Hi Ron, I've been there, done that for both these issues on my C270. It's hull number 313 so I imagine just about everything I have is the same on yours.
My advice on the water leak, check the easy spots first. Water tank, mine leaks at the top through the cleaner opening when I over fill. Don't overfill and use plumbers tape to seal the opening. Also, check the primary hose at the bottom of the tank (right next to the batteries) for leaks. Check the hot water heater. I had the same problem when I bought mine and it was a busted check valve on the output from the water heater (probably improperly winterized by the previous owner). Every time I pressurized, it would leak around the check valve. Long story short, the original check valve was non barbed and the pressure was so great from the freshwater pump that it cracked the check valve and pushed the hoses apart. I replaced it with a barbed valve and turned the pressure down the fresh water pump and haven't had a problem since. If neither of those are the culprit, look in the bilge to see which side the water is coming down. Reference the plumbing diagram to see where to search. If you don't have the diagram, I'll email it to you. The holding tank. I agree it's probably a blocked vent. I had a wasp nest blocking mine when I bought the boat. A wire down the vent might not do it (but you can try first); there was mesh on mine that's supposed to keep the bugs out so I had to pull the whole thing apart from the inside. Not that bad really, just take the four screws out of the starboard side cabinet and pull it out (you have to force it out past the shroud support, but it will go). The vent is forward and maybe six inches below the deck. Pull it apart, clean it out and you should be all set. Much easier to do on land (and with two people) as you have to pull part of the vent off from the outside. Let me know how it all goes, good luck! Mike Detente, C270, #313 Deale, MD --- In [email protected], Ron Ginter <rongin...@...> wrote: > > Another new experience: > > On Saturday afternoon we went down to the boat with my niece, who came to > visit and sail for the weekend. We got everything opened up and turned on. > It was rainy but supposed to improve so we decided to kill some time by > perusing the goodies at the local marine supplies store. We came back about > half an hour later, new cockpit umbrella in hand (!), and as we approached > the slip, I could hear the bilge pump running and see water being ejected. > > When the bilge pump stopped, the water pressure pump was still running and > wouldn't stop. We had no water at the taps either in the head or galley. A > quick look at the bilge showed a fairly good flow, which gradually subsided > once I turned the water pump off. > > Next day I filled the water tank just in case, and had the same experience > when I turned on the water pressure pump. This time I got a trickle of water > at the galley sink taps. So I'm thinking that a water line must have split > or a connection came loose, and the water pump is just unable to build up > enough pressure to turn itself off. Meanwhile the leakage is ending up in > the bilge. Sound reasonable? > > If there are any known weak spots in the water lines, or any suggestions on > where to start trying to find it, or even how to access the lines, please > feel free to offer them up to this newbie. > > We also pumped out the holding tank for the first time, and had problems > getting the flow to go. The guy running the suction opined that my vent is > probably clogged. I found the vent on the hull just below the rail near the > waste cap on the deck. How do I go about unclogging it? Just shove a wire > down it? > > ...Ron > C270 #329 "Oculus" >
