Mystery leak

I recently discovered about 1/2 inch of water in the fiberglass pan below the engine on my IP 32. It was clear fresh water. This rules out the saltwater system and the engine coolant system which contains antifreeze. There are no potable water lines in this compartment and the FW system does not lose pressure. The most likely source of the water is, therefore,rainwater. There are no signs of leaks, and I haven't a clue how rainwater could get into the engine compartment. Has anyone encountered this problem? Thanks, Vic

Yes indeed. Our first day of ownership I found the same thing. Do you have an engine access hatch in your cockpit like we do? The culprit for us was that hatch, specifically the weather stripping. The previous owner added some weather stripping but didn't do a great job. He just put new over old and it was uneven. The hatch leaked when it rained. The fix was to purchase new weather stripping with an adhesive back at the local home improvement store, use a putty knife to remove ALL the old stuff, clean the old adhesive off with acetone and reapply the new stripping. There are also hold downs for the hatch that were loose. I tightened the screws a few turns and we are good. No rainwater in a year now.

I can't imagine any possible way for rainwater to get into the engine pan of an IP32. (The 32's don't have the cockpit access like the 27's and 31's do.)
Are you 100% sure it's not seawater? We've had the raw water pump drip into the pan, and had the seawater side of the cooling system leak due to a broken hose clamp.
The only place fresh water could come in from would be something spilled on the fiberglass cabin floor itself, or something dripping in from the top of the engine cover - but you' certainly spot that.
It's a mystery, alright! There's just nothing in that compartment that could leak fresh water.

Thanks for your quick responses. Katie C does not have cockpit access. I'm sure it is fresh water. I suspect that it may be coming in through the cockpit lazarette and flowing in somewhere under the reefer. That space is unaccessable and I may have to cut open an access port to find it. Vic

Vic,
Jamaican me crazy!
I just pulled off our engine cover, and I can't find anywhere that fresh water could get in that wouldn't be obvious.
Even if water did somehow get into the lazarette, I don't see how it could make it's way into the engine compartment.
But thanks for giving me the impetuous to clean up the engine pan, check the oil and belts, etc, which I get very lax about doing!
Good luck, and please do post the answer if/when you find it!

Steve
Betelgeuse IP32-101

Lets presume it is freshwater...
Before we dismiss the rainwater option, as a man almost obsessed about water leaks there are a couple of tests that will determine inside vs. outside. Rainwater may still be in play depending on how your cockpit drains run. A stole this idea from a plumber(thank you random stranger)

Get soy based food dye. Test it in a very hidden area as the goal is not to stain your gelcoat.

Put a few red drops in the port cockpit drain, a few green drops in the starboard and hose down the cockpit - SLOWLY, but really hose it down. You want to flush the color slowing through the system so it has time to seep. Too fast and you rinse it right out. (1/2" is a lot of rainwater to make it all the way in) Now wait. With any luck you will see only one color and you now know what drain or drain line is the issue.

If it is clear, then do the same, but this time put it into the lazarette hinge area. Rinse it down again. Look again. (This time do one side at a time.)

If that still shows zero results - look into the propane storage area and hose it down. I hope that would not be the case as that would mean propane could do the same thing if it ever leaked.

If all this gives you nothing, then my last suggestion is it may be the hot water tank or a line running along the wall shared with the engine compartment. These leak slightly and dribble their way into the pan - backwards. Don't let the water pressure fool you. If your leak was so serious as to change the line pressure it would be easy to find as gallons would be flowing. This could be as simple as a pin prick like a #10 screw just a little too long.

Good luck.

Did not realize the IP32 did not have cockpit access to the engine compartment. I did find two additional leaks that "might" help you narrow things down. The pressure water pump feeds a manifold that feeds the sinks and showers. Although the pump is located more aft of that pan, the manifold is located directly over it. Some the hose clamps were loose so when you activated the pressure water system there was a series of drips that found their way to the pan. Not spraying leaks mind you, just drips. The other source of leaks was the hot water tank. My guess is that when it was winterized last the mechanic drained the tank by removing the hoses and opening the petcock. They then put the hoses back, less hose clamps, closed the petcock and buttoned up the access hatch. Once again, when the pressure water system was activated there were leaks at the tank. I eventually found that while looking around.

Glory, another difference between 31 and 32 (at least our 32) is that the domestic water manifolds are in the first compartment stbd, forward of the galley sink, and a good 3 or 3.5 feet forward from the engine cover. That compartment drains, I believe, into the raceway (whatever you call it) under the fuel tank, which goes to the bilge, but UNDER the engine pan.

smconrad, Whimsy (IP32-102) sends her fondest greetings to Betelgeuse! She would like to get together with Betelgeuse some time and reminisce about old times, when they were kids in the factory.

PlumBob

Whimsy IP32-102