Front Bilge holding water?

[Fishpsychic]

Question? Is my front bilge connected to the back bilge? Boat is a 2520 XLD and is holding water in the front bilge on or off the trailer. I thought both areas were connected by a conduit that ran under the gas tank. When on a trailer I would like to tilt the boat up and drain all the water. Any ideas?

 

[TimC2520]

It should drain to the aft bilge when tilted, that's assuming the "chase" isn't blocked.

 

[Megabyte]

I found that the tube connecting the front bilge to the rear had become blocked on my boat, so I got a plumbers snake and ran it through the tubing.
What I found was a combination of construction debris from when the boat was made. Tidbits of fiberglass and zip ties mostly.
Some of that could have come from being worked on over the years, but being the lowest part of the boat, anything left behind would eventually find its way there.

After running the snake through, I followed up with a strong stream from a garden hose to make sure the tube was clean.
A pressure washer would also work if you can get it into the tube through the deck hatch.

I then dumped in some Orange Zep degreaser in the forward bilge and watched for orange to appear in the rear bilge.
Problem solved.

 

[TimC2520]

Follow up to Kevin in reference to debris. I bought my boat new and a year later found an 8" sanding disc in my rear bilge so anything is possible.

 

[Brent]

Same here . The resting angle needs to be high enough to properly. ... I used chimney cleaning rods to clean limber hole... I found hair and after removed added hot soapy water with extra simple green or knock off in the water. ..let sit for awhile then take a boat ride.... in front of the limber hole is flat on my boat and water can sit there if the storage angle is low

 

[Fishpsychic]

Thanks guys... your comments give me hope. The tube must be 100% clogged. I will run a snake through it this weekend and post what I find.

 

[Fishpsychic]

Armed with a electrical fish tape, shop vac and plumbers snake I headed down to my slip in the attempt to unclog the front bilge. After getting most of the water out of the compartment I was able to look down the rear cabin drain hole. Even with a flashlight it was very hard to see but it looked like a peace of tape over the end of the PVC pipe and a bunch of sediment on the bottom of the boat. With the fish tape I was able to tear up the tape pretty good. I also was able to push it all the way to the back of the boat just to make sure the drain was totally free. Thanks guys for the info.

 

[jzumi]

Does anyone know if the chase that goes beneath the fuel tank is one continuous tube? Or is it non-continuous and leads to a compartment beneath the fuel tank?

Been having the same issue on my 2520XL with water trapped in forward bilge. I've tried the plumber's snake as well as the garden hose-- no success.

I am snaking from the forward bilge towards the aft. It feels like the chase starts off as a PVC pipe-looking tunnel but maybe it opens up under the fuel tank? The snkae and the hose just coil up down there and do not pass through to the aft.

Not able to snake from aft to forward because the battery shelf in the aft bilge prevents you from finding the chase opening.

Would love some good suggestions!

John

 

[TimC2520]

There is a 2320 on blocks at my marina now awaiting a new fuel tank. It's an '03. I should have taken photos with my cell phone but the deck is cut out, old tank and foamed removed and all cleaned up waiting for the new install. The chase on this boat is one piece, running along the keel. It's fiberglass, but may very well be PVC wrapped in glass, can't really tell but it is certainly one piece that I saw (no breaks along the length).

 

[99Parker2520]

I replaced the fuel tank in my 99 2520 last spring and there is a length of PVC that passes thru the fuel tank area and there are no drains at all in that area. All the more reason to be sure deck plates are installed properly and as several here have done install a solar vent on the deck plate when not in use. You don't want standing water below your tank.