[C320-list] My leak stop kit...

[Graeme Clark]

A one inch hole, 1.5ft below water level will give a flood of 15 gallons per minute - how long can you keep going on that manual pump?


see this diagram 

Flood_html_m385bf63e.gif

in this article

http://www.thereliableboat.com/articles/Flood.html

Graeme
#366, Jaskar, 1996



On 22 Sep 2015, at 22:54, danny jensen <danny at jensenshouse.com> wrote:

> Jeff,
> I really like your kit. I friend needed one of these a week ago when he
> almost sunk his boat fixing a drain clog.
> 
> 
> Now that we have our leak kit we need a few more things.
> 1) To know when we have a leak
> 2) To know where the leak is - Easiest to find when the boat is dryer and
> not a foot deep in water.
> 3) To have time to fix the leak if our boat is sinking before it sinks.
> 
> I needed to address 1-3 above with a project. Like most of you I have a 5
> GPM automatic pump. I didn't have a high water alarm system.
> 
> Read on if you want to find out how to solve 1-3.
> 
> here is a link to the project details:
> 
> http://www.catalina320.com/mediagallery/download.php?mid=20141021083025421
> 
> 
> BACKGROUND:
> I often single hand my boat as much as 20 miles off shore.  I currently
> have an electric diaphragm 5 GPM
> Jabsco pump and a 28 GPM Whale manual pump.  If I’m driving the boat , it
> is not likely I would notice a
> big leak until it was too late. If I did have a big leak in the boat, my
> current electric pump would not be
> able to keep up and it would not be possible for me to operate the manual
> pump *and* fix the leak at
> the same time.  An independent $50 high water bilge alarm in the cockpit
> would alarm me at sea and
> my dock neighbors while on docked that my primary pump is not able to keep
> up with my pumping
> capacity.
> 
> It is often the case that leaks occur over a long period of time and go
> unnoticed because automatic bilge
> pumps pump the evidence overboard.  This evidence pumped overboard is often
> an indication that
> some maintenance is necessary. Pump cycle counters give you issue
> recognition.  A pump counter costs
> under $50 and is relatively easy to install.
> 
> My existing 5 GPM pump works great at removing almost all water from the
> bilge.  Installing a high
> capacity secondary pump with an independent float switch would provide for
> backup of my primary
> pump.  The backup pump should almost never cycle.
> 
> Required Reading:
> All About Bilge Pumps by David H. Pascoe, Marine Surveyor
> http://marinesurvey.com/yacht/bilge_pumps.htm
> 
> Requirements:
> 1. Install an high water alarm under locker in cockpit
> a. The high water alarm will have an independent switch level above the
> primary pump
>    switch.
> 2. Install an electric bilge counter on my current primary electric pump so
> I will know when the
>   primary pump has been cycling. This will give me advance information
> about any leaks I may
>   have before they become big leaks.
> 3. Install high water  submersible Rule 3700 as secondary high water  pump
> a. Switch and pump will be slightly higher than existing. Build a
> starboard bilge shelf to
>    suspend new pump and high water switch.
> b. Install new 1.5 inch hose and new through hull.  No check valves will
> be used.
> c. Wire high water pump/alarm  to battery via an existing 24hr fuse box
> already feeding
>    my Xantrex battery monitor independent of my battery switch.  I will
> use a heat shrink
>    connectors with terminal blocks dipped in liquid electrical tape to
> make the new pump
>    terminations.  My bilge is very dry all the time thanks to gortex
> packing material.
> 
> 
> On Mon, Sep 21, 2015 at 3:27 PM, Jeff Hare <Catalina at thehares.com> wrote:
> 
>> So, here's an inexpensive tip for plugging a hole in an emergency.
>> 
>> Go to your home center and get 2 or 3 toilet Wax Rings.  Put them in a
>> large
>> Ziploc bag and warm them to room temp or slightly above.  Squeeze them all
>> into a big ball.   Then squeeze all the air out of the Ziploc bag, roll it
>> up tight.    Now, next time you have a problem with a big leak, open the
>> Ziploc bag, turn it upside down over the hole and press/knead the wax into
>> the leak.  It should stop, just like that, and probably stay stopped.
>> 
>> If there's still some of the thru-hull left, drape the Ziploc over the
>> thru-hull and zip-tie it to help hold the wax it in place (may not even
>> need
>> to).  Also keeping a few 4" wide strips of old bed sheets can give you
>> something to wrap around the wax it and tie off.  Like a big sticky
>> Band-Aid.
>> 
>> Put the bedsheet strips in a large Ziploc with a handful of zip ties, a
>> roll
>> of Rescue Tape, a box cutter and the other sealed Ziploc containing the wax
>> ball and you have a nice portable leak stopping kit.  The Wax is pliable,
>> waterproof, sticky and should easily fill oddly shaped leaking areas.  The
>> rescue tape will work when you have some hose that burst or is leaking, and
>> the zip ties can be used to hold it in place or joined together for
>> wrapping
>> around something larger
>> 
>> That's my tip of the day.  :)    Hope I never really have to use it
>> however,
>> but I made a couple of these back when I was more paranoid.  The wooden
>> plug
>> thing doesn't seem appropriate to me for plastic thru-hulls.
>> 
>> -Jeff Hare
>> #809
>> 
>>