it hit me in the face when I was messing with the pipe looking for it.

Replacing it all is not a very bad project at all. The worse part as I remember was in the aft head, where you have to route it though some tight spots to get to the sink.

There was actually a class-action suit on that grey piping. Folks used it in houses and mobile homes too, and it would eventually start springing leaks. You could get reimbursed for the costs of replacing it, but only if you had to wreck out a wall or some other major work to get to the piping. On a boat, since you can get to it by just removing panels, it would not qualify for reimbursement (I tried!)

[km1125]

BTW, there are only three water places forward of the main bulkhead to check. The galley sink, the fwd head sink and the shower. You can see the piping below the galley sink, then it runs fwd though the hanging locker to the fwd head sink.

The fwd shower feed runs along the port side of the boat (separate from the galley, which runs down the stbd side) and underneath the dinette seating to the shower. If you have A/C/Heat, it would be hard to see those lines under the salon unit, but they are there. You might have to remove the seat base (only about 6 screws, I think) to pull this off for better visibility

again btw... you should have started a completely different thread for this. This is different than the OP's problem and could get folks confused. If you start the thread then I'll move my comments over there.

[Cooler]

Another 2 cents and you probably already know this. If you do have the grey tubing, those leaks are almost always at the nylon/plastic connectors. The tiny O-ring inside the housing fails, or the actual screw on cap dries out and cracks. Problem is, they leak so slow it's hard to find. Only leaks when there is pressure building. If you open a faucet, they stop leaking. Good luck. er

[Viper]

Also check the hot water tank as mentioned earlier in the thread. The fittings, the pressure relief valve and a possible leaking tank.

[Tireless]

Just another option for draining your pressure relief valve, mine has a hose attached to a thru hull fitting and it drains outside the boat. This was done by Carver. Mine is leaking and needs to be replaced as well. That’s how I found where it drains to. In my 1999 Carver 356 grained in the forward bilge like yours.

[km1125]

Source of the post Also check the hot water tank as mentioned earlier in the thread. The fittings, the pressure relief valve and a possible leaking tank.

This is why he (GregNashville) really needs to start a new thread. His boat is a 3607, which has the water heater in the aft cabin, which is a completely separate bilge than the forward bilge, which appears to be where his leak is.

[Viper]

+1 km. Good point.

[bud37]

Source of the post Ok, I've got same problem and can't find the source. It is a system issue because pump kicks on and off. If I leave fresh water pump off, no water. I've looked everywhere and can't locate it. Had my mechanic come out and he spent two hours and no luck. Said it will need to get worse before he can find it.
Suggestions?

Welcome to the forum.....as has been said it is probably the old tubing, a dock mate recently went thru this with that stuff and there was a tiny split much like km1125 mentioned.

Anyway one way to pin the area down would be to dry the bilge then put towels/cloths down here and there and monitor them to see what gets wet first, that will at least narrow the search area down.....good luck with it.

[GregNashville]

Really appreciate the advise.
Thank you all. I'll let you know how it goes.