There must be a way...

[WALTERJOHN]

A really silly odd question, but.......I've got a pint of water swilling about in the bilges. It would really help to track down the source of this, if I knew for certain whether it was sea water or rain water. Is there any simple way of establishing this, without having a taste?
Regards to all.

 

[Robin]

Go on don't be a woos, taste it - you don't have to drink it, just dab it on your tongue!

 

[cliff]

Take some tissue or kitchen roll and soak it in the "liquid" then hang out to dry (same way as it is reported the Scots do with bog roll) then once dry burn it. A nice yellow flame indicates Sodium (chloride?) being present ie salt.
"normal" colour flame would indicate fresh water.
A quicker way would be to take a teaspoon full and heat it over the stove. If you get a yellowish colour in the flame as the water boils off that indicates Sodium.
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[StugeronSteve]

Could be from the heads, but it should be ok, give it a taste.

Does it appear whilst boat is at rest, or is it there at the end of a passage? After having motored for any length of time my calorifier get a little over temp and vents water off through the pressure relief valve. A new valve has reduced the quantity dumped, but not completely cured the problem.

Steve.

 

[ParaHandy]

to my horror, found (much more than a pint of) water last week in the bilges. being long keeled, bilge can hold a lot .... tasted it and it was fresh water. When i got back, shut everything down, listened and used mirror + torch to inspect every joint in the water system. eventually found it.

two things made this easy: the bilges and other areas are kept dry at all times so the trail of water wasn't difficult to find and the (pressurised) water system gave clues weeks before that something was awry ....

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

I've always found with older boats that have gathered over the years a good allover salt content, that even fresh water in the bilges tastes a little salty, so its diffciult to tell anyway from a taste test!... can't however tell from your bio whether you are an AWB or MAB type of fella!

 

[Gunfleet]

[ QUOTE ]
tasted it and it was fresh water

[/ QUOTE ]Okay. I have to admit. I peed in your bilge because I couldn't find the heads flush and was embarrassed to ask.

 

[Evadne]

If you have enough of the water, and a pint may not be sufficient, then a winemakers hydrometer will tell you. Fresh water is about 1.000, sea water should be up around 1.025, depending on dilution and evaporation.

 

[Lakesailor]

I had the same problem. On the lake the water is much the same from beneath or overhead.
It turned out to be both. The cockpit drains were leaking so water from the lake was sloshing in in choppy weather and rainwater was coming in from the cockpit.

 

[KREW2]

Hi
Have you got a stern gland that may need a little tightening
(sounds a bit like a comment a camp comedien would use)
K W

 

[WALTERJOHN]

Thanks guys and galls. The water has been in there for a year or so, vintage 2003. Forms underneath the engine, so I recon it is strern gland>. Regards