Freshwater leakage
Printed From: myHanse.com
Category: Hints & Tips
Forum Name: 400
Forum Description: 400 Hints, Tips and News
URL: https://www.myhanse.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=5312
Printed Date: 27 March 2026 at 03:40
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Topic: Freshwater leakage
Posted By: lobstar
Subject: Freshwater leakage
Date Posted: 13 July 2011 at 12:59
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Dear all,
I have a problem with leakage of freshwater (not salt). It ends up in the bilge under the sink. Since it is only fresh water I think it is leaking somewhere from the water pump. Has anyone experienced a similar problem and solved it? Where can I find the pump? Or what is the best way to tackle this problem? Thnx, Robert PS: It is not the toilet since it is 'clean' water and it is not the shower since if we do not use it there is still leakage. |
Replies:
Posted By: Albatros400
Date Posted: 13 July 2011 at 13:08
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Check all single handle faucets from the rear. They are pretty cheap. On my boat the mixing unit of the shower faucet was leaking behind the panel where it was mounted. |
Posted By: Peter-Blake
Date Posted: 13 July 2011 at 14:16
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1. check if the pump starts acting after some time without taking water from a faucet. 2. If so than there is a leak in the watersystem. On my boat it was several times the cockpitshower. But there are many possibilities for this. 3. If the pump does not restart without using water, than it could be rainwater aswell as condenswater from the fridge. ------------- Blake 370 
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Posted By: graver
Date Posted: 13 July 2011 at 22:15
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Hi Robert, I found my leak coming from the faucet in the forward head. Also found the deck shower head leaking. Rich S/V Susie Q |
Posted By: Stella*Nova
Date Posted: 14 July 2011 at 16:40
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Shure that its freshwater? Or possibly rainwater? But my first controls would be freshwater as well. Check also the warmwater boiler if there is a leak. ------------- BR Ralf, Ex. 'a mare' H370 |
Posted By: lobstar
Date Posted: 17 July 2011 at 19:35
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Thnx for all suggestions above. Elimination of options brings me to the following conclusions:
- rainwater is out since it was 40 degrees hot and dry; - shower was not used; - don't have a forward head faucet; - cockpitshower was not used; Leaves: toilet, kitchen faucet or water pump in general. I emptied and dried everythingone evening and next morning was again lot of water. Only 'heavy usage' was of kitchen faucet and drainage so I assume problem has to be in pump in general or kitchen tap. How do I get to the pump? Kind regards, Robert |
Posted By: Peter-Blake
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 07:28
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If you use water you will hear your pump! If not, than you have a really good pump installed! In my 370 the pump is in under the shower seat in the toilet room. But i do not know if it is the same on the 400. BTW. You wrote: cockpitshower was not used. Did you check this shower? Mine lost a lot water without ever using it. BTW2: The first year i really was disappointed about this loud pump! I wanted a quieter pump. Now after more than 3 years, this loud pump saved me 2 times from flooding my boat! Both times i heared the pump starting to work without using any faucet. So i could stop the pump from working and searched for the problem.  BTW3: I always turn of the pump when i am not inside the boat and at night aswell ------------- Blake 370
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Posted By: Mica
Date Posted: 20 July 2011 at 01:07
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I have had a similar problem. In my case it was the cockpit shower valve not being in the fully closed position, allowing a slow drip from the shower head into the bilge at the stern. As the shower head also has a valve on it, this is not always obvious.
The area under the sink appears to be the lowest part of the boat so no matter where the leak initiates, it always seems to end up there.
Mike
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Posted By: Rambler
Date Posted: 20 July 2011 at 22:57
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I had a leak in the hose that runs from the water tank to the fresh water pump. The boat was new and the hose was probably punctured during some phase of the build. It did not leak enough to affect the pressurized fresh water system. The water would accumulate in the deepest part of the bilge under the sink. The solution was to run a new hose from the tank to the pump.
Ed ------------- Rhode Island, USA Hanse 400, #456 |
Posted By: Nikko
Date Posted: 01 August 2011 at 12:22
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Hi
I had internal leakage from faucet in galley, also there is a pressure valve on the isotherm hotwater tank that opens when pressure is too high, on this there are mounted a hose which leads to a bottle. otherwise the water goes directly to the bilge.... Pressure in hot water tank rises when potable water system is pressurized before the water is warm, when water is warmed up it expands and have to go somewhere.
I changed the faucet in galley to a proper one and are going to change the others later.
------------- From M&R Norway Hanse 400 `06 |
Posted By: CharlesP
Date Posted: 01 August 2011 at 12:59
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Check also the water storage tank and it's inlet and outlet (and inspection hatch if it has one)
Charles ------------- 'MERIDIAN LADY' 320 Nr 536 2010 Medway |
Posted By: lobstar
Date Posted: 10 August 2011 at 21:11
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Hi all,
This weekend I opened all floor parts in my boat to locate the leakage (fresh water, not salty). There was some water under the left and right panels in the salon (so not in the owners, nor under the middle panels). Furthermore there was/is some in the lowest parts of the bilge (which hardly can be reached). All this water will be pumped out at this moment. This still does not explain the cause of the leakage. Talking to a technician he told me that the fact that the water pump sometimes suddenly and for a short time 'pumps' - without opening a faucet - indicates some leak in the fresh water system since the pump keeps the pressure on 2.8 bar. Now the quest for the leak continues... All faucets seem not to be leaking, also the water tank in the front seems without leak. So the most probable location is somewhere behind the left panels in the salon. Does anyone have any suggestion? This would be most helpful... Thnx. Robert |
Posted By: Windsurfer
Date Posted: 10 August 2011 at 22:25
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Provided the connections near the faucets as well as around pumps are dry the first thing you should check is the T-connections...on my boat these are pretty hard to reach and even to see...a minor leak is quite possible here...the water heater might also leak for example due to heat expansion...then the water penetrates the holes in the tank compartment when the boat heels and finally ends up in the bilge...these are first guesses...
Good luck... ------------- Hanse 320 #079 White hull, tiller, short keel and rudder, standard North sails, Sparcraft rig |
Posted By: leilani
Date Posted: 12 August 2011 at 13:31
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Hi Robert, It sounds like you have a similar problem to what we have been experiencing. We have been getting water in the bilge for over two years and believe that there must be a harline fracture in the plumbing line as the problem occurs every time we spend a few consecutive days on the boat, using the shower/bathroom. Water slowly works it's way into areas and it's not untli we go sailing and the boat heels over that it slowly works it's way into bilge. The water pools in the bilge under the sink area. The water pump kicks in approximately every 15 minutes which suggests that there is a leak in the plumbing somewhere and the water pressure is not being maintained. There is a previous post on the forum where another Hanse owner had to have new plumbing lines installed. We have been emailing and notifying our agent for over 2 years now ( the problem has been evident since we took possession of the boat) and we are still waiting for a solution. Arrangements have been made for a shipwright to check out our boat next week - I will let you know if and when we find a solution. " Leilani "  |
Posted By: cygnet
Date Posted: 21 August 2011 at 10:06
| Hello all. We had found a lot of fresh water in the bilges and could hear the pump running in short bursts when the boat was quiet. The deck shower mixer was the problem and putting the mixer handle to OFF after use solved the leak! |
Posted By: Kallisto
Date Posted: 29 August 2011 at 12:20
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Hi all, had the same the problem with my 370 of 2008 last year (fresh water in the kitchen sink). The faucet of the stern shower was the problem: the thread of the plastic shower head was leaky (many very small holes), resulting in a small but continous flow along the water hose. Installing a new shower head fixed the problem. Jochen |
Posted By: ThomShap
Date Posted: 27 September 2025 at 13:42
| Hello, I’ve discovered this thread after searching for a leak in my 415, all the same symptoms as others, only it’s not the deck shower. Did anyone find a culprit? |
Posted By: Ratbasher
Date Posted: 27 September 2025 at 17:40
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Thomas - there's a variety of causes, most(!) of which are discussed on this forum. As you're getting the same symptoms, I presume you're hearing the FW pump running when there's nothing open. At least then you know that it's coming from that system and not other common causes such as pressure-relief from the calorifier, rain ingress and sink pipes. It's unlikely (though not impossible) that a hose has been holed so it's a reasonable assumption the leak is on a join or connection and as far as I'm aware, all these are visible with perhaps some spinal contortion. It's surprising how hard it can be to spot water trickling down a surface sometimes but going over every fitting with tissue paper will show it up. My boat's latest attempt at humour was a slow but steady leak from the connection with the service pipe at the pump itself. I'd checked the area previously with a flashlight and all seemed OK, but going over it with a tissue gave the evidence. Initially, I just changed the gasket but after a week the leak had returned. I removed the pump to have a closer look and found nothing wrong, but as the pump was 18 years old anyway I replaced it. Six months later with lots of use I've had no more leaks. I can only assume that the edges of the socket had worn. Suggest you follow all pipework back from the water tank, wiping with tissue paper. Of course, water may move around the holes in the bilges, appearing some way away from the leak site. Good luck Iain ------------- H400 (2008) 'Wight Leopard' Gosport, UK |
Posted By: gjspwr
Date Posted: 23 October 2025 at 19:42
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I had a leak from the strainer on the pump. Cleaned it out and did not get the cover back on tight enough. Both the water pressure pump and the shower sump pump on my 400 is located in the head cabinet. ------------- GJS Hanse 400 Exhale |