blocked drinking water hoses

[vpbarkley]

Hi Cruisers,

I recently purchased a 2010 Beneteau 40' sloop. The fresh, drinking water system has been giving me fits. I've found several lines that do not flow: the anchor faucet, the transom faucet, the transom shower (hot and cold) and the outlet from the front water tank.

I find no mention of additional or hidden valves in the manual. Still, I could understand valving water to the extremities to prevent bursting the hoses in hard frosts. But, this is a Fort Lauderdale boat, unlikely to have seen freezes.

The forward water tank does not flow. The pressure water pump cannot draw water from it. The rear tank does flow. Both tanks have a common fill and vent port. Both tanks are full and clear, to verify I viewed inside each with the inspection caps removed.

The individual tank selector valves are open. I removed them and I can see through them when open.

I was thinking of rigging up a bicycle tire pump to potentially blow out any blockages in the lines. A bike pump can generate about 100 psi, twice the pressure of the water pressure system, but not enough to burst a hose.

Please share your experiences of fresh water line blockages and how you solved them. Thank you kindly.

[SVHarmonie]

It would be very unusual to see this many clogs in a fresh water system, after all it should be only full of fresh, clean water!

When you looked in the tanks was there any visible flaking of a liner? Or debris? Have you eliminated the possibility of kinks in the hoses?

A bicycle pump pushing backwards is one idea. I have unclogged lines with a blast from a hose connected to city water.