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I have had a problem with a leak that appear to be coming from under the ice box. So I stopped using the ice box. That was not the problem. I then replaced the through hull fitting underneath the sink. That also did not solve the problem. That leads me to believe that the hot water heater, must be leaking. No water comes in on a port tack. No water comes in while docked in the harbor. Water seems to bubble up only on a starboard tack and the more the boat is healed, the more the water comes in. What is the best way for me to gain access to the hot water heater? It looks as if I can approach it from underneath the sink. But I'm wondering if it may be easier to go down through the port lazzarette? Any ideas would be helpful.
Thank you
Mark Thompson
F30-78 Eleuthera

Mark,

Before taking further action, you best make sure that you know it's really the hot water heater that leaks. Some questions you could ask yourself:

- The tack related leaking sounds strange, are you sure that it only leaks on the strbrd tack and the leaking water does not collect somewhere unseen on the port tack, so it only seems to leak on strbrd tack?
- Do you know if the leak is fresh or seawater?
- Does it influence the water level in your fresh water tank? It should, if fresh water leaks away.
- Does the water pressure pump keep on running? If the heater leaks, it should, because the water heater is between the pump and the faucets. So any leak in the downstream line of the pump should keep the pump running because the pressure in the line drops.
- Are you sure it's not the pressure release valve on the water heater that's dripping? This valve should only leak a bit while the water is being heated.

I would disconnect or close the fresh water intake of the water heater and see what happens. If it keeps on leaking, I would disconnect and short-cut the hoses connected to the engine. If nothing changes, something else is leaking.

Catching up on my posts. The leak turned out to be a split in the drainage hose from the propain tank compartment. Would not show any leakage while stationary. I am lucky to have a 12 year old boy who was willing to climb back through the lazarette while under sail. Simple problem to fix, hard to detect. This hose seemed to be a replacement that was run straight down to the through hull making it easy hit with a mop or boat hooks. I ran the new replacement back to the stern and down. Seems to work well.

Probably moot, since you already did the repair - but worth pointing out just the same. A leaking propane locker drain hose poses a far greater risk than water in the sail locker or bilge. Since the purpose of the drain is to take leaking propane overboard in the event of a faulty tank, hose connection, regulator, valve, etc... the risk was that you might have ended up with a sail locker full of propane vapors. A spark could have had a tragic outcome...

A good reminder to all of us to stay on top of all aspects of our propane systems.