2004 Bavaria 32...strange water leak...

[Fenders]

As Ashtead says, it was the noise from the pump that alerted me to the problem.
Until this had happened my boat has always had dry bilges.
After removing most of the water, maybe a couple of litres, water was still very slowly weeping through the hole in the floor beam. A little water can go along way on a flat surface. So I placed a large wad of kitchen towel to absorb any seepage. Rocked the boat about to shake up any further water trapped “upstream”. Next visit to boat I removed the towel which was damp and haven’ t had any further problems. Bilges nice and dry.

Regarding condensation, if that was the case it would most likely affect all bilge areas. In IainC’s case the quantities he was removing would suggest it wasn’t condensation.

 

[RupertW]

Have you been running the fridge? If so do you know exactly where the drain at the bottom runs to? We get litres every day in the bilge and proved at least some of it was the fridge by putting a lot of soapy water into the fridge and seeing the bubbles slowly appear in the sump. Otherwise pressurised fresh water system - potentially a leaky accumulator

 

[Iain C]

Thanks again everyone. The more I think about it I'm absolutely convinced it's shower related...the boat has been dry all this time including the handful of days I've spent on her until now, which is the first time I've used the shower. I also "found" the deck shower this weekend (behind it's badly oxidised crumbling cover), pulled it out, looked at it, and poked it back in again. That may well have cracked something. I'll report back after next weekend. Definitely not condensation...we're talking 15 gallons in 48 hours remember!

Very reassuring to hear of other people's leaks coming out of exactly the same hole in the beam. People familiar with the design will know that the hole is literally millimeters away from the aft keel bolt, and the water looked like it was pooling around that bolt. Add in the fact that I'd been on the scrubbing grid the night before, obviously there were a few bangs on the concrete as she touched down, and as everyone knows all Bavaria keels immediately fall off just by looking at them wrong (fact...honest...), and my sleep deprived mind was going into overdrive...especially as I was leaving my new pride & joy to her fate on a swinging mooring and driving 140 miles home. I must have drunk about 1/2 pint of dirty bilge water and sea water until I was absolutely convinced that my taste buds were not deceiving me and it was 100% fresh. "Pepsi Challenge" anyone?

Now I'm very much looking forward to getting back down there and finding the leak. I'm very hopeful because of the large quantities of water involved it should be bleeding obvious!

 

[Cactus Sailing]

Thanks again everyone. The more I think about it I'm absolutely convinced it's shower related...the boat has been dry all this time including the handful of days I've spent on her until now, which is the first time I've used the shower. I also "found" the deck shower this weekend (behind it's badly oxidised crumbling cover), pulled it out, looked at it, and poked it back in again. That may well have cracked something. I'll report back after next weekend. Definitely not condensation...we're talking 15 gallons in 48 hours remember!

Very reassuring to hear of other people's leaks coming out of exactly the same hole in the beam. People familiar with the design will know that the hole is literally millimeters away from the aft keel bolt, and the water looked like it was pooling around that bolt. Add in the fact that I'd been on the scrubbing grid the night before, obviously there were a few bangs on the concrete as she touched down, and as everyone knows all Bavaria keels immediately fall off just by looking at them wrong (fact...honest...), and my sleep deprived mind was going into overdrive...especially as I was leaving my new pride & joy to her fate on a swinging mooring and driving 140 miles home. I must have drunk about 1/2 pint of dirty bilge water and sea water until I was absolutely convinced that my taste buds were not deceiving me and it was 100% fresh. "Pepsi Challenge" anyone?

Now I'm very much looking forward to getting back down there and finding the leak. I'm very hopeful because of the large quantities of water involved it should be bleeding obvious!

i have a Bavaria and also had a leaky shower, its a different flavour Bavaria but maybe the issue is the same, sounds similar.

bone dry bilges and my son used the shower in the heads and there was at least a bucket full in there. i found the hose was perished from the bottom of the shower tray up to the pump so effectively if there was water in the bottom of the heads it was seeping into the bilges, perhaps your hose is worse than mine was and is leaking faster, my particular heads shower tray was easy to take apart and find the culprit but my boat is a 2007 may be the same design though

leaks on the pressurised side should be easy to find as the pump will occasionally keep kicking in, obviously if the pump stops the system stays pressurised and is sealed.

to eliminate other sources your best friend is talcum powder though, sprinkle it in the aft areas behind the internal cabin hatches to ensure its not coming from aft deck fittings etc, you would be surprised how far it will travel, another big culprit on Bavarias is the external shower head pipe bursting after a cold winter.

worse thing about being away from your boat is procrastinating about what the cause is

 

[jackho]

I have same issue but know the cause. First is water ingress from deck glands which finds a pathway across the cables and down the mast support. The other less likely is the shower tray overflowing or a small crack leaking into the bilges. Your photos same as mine.
Hope this helps.

 

[jackho]

I have same issue but know the cause. First is water ingress from deck glands which finds a pathway across the cables and down the mast support. The other less likely is the shower tray overflowing or a small crack leaking into the bilges. Your photos same as mine.
Hope this helps.

 

[Iain C]

Update time!

Had a poke around, both the deck shower and the shower tray out pipe seemed OK from what I could see. Low pressure side all good, and the pump was definitely not running when it shouldn't be. However when it was running (tap open), a different story! The high pressure outlet of the pump was leaking (cracked-replaced it) and the pressure regulator was leaking from it's upside down "cap" so I just tightened it up a bit (although I was surprised not to see some kind of rubber washer in there).

However it didn't seem like enough of a leak to account for all the water. And then I suddenly realised that when I'd taken the shower tray drain out, I'd not needed to break any sealant between it and the tray! A smear of silicone later and it was bedded in properly.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to dry the bilges and test it properly, that will have to wait until next time but I'm pretty confident those two issues together were responsible for the bilge water. Fingers crossed!

 

[Cactus Sailing]

Update time!

Unfortunately I didn't have time to dry the bilges and test it properly, that will have to wait until next time but I'm pretty confident those two issues together were responsible for the bilge water. Fingers crossed!

Hopefully its fixed now, the tray on mine was sealed.

 

[derekgillard]

I have a Bav 30 with the same interior layout and had exactly the same problem, water coming out of the cross member in the same area. In my case it was dry when she sat on the mooring and once we were on the move the water appeared eg the movement of the boat moved the water into the bilge.

In my case it was salt water from the water trap in the exhaust box but as you have fresh water I would look at all the connections around the area under the aft cabin any water there cannot get into the engine compartment as it's sealed so it finds it's way through the boat and into the bilge.

I think it is a matter of seek and find.

Good luck
Derek

 

[Iain C]

Thanks Derek but if you read my update I have seeked and found!