Mystery water in livewells

[Dirtyeggroll]

I was doing some maintenance and organization of my boat today and I looked in the front livewell and found a couple inches of water. It had a strong sulfur odor. I couldn’t believe it because I had just been in there not two weeks earlier and had not been on the water (my boat has been in the garage since mid December). So, I looked in the rear livewell and found water in there too! Similarly I had just been in there two weeks previously and it was bone dry. I pulled the plugs on both livewells and filled a 5-gallon bucket.

At the end of the season, I cleaned both of the livewells running peroxide water through both and put the boat on a steep incline letting all the water drain out both livewells and the bilge for several hours (all plugs open). I then closed the livewells and dumped just enough RV antifreeze in both so it would recirculate through the pumps (less and a gallon total) and then let it all drain. I then ran the pump on the front livewell until it was dry. I then took a towel and dried out the front livewell and put a plug in it because I plan on using it for dry storage next season.

I have been in the boat and in the livewells and bilge several times since then and they were all dry. The only thing that changed was that I pulled the boat out of the garage a couple days ago. The boat did sit a “bow down” angle for about an hour when it was out of the garage.

The water that was in the rear livewell was tinged pink like the RV antifreeze, but the water in the front livewell was not and had a strong sulfur odor.

Where could this water have been hiding? Surely not condensation? My garage has only dipped below freezing for and few hours over the winter time. Hopefully there was enough stored heat in the boat that the water did not freeze and I don’t have a new busted line somewhere.

Any thoughts?

The boat is a 1996 Ranger R70.

[DrewFlu33]

Based on what you've said the only explanation I can come up with is that there was some water laying in the bilge that somehow ran into the livewells, but that really shouldn't happen unless you've got something busted back there. The front livewell that could happen as it drains down the keel tube into the bilge, but not when there's a plug in it obviously. The sulfur smell is from the peroxide, I'd bet.

I have found water in mine unexpectedly before, but that's been when it's been under a cover that leaked. Pretty obvious where it comes from then.

For what it's worth past that: You don't need to worry about messing with the antifreeze and such in those livewells. That pink antifreeze seems to have something in it that feeds mold (my toilets in my cabin end up with scum in them every spring that wouldn't be there from just plain water), so it might actually be a bit detrimental. Open the drain and leave it open, leave the plug out when it's in storage, and all the water (or at least enough water) will run out. I always flick my livewell and bilge pumps on for a couple seconds if it's going to be below freezing just to make sure there's nothing hiding in there, but I've never had any water come out of either as long as the plug is out (boat stored so it's angled back) and the livewell drains have been opened.

[Dirtyeggroll]

Based on what you've said the only explanation I can come up with is that there was some water laying in the bilge that somehow ran into the livewells, but that really shouldn't happen unless you've got something busted back there. The front livewell that could happen as it drains down the keel tube into the bilge, but not when there's a plug in it obviously. The sulfur smell is from the peroxide, I'd bet.

I have found water in mine unexpectedly before, but that's been when it's been under a cover that leaked. Pretty obvious where it comes from then.

For what it's worth past that: You don't need to worry about messing with the antifreeze and such in those livewells. That pink antifreeze seems to have something in it that feeds mold (my toilets in my cabin end up with scum in them every spring that wouldn't be there from just plain water), so it might actually be a bit detrimental. Open the drain and leave it open, leave the plug out when it's in storage, and all the water (or at least enough water) will run out. I always flick my livewell and bilge pumps on for a couple seconds if it's going to be below freezing just to make sure there's nothing hiding in there, but I've never had any water come out of either as long as the plug is out (boat stored so it's angled back) and the livewell drains have been opened.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[billnorman1]

If it's been on the water it is not unusual to get water in the livewells, livewell valves are notorious for leaking.