City Water Connection

D

dad123

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Joined
Apr 18, 2008
RO Number
29891
Messages
40
What is your opinion of a city water connection? Concerns about safety? I am being advised not to do it because of the chance of something failing and the risk of then sinking the boat. As long as we turn the connection off each and every time we leave the boat and maybe each night before heading to bed, wouldn't that be ok? I really like the idea of fresh water on the boat on demand and not having to use the water from the tank but don't want to do anything that would not be safe. As you can probably tell we are new to this so appreciate any and all advice.
 
for $20 you can buy a lawn watering meter at home depot garden dept. Set at 100 gallons and you boat wont sink if something does fail.
 
I use my connection all the time. I have 3 things on my checklist before I leave the boat. The last item is "Turn off city water supply."
 
It is there to be used. Why would you not use it. The only thing I would do is never leave the boat with it turned on. If you are on the boat and a water line braks you will hear it, or see it. If you are gone for the week, itcould get very wet on the inside. Depending on your setup, you may want to invest in a shutoff for the end of the hose that connects to the boat. (Mainly if your hose bib valve, is a common pedestal, were your slip neighbor, or someone else may turn it on thinking they are turning thier hose one)

Happy boating.
 
Your profile does not mention your boat or it's water capacity. When I had the Regal, I only had 16 gallons of fresh water supply. I used the dock connection all the time as the water tank fill was a RPITA to get to. With Saint Max, I use the water tank dockside to constantly refresh the onboard supply. I only use the dockside connection when travelling away from home.

All above are correct. NEVER leave the boat with the water on. More sinkings occur at the dock than anywhere else.

Also, make sure the pressure going into the boat does not exceed the boats recommended specs. You can build an adjustable inline pressure gauge for about $10 with parts from homedepotlowes.
 
I agree with all of the above
Like David stated ‘I use the water tank dockside to constantly refresh the onboard supply’- we have a 150 gallon tank so it goes a long way and we get better water pressure for using the pump than from the city line.
I do also use dockside at times and have shut offs on the hose at the boat/filter end as well at the dock end plus the one on the bib. So someone would have to open 3 valves for it to be a issue
I like Bruce’s use of the watering meter and will look into it
 
There are pressure reducers (regulators) made specifically for connecting boats to city water -- reasonably cheap. I'm sure BoatFix has got them. I also use a Rainbird water valve (home depot) and two timer switches (the depot again) -- on in the galley and one in the head. No way the kids can leave the boat and leave the water on. I highly recommend this, as I've experienced a burst hose with city water connected. All you have to do is forget to turn off the valve once when you leave.
 
alot of the city water connections..like mine..an ITT Jabsco...has the regulator built right in. I use it the whole time I'm at the boat. KEY FACTOR...turn it off when you leave for the week!!!!!
 
I know a guy whose houseboat sank at the dock. He had city water hooked up and "just ran to town for a couple of hours". Returned to a boat full of water and the harbormaster pumping like h#ll!
 
Much rather have city water...Suggesion...Put a quick disconnect with a shutoff valve builting on the boat side. The quick connect makes short work of connecting/diconnecting, etc. This way you have to open both the valve dockside AND the one at the city water inlet. Removes the dependancy on needing savvy dockmates when they "borrow" your hose.
 
I have to agree with Pdecat. Use the water meter shut off along with a regulator and set it for a number that will not sink your boat.
When it gets to the number of gallons that the meter is set for, it will turn off the water and you will not have to worry.
We don't have to over analyze or over engineer something that can be simply screwed on to the boat and then hook up the water hose.
There was a guy who made one for boats. Named Flow Gardian. I don't know if it is still being made, but he had the right idea.
 
Consider that even though you turn the water off at the pedestal, someone else may turn it back on for any number of reasons. Unless you install a valve at the boat inlet or on the boat end of the hose, I would disconnect it from the boat when leaving.
 
i carry 120 gallons and find it simplier to just replace the water in the tank as needed, helps keep the tank water fresh that way. i also agree never never leave the city water connected to the boat when i'm not on board.
 
I agree with Vic and the others when it comes to re-filling the tank as often as possible. We use our icemaker all the time and our dog drinks lots of water. I want the freshest possible water.

OTOH, if I had a really small tank, I'm sure I would use the city water connection-- with lots of failsafes.

Paul
 
I only have 35 gallons aboard. I never leave the city water connected. The fourth thing on my boarding checklist after bilge checks and hitting the A/C is to refill the tank. I'll refill during the weekend if needed. I pretty much flush or replace that 35 gallons every weekend so it is always fresh.
 
Agree with above. I'm not comfortable leaving the boat with just turning the water off. I disconnect so that some well meaning person can't turn it back on when I'm gone.
 
Attaboy, Greg! We've discussed this situation at great length in the past, and that's the best way to insure you don't sink your boat. If the hose is disconnected from the pedestal, a well-meaning friend won't likely go to all the trouble of re-connecting it. But if it's simply turned off, and the hose is still connected, the friend might turn it back on, thinking he's doing you a favor...
 
Great idea on the flow meter because I admit I sometime forget to turn off. I went to HD, Lowes, and Central Tractor tonight and nobody had them. Lots of timers but nothing that measures gallons. Where do you get them?

Thanks
Niles
 
Do a web search on "Gilmour" - they are a company that makes all sorts of hose accessories. BoatFix doesn't carry the timers as of yet, although I suggested to Les that he add them to the catalog.
 
Thanks Vic. I found one on Amazon, a Melnor/Gardena 101 Flowmeter Water Time. When I get it I'll report its functionality, because it wasn't marine it was only $10.25
Niles
 
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