Shore Water Pressure Reducer Safety

[Shakedown]

I just installed shore water hookup. Got tired of FW pump getting worked so much, and the new shower is in use. As with everything associated with boat safety, at the dock or out at sea, the prudent sailor shuts off those things that will potentially damage the vessel. I refer to items such as water, gasses (propane, carbon monoxide, etc) and uninvited people.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by doug86

Illusion, you are correct about my confusion. I was thinking of a pressure reducer. I admit ignorance about the flow restrictor, but it sounds like a perfect solution... Can they fail and let the water flow?

Anything is possible - I know of some extraordinarily risk-adverse types who have two. I guess if anyone is really the worrying kind, three is better than two; four might satisfy even some here.

[btrayfors]

I lived aboard a houseboat in a marina for 17 years. We went out a lot (most active boat in marina), but nevertheless spent most of the time at dockside. Most other liveaboards spent 95% plus time at the dock. I doubt this is very different from the situation in most marinas.

Over those years I tried every possible combination of water pressure reducers, counters, etc. and was never happy with the results. All of them had problems, especially over our moderately severe winters. I never trusted them, which is why my boat never was in danger of sinking.

FWIW, my advice to anyone who connects to a dock for water supply:

1. Install a ball valve shutoff -- with a 90-degree lever turn for off -- at the dockside supply. Make it your religion to turn this lever off every time you leave the boat, even if it's to go to the corner store or to visit a neighbor's boat.

2. Make it a practice to eyeball the lever whenever you are near your boat. to verify it's in the correct position.

3. NEVER NEVER NEVER trust any other device to protect you.

4. If you leave the boat for an extended period, disconnect the hose at the boat.

5. Do use your 12V pumps and water tank(s) frequently to exercise them and to ensure clean water in the tanks.

In freezing weather conditions it is, of course, necessary to remove the hose and the valve; freezing water can damage both.

Bill

[RunningFish]

I'm regularly at the dock and using water, and I've never found it tedious to fill the tanks every two weeks. Hell, the hose is right next to the boat, what could be easier? Connecting to a water supply and having to worry about it, or turn it on and off all the time - that's tedious.

[bytownboy]

I hve a plastized sheet with a list of things to check brfore I leave the boat. After checking everything I check the list. I have always forgot something! ( I blame it on my head of grey hair).

The water hose isn't on the list as I have never connected it, and never will. Of course having 250 gallon capacity makes that decision pretty easy for me, so I won't presume to judge someone with say 50 gallons

Doug

[whatever]

To risk being blown out for wanting to inquire about how to do this, we are liveaboards, and live in SW Florida, hot hot and then hot. Have gotten a new icemaker that uses a lot of water while at dock, we don't cruise in summer, too hot and don't like sleeping with the genset running. We were filling up water tanks every 5 days or so, now its like every other day. We want to hook up direct to shore water, and have gotten a couple of what to do's to hook up, but they are conflicting. Is it really as simple as hooking up to an intake? Don't we have to do something to bypass the fresh water pump? Thanks for any info the great boaters here can provide!And yes we will do something to prevent our boat from sinking! it is our home, and we are on her 24/7 unless we run to the store!

[simonmd]

Two options. Either bypass the fresh water pump - connect the hose to your water system with a newly installed connector, switch off the pump and just use the mains pressure.

Or, I've heard of some people fitting a float system that involves fitting a float valve (similar to what you'd find in the toilet systern) in the water tank connected to a connection that you can plug the hose into.

The second option does seem a bit over complicated to me to be honest but may be usefull if the shore power pressure is weak.

[US1Fountain]

My shore water is plumbed;

Freshwater tank...shutoff valve......Freshwater pump....shore water tee'd inline.......out to all lines.
The pump has a checkvalve by design that prevents the water from flowing back into the tank. I assume if the checkvalve assembly would fail, the tank would fill up till water came out the tanks thru hull vent.

We just fill our tank while in our slip and use from it. Last about 2-3 weeks as 95% use is for the toilet. Only used the city water hookup twice when showered on boat when we just bought it, though I have no reservations about using city hookup. Now we just use the bath/shower house in the marina and our dockside water faucet for everthing else.

[osirissail]

I have had two of these Jabsco units fail on my boat. Luckily I never leave the boat with shore water pressure turned on.
- - Instead now I purchased water pressure reducers from RV stores that install in the garden hose or shore spigot. The right hand photo. They have worked just fine and are one third the price of the marine units.

[whatever]

simonmd..your offer....Two options. Either bypass the fresh water pump - connect the hose to your water system with a newly installed connector, switch off the pump and just use the mains pressure.
Where exactly would we connect the hose? We have a connection that a hose would fit onto on the bow, it is supposed to be used as a fresh water washdown, which we have never used. Would we use that? and how would we go about bypassing the pump?I am assuming we would turn off the circuit breaker for the fresh water pump, but do we need to do anything with the connections with a bypass at the pump itself? Thanks

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by whatever

simonmd..your offer....Two options. Either bypass the fresh water pump - connect the hose to your water system with a newly installed connector, switch off the pump and just use the mains pressure.
Where exactly would we connect the hose? We have a connection that a hose would fit onto on the bow, it is supposed to be used as a fresh water washdown, which we have never used. Would we use that? and how would we go about bypassing the pump?I am assuming we would turn off the circuit breaker for the fresh water pump, but do we need to do anything with the connections with a bypass at the pump itself? Thanks

Yes, you would use that deck-wash connection, with a pressure-reduce valve like the previous post shows. The pump is just switched off, it should have a check-valve blocking back-flow into the tanks. If used often, I would install an extra valve anywhere between tank and pump output so I don't need to rely on that check-valve.

I would be pretty scared that a burst hose could sink the boat but realize others find me paranoid on these issues.

ciao!
Nick.

[osirissail]

Using pressurized potable shore water is quite dangerous as I have had two installed PAR water inlet pressure reducing units fail. And they then release the water inside the boat. Water everywhere but at least it was fresh water and not sea water. Which is why I never leave pressurized shore water turned on if I am not in the boat. Also I use the RV pressure reducer attached outside the boat.
Over the years, especially in the islands I have seen shore fresh water pressures getting up to 80 psi. This has caused piping/hose joints to leak inside the boat. In these circumstances I put the RV pressure regulator on the dock spigot before the garden hose that runs to the ship's water inlet. Garden hoses burst quite frequently at that high a pressure and they are not cheap down island.

[whatever]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Yes, you would use that deck-wash connection, with a pressure-reduce valve like the previous post shows. The pump is just switched off, it should have a check-valve blocking back-flow into the tanks. If used often, I would install an extra valve anywhere between tank and pump output so I don't need to rely on that check-valve.

I would be pretty scared that a burst hose could sink the boat but realize others find me paranoid on these issues.

ciao!
Nick.

Good info, but why additional ck valve between pump and tank? if the first ck valve is in the pump, if that one fails water would go into the tanks and then flow out the overfill vents at the stern and we would definitely hear that. Just don't understand the concept of water coming in thru deck wash connection and getting to rest of plumbing via the bow, when our fresh water tanks are at the stern and flows to the pump midship. I'm just the Admiral in name only, don't understand all this and trying really hard to, to help the Captain make a good informed decision!

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by whatever

Good info, but why additional ck valve between pump and tank?
[...]
Just don't understand the concept of water coming in thru deck wash connection and getting to rest of plumbing via the bow, when our fresh water tanks are at the stern and flows to the pump midship.

I didn't mean a ck valve but rather a regular manual ball valve. The reason is that 1) I don't trust ck valves and 2) there can be leaks around the tank, like at tank-level sensor, tank vent etc., that can potentially sink the boat. These parts of the plumbing are never tested (used with water pressure on them) so you can't rely on them for keeping the boat afloat.

Using the deck wash fitting on the foredeck is really easy; you just want to tap into the pressurized part of your boats plumbing and it doesn't matter where. The water pressure from shore (reduced by the special valve) takes over the function of your pump and keep this plumbing pressurized, incl. water heater etc. All that changes is that the system is fed from the bow instead of from the stern.

ciao!
Nick.

[whatever]

Thanks Nick! I will let the Captain read over all that has been written here, and we may yet have more questions! We have not done this before, as stated before, fear of sinking the ship, we have been aboard 7 yrs next mo, but there are at least 4 boats around us here at this marina that are connected direct, and it doesn't appear the pressure is extreme as might could be other places, so we are tossing around the idea.