Find a water leak on a houseboat?

by Carla
(Luka, MS)

I have a water leak in my Gibson houseboat that I can't seem to find?

Water collects in the front bow area where the bilge pump is. The leaking water is hidden, but I think it could be coming from the water holding tank under the cuddy.

How can I find the leak, without taking up the floor.

Thanks, Carla


Reply - Answer
Well Carla, sorry to hear about your leaking water tank problem. I can relate to it since I've had a few tanks leak in my lifetime. We should be able to solve the problem together.

To find a leak, you have to remember that water always routes its way "downwards" but can travel quite a distance.

Just think of a roof leak, and the leaking damage can sometimes appear much further away than we can imagine.

If you feel that the water tank is the culprit, you can always put some safe "food coloring" into the tank, and fill it up, and you should see the where the water trickle or stream flows.

Now to repair a water tank, depending on whether it's aluminum, stainless steel, or PVC polyethylene style, you can usually use a "two part putty like compound" to repair, or plug the crack or seam.

If that is not possible, you can remove and replace the water tank. Sometimes this can be a big job because of the floor.

In this case, you can sometimes place a new water tank in another area, and run new plumbing to your existing water lines.

For more information, you will also find the following articles from our site on houseboat water tanks useful.

Replacement Houseboat Water Tanks

Houseboat Water and Holding Tanks.

I'm sure that you will find the problem and be able to solve it permanently. I hope that this all helps.



Lastly, hopefully some of our readers will share and post comments about their houseboat leaking tank experiences. Feel free to use the "Click here to post comments." link found at the bottom of this page.


Thanks again for sharing, IAN - from www.all-about-houseboats.com

Free Bonus Offer To show our appreciation to all of our readers and visitors, here is the link to our free Houseboat Insider magazine. Go ahead and sign-up, it's free and filled with great articles, tips, and information. Don't worry, your email is safe with us.