Riviera bilge question

[SunsetSteve]

Will do. Will certainly get familiar with the inner workings of this old girl - and that's not altogether a bad thing! (except for the arthritic knees).

[hcarmich]

Hi SunsetSteve. What marina are you at? I have a Riv and I am struggling with a water system issue. Wonder if we could discuss? If anyone else can help, I am all ears!!

City water connected to boat, no issues - no leaks all is fine. When we fill the tanks (2 x 20 Gallons), ensure no air in the sytem etc. is where we are having a problem. The Pump comes on - even without taps open, runs for about 30 seconds then shuts off. 3 or 4 minutes later, same thing. After a while - water from both tanks is gone. No water around the pumps - hot water tank etc - dry as a bone. No obvious leaks. If we turn off the pump - water remains - it only goes when we have the pump turned on. I have checked the bilge forward, mid and aft - no increased amount of water (just a little in there). It is like the system is loosing air, pump compensates and water disappears when the pump runs. Any ideas? Is there a risk water is in the hull - not draining to the bilge? Is there an outlet underneath the boat where the water might be pumped to?

A real head scratcher. Any guidance, guesses or suggestions are requested. Thank you

[km1125]

Do you have a transom shower?

[hcarmich]

No transom shower. Thanks for quick reply

[SunsetSteve]

hcarmich I am in Gananoque.
I can't think of a useful remark to help you yet. I will run some more tests this week, now that I have all bilges empty. Hopefully to isolate the issue - while also practicing docking!). I haven't tested whether the leaking occurs with the pump off, for example. I'll report back with any relevant results.

[hcarmich]

I am at Clarks. We just bought the 83 Riv this year. Doing a bunch of modernizing - seats etc. Did you buy yours this year and if so where did you get it? We had been looking for one for a while, so yours might be one we saw posted on kijiji etc?
Any help from you or others on our odd water problem is appreciated.

[bud37]

Qr Bbpost Any help from you or others on our odd water problem is appreciated.

There appears to be a leak on the pressure side.......Dry the bilge all over first then turn on pump and watch what happens, if water appears then you have a tubing/fitting leak and you will get an idea of the location .......the fresh water pump pressurizes the onboard water system ( the pressure can actually be much higher than the dockside water depending on the pump rating ) so a leak or bad tap etc will create a pressure loss the pump tries to make up. Now if the water is going in a sink it will just go out the drain overboard. Check to see if your toilet flush water comes from the fresh water system also...but if it is going thru there I would expect the holding tank to be filling quicker than normal......good luck, just work thru things one at a time and you will find it.

I know you said all is well with the dock water on but dry the bilge first. It may just be going down a drain.

[hcarmich]

Hi Bud.

Thanks for your recommendations.

I will be at the boat tomorrow and will try this. For info, no leaks (water) at the taps and shower. When you say leak do you mean possible air leak at the tap?
There is a gauge near the pump. It runs until 50psi let cuts off. Then it looses pressure (about 4 to 5 mins) and kicks in again and does the cycle. While cycling the water is draining from the tanks. There is also a small accumulator in the system. I need to see if it has pressure (I think the setting is around 20PSI). Is it possible that the water is going into the holding tank? I doubt it as it is small and the water tanks hold 2 x 20 Gal. My fear is the water is going into the hull - not the bilge. I do not have a schematic of the boat - which would be handy. Not sure if this info helps, but appreciate you reviewing this and your comments!

[bud37]

Qr Bbpost My fear is the water is going into the hull

I doubt that......If the holding tanks have a total of 40 gallons and it disappears while the pressure pump is operating the system then it is going in the bilge or overboard........just try what I said.......40 gallons in the bilge is not that much to see and quite frankly one of your bilge pumps could be pumping some out before you see it, that is why you have to start with a bone dry bilge and go from there. Yep 50 psi is more than I have at my house.

Someone else could have some more ideas but that is how I would handle it, one thing at a time.

[Petemait]

You could even power down all the bilge pumps after you dry the bilge to help with testing. Just don't forget to power them back on afterwards.