City Water connection

N

nmitch2859

New member
I do C-Dory Cruiser.My wife and I live aboard. I was thinking about adding a city water supply connection to my fresh water system. Then I would not have to keep filling the water tank. I was wondering if any one had done the modification. Living aboard is fine. Tight , we manage.
 
It is not that hard to add city water, but be aware of the mains pressure. Your boat system is designed for pressures in the 30 PSI range. I have seen city water systems as high as 80 PSI. There may also be city codes requiring a back flush preventer.

The biggest risk is that of flooding the boat--and some advise turning the water off at the dock each time you leave the boat for any period of time.

If your 2007 is like mine, you would put a "Y" valve at the outflow from the water pump. Put the hook up for city water in the cockpit on the aft port side (I have a fresh water wash down fitting there). You would have the outlet of the "y" to the water system, and one input from the pump. the other from city water mains.
 
I would connect it up to feed the onboard tank. Use the tank water and then open the valve to refill the tank. Yes, not quite a convenient as having unlimited city water, but perhaps there is less chance of something going wrong. Also, KISS principle.
 
You may want to check with your marina, assuming you live aboard in one. Some marinas do not allow a fixed water connection, due to the potential with leaks. Some have shared water spigots.

When we were living aboard our 25 in Friday Harbor, I would top off the tank every 2 to 3 days... just part of "the routine."

We spend months each year in our motorhome - we use more water when connected to city water than when we run off our pump.
 
There are regulators that you can add at the end the fresh water supply hose that will drop the pressure to protect your inside piping. There is also a device that will turn off the water after a fixed time to avoid a flood if something breaks inside.

David
 
One can use a Shurflow water regulator and inlet which both serves as a regulator and water inlet.

Install it with the inlet outside the hull. We had one on our sailboat and it failed half way across the Pacific, spraying fresh water overboard. If it's pointed overboard, as our was, the hose fitting leaks will be outside.

Boris
 
I believe that the regulator is best placed at the spigot at the dock. That way the hose from the dock is not subject to the high pressures and is far less likely to fail.
 
Greetings Everyone. Merry Christmas. I did add a city water connection to Delfin. We love it. Do not have to worry about keeping the water tank. I have it connected after the water pump with a t - connection in the water line. I am glad I did it, The marinia has turned off the pier connection.We are getting our water from a garden hose. Sometimes the hose freezes. We keep the water running to prevent freezing. We are not the only ones using the water.i Thanks Neal PS No leaks. Water pressure 40 psi.
 
My insurance company newsletter mentioned that interior water leaks from dock water connections causes a lot of their sinking claims. The Ranger Tug 25 I had, had a dock water connection but I believe the new ones have deleted them for liability reasons and the ABYC regulation may have changed also. If you install it be VERY careful!
 
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