View Single Post
  #20   Report Post  
posted to rec.boats.cruising
Peggie Hall
 
Posts: n/a
Default Boat Sank due to Syphoning Effect

Lauri Tarkkonen wrote:
My neighbour in the club marina had a 30 footer, where the builder was
being smart and had joined the bilge pump and kitchen sink outlet. If
you left the kitchen sink plug on after you had pumped the bilge, you
had a perfect siphon.


You're saying that bilge pump discharged BELOW the waterline???? What
WAS the builder thinking??? Otoh, I had a consulting job last year on a
70' trawler on which both the gray water and the black water tank vents
terminated in charcoal canisters in the engine room, right next to a
propane furnace. So anything is possible.

Of course it happened once. He was lucky that
someone noticed that hes freeboard (usually about six inches higher than
mine, was about a foot lower than mine and came to the rescue.

Another case was with the toalet pump in another boat. So if you make a
sifon, once it will work. Just wait long enough.


But you CAN'T create a siphon if you close the bloomin' seacock! No
matter how inaccessible and inconvenient that may be, it's a whole LOT
easier and more convenient than drying out your boat after it's sunk in
its slip.
--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/books...ku=90&cat=1304