Leak in fresh water line under sink in the galley

[4207Carver88]

Good Afternoon fellow carver owners!

My wife and I are living the dream living aboard our 1988 4207 in The Northeast. We bought her after our wedding this past October and call it our extended honeymoon. Let’s be real, waking up on the water makes everyday feel like you’re on vacation and I’m not sure what could be better! Either way, as the weather is breaking we are taking down the small projects getting ready to run most weekends in the spring summer and fall. Here’s my question, I have a small leak in the fresh water line under the sink in the galley. I know it is the fresh line because it just doesn’t have the same pressure as the hot line when turned on. I just don’t know how to access the line short of cutting into the glass. I spoke with Carver and they said there should be access to it somewhere in the cabinets but I can’t seem to find anything that would allow me to unscrew the fitting. I know about the access under the wet bar in the salon but that really only gets me directly above it. Any advice/ideas would be very helpful! I appreciate it in advance! All the Best -Joey

[Midnightsun]

Do you see water leaking under the sink? Pressure is common between hot and cold so a leak cannot be detected by dissimilar water pressure. Even if this was the case it would be a major leak not just a dribble.

Are you saying hot water comes out stronger than cold water at the tap? If so then the faucet cartridge would be at fault, not the plumbing.

Welcome aboard by the way.

[4207Carver88]

Not under the sink directly do I see water. There is a hissing sound a little further back behind the fiberglass. Yes, the hot comes out stronger then the cold with a half turn of the knob which led me to believe less pressure means that’s where the leak is in that line. About every 45 mins it causes the bilge pump to run.

Thanks!

[Midnightsun]

I doubt there is a leak based on what you said. 45 minutes for the pump to cycle would mean a very small leak and would not be audible as a hissing sound. Could very well just be a bad check valve in the pump causing the cycling which is quite common as out boats age.

As for the hissing sound are you sure this is just not water running through the tap/lines or is this sound there all the time? If it is there all the time try shutting off the pump , open the tap until little or no water comes out and listen once more. If it is still present then nothing to do with the water.

[4207Carver88]

My wife thinks it’s more like every 30 mins but either way it has to be a leak. I just turned the water off, opened the tap and brought it to drip as suggested. When i put my head back under the sink the hiss was stopped. I then turned the water back on sure enough the hiss came back. From the diagram carver sent not sure what else it could be?

Really appreciate all the insight btw!

[tomschauer]

If your bilge pump is running every 30 or 45 minutes you have a leak.
Han's was probably thinking water pump.
Sorry, but I dont know how to access on your boat. A flash light and some time may help.

[Viper]

You likely have Qest system lines and fittings which are known to spring leaks periodically. This could be a number of things though so you need to isolate exactly what's going on; is it a fresh water system leak or is there a thru-hull piece of hardware leaking, there are several sources for that.

Usually there are no plumbing connectors used in behind wall spaces that you can't get at, just the water lines so the chances of leaks are minimized. The back of fixtures can leak. Shower and tub fixtures are notoriously hard to get to and the only clue that there is something wrong is a sound and water in the bilge space below, so that's a possibility.

With your Fresh water system pump turned on, does it cycle periodically even though you haven't opened any faucets? That is a telltale sign that it's a fresh water system leak or bad pump. If the pump doesn't cycle when faucets aren't opened for an extended period, it's likely not a fresh water leak.

Do you have lower cold water pressure in all the faucets or just one? Did this just start happening or always there since you bought the boat?

[4207Carver88]

Let’s hope it’s not a thru-hull issue but I think that is very unlikely!
What reinforces the fact that’s it’s the fresh water system is just what you said. When the pump is on and without opening the faucets the pump runs every 15 mins and will empty the tanks. It has to be a leak I just don’t know how to get access.

[Viper]

Yep, that's a fresh water system leak. Try to narrow down the area by listening for the leak and get yourself a wireless endoscope that is compatible with your cell phone. Find an existing opening close by or a panel that you can remove, and poke around with the camera in hopes that you can spot the leak. If you see the leak and it's a line leak rather than a fitting, you may be able to disconnect that line at both ends and use it to pull another line through. If it's a fixture that's leaking, you'll have to try and figure out how to gain access. Sometimes you have no choice but to cut an access hole.

[4207Carver88]

Thanks Viper! I’ll do that and see if I can find an access, worst case I’ll have to cut it I guess. Really appreciate the advice!