[C320-list] Aft water holding tank leaks

[tharrison at innovations-plus.com]

Just wanted to say thanks. I had the whale shut offs the wrong way. This was some of the problem. 

I put wraps of extra thick plumbers tape on the threads. It was orange in colour and found at home depo. I asked for heavy duty plumbers tape and it is much thicker than the regular tape. 

Filled the front tank twice. Aft tank full as well and both shut off's open. 

Sailed on Lake Ontario for about 16 hours, visited three yacht clubs and motored sailed home. Waves as high as 4 feet on one day. (4 day trip).

No leaks around the inspection hatch in the aft tank. I put rags around the inspection port so if it did leak the rags would be wet. They are still dry!

Happy happy - thanks everyone that responded to my question.

Ted Harrison
Hull 424 1997
Magic Moment. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 9, 2015, at 3:13 PM, Graeme Clark <cg at skyflyer.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> 
> Ted
> 
> The fundamental problem is not the stopcocks but the fact that your inspection plate leaks! Even with the front tank empty if your aft tank is full and the boat is pitching and rolling, water will slop out of the inspection plate and end up in the bilge
> 
> Remove the plate - on my boat it is a threaded bung with a large square boss on top -  and wrap the thread with several turns of PTFE tape.  If you want to be sure, take some PTFE tape first, and twist it into a thread which you can wind into the grooves of the thread and then put a few turns of flat tape over the top to hold it in place.
> 
> Be careful not to over-tighten though.
> 
> I did this three years ago when we found it leaking and no problem since.
> 
> As an aside I recommend using the stop-cocks to only us one tank at a time and then (a) you get a warning you are running low when the first one runs out and (b) if theres ever any contamination (some idiot puts salt water or diesel into the tank) you can isolate it.
> 
> Best wishes
> 
> Graeme
> #366
>> Re: Aft water holding tank leaks
> 
>