Beneteau Sense 43 // lots of saltwater in head shower

[tkeithlu]

Good morning doschhar. Two conceptual ways to look at potential failures: Automatic solutions, such as the automatic valve, and manual solutions, such as a checklist. The extreme failure of the automatic approach is the two crashes of 737 Max aircraft. The computer won, the occupants died. The extreme for the checklist was the prototype B-17 taking off with the gust locks still on the control surfaces. No checklist, the occupants died. The 737 Max accidents are ironic, because overall Boeing takes a "fly the !@#$ airplane" approach to ultimate emergencies, while Airbus has the computer over-rule the pilot.

I'm a checklist person. I recommend (and Peggy appears to agree with me) a checklist for leaving your boat. Read it to yourself or the admiral out loud, checking off each item before proceeding to the next. Go home with no anxiety. You know that you checked that seacock.

[PJS]

Originally Posted by peghall

What you think about adding an electric/magnetic seacock that closes automatically if the pump is not used.

I think you're asking if I approve of a device that would absolve you from assuming any hands-on responsibility for the safety of your boat (i.e. remembering to keep the seacock closed). No I don't...if for no other reason than, devices that can be ignored will be until you have to deal with the consequences of their inevitable failure.


Without the pump running there is no reason to keep the cock open anyhow I guess?


Exactly.



--Peggie

Spot on Peggy! Could not have said it better. Far too often the boats in trouble are the ones that are maintained by the hands off approach. There is no substitute for being hands on with all the items that could jeopardize loss of possession or life.
Weather leaving the vessel of a day, a week or a month, I believe, the same shut down process should be followed.
All it takes is seeing your fellow dock mates vessel at rest below the waterline. Had one at my home marina (a lot of live-aboard vessels). Owner said "I never closed them before and never had a problem".... fortunately a live-aboard neighbor, somehow, got to the engine compartment and closed the seacocks as the water was on the verge of breaching the transom.
Wake up call for me...and I was already stricken with OCD.

[dfelsent]

Originally Posted by doschhar

Yeah I would think so too. It still baffles me is how water can crawl up about 1 meter through a 1 1/2 inch hose, through a loop, back down through the pump and out of the shower pan. Boat was moored at port in good weather conditions.



My guess is that the hose was clogged at the seacock or outlet somehow, not fully just enough to keep the hose full of water after pumping out and starting a very slow flow back through the entire system. The shower pan rim being higher then the waterline (I guess can't really measure) - maybe by design or pure luck stopped the back flow and saved the boat from filling up with water lowering the sump even more and starting a devils circle of eventually sinking my boat ?!



Only explanation I can think of ...



What you think about adding an electric/magnetic seacock that closes automatically if the pump is not used. Would make me sleep much better. Without the pump running there is no reason to keep the cock open anyhow I guess?!



Thanks for reading.

That loop can act as a siphon back into the boat if it is full of water and is not vented. I’d expect to find a vent fitting at the top. These can clog preventing the venting.



Maybe check for that?

[mbartosch]

We also have a 2011 Sense 43, but in the past years we never experienced anything like that.
Our shower sump stays dry even in rough seas, but with that story in mind I guess from now on I will keep that seacock closed.
The seacocks in the bathroom are very difficult to reach, though. I don't know what the boat designer was thinking...

[LouAnn68]

Hi everyone,
This was extracted from our "Leaving the boat" checklist.
We keep the checklist on our chart table.
Seacocks
Starting from the forward section of the boat, close all sea cocks and valves:

1. Close through-hull for holding tank discharge under port side v berth.


2. Close through-hull under the head sink.


3. Close yellow handle head intake.


4. Close through-hull for Air Conditioner intake.


5. Close through-hull for galley sink drain.


6. Close through-hull for engine intake.

[earlysail]

See Manual for Toilet and seacocks.

Quote per manual Beneteau
The toilet is situated below the waterline; get into the habit of systematically closing the seacocks after each use

Make sure that all seacocks, which are not used, are closed before you put out to sea.

Opening and closing of the seacocks