I ordered a Nonsuch water tank from Nonsuch.org. I installed it the previous winter but we didn’t get to use the boat much. As a result I didn’t address it until now. When I fill the tank the water pours out around the Visiports. They were not caulked in place. I have tried to remove and reinstall them but the screws will not back out even if I put pressure on them from inside the tank. If I simply ignore it I will have water under the front bunk every time I fill the tank. This promotes mold and makes the storage under the front bunk unusable. Does anyone on the site - especially someone officially responsible for the tank program have any suggestions? It is beyond frustrating.
Larry Banbury had been the contact for ordering tanks. If you go to the INA site, then to "I want to order a tank" and then to important questions to ask , you will find his contact information at the bottom of the page. Perhaps he might have a suggestion.
I too had inspection port leaks from a newly installed Ronco water tank. The ports were a much larger diameter than the original and in addition were inadequately bedded.
Ronco replaced the tank for free with one without inspection ports, however I cost me $250 extra labor which was not refunded.
You will need 2 c clamps or vice grips and a piece is 1/4 steel about 4 inches square.
Span the underside of the screw with the metal and clamp in place , try to back the screw out with this pressure from the bottom. I would drill a hole in the metal and place a screw in it so the head contacts the bottom of the screw.
If one does not work. I be inclined to try an impact driver… you may mess up the head of the screw, using the driver attempt to over tighten the screw and strip the poly off. You could then use a sealant and bolts to re assemble.
I think the poly has stripped enough to jam the screws
I appreciate all the replies. Unfortunately the screws are recessed in the plate so they cannot be wedged out. They spin so they can not be drilled out. I will try again to press them out from below but probably it will require destroying the rings by wedging them up. My greatest concern is that that may damage the tank and I will have to delay cruising we had planned. The fact that Ronco did this to more than one of us is even more pitiful. Thank you Dick for letting me know about your situation. I find their response to you unacceptable.
Consider “Biting the Bullet”.
Take a sabre saw and cut out the entire inspection port to make a large hole.
Cover the hole with a thick piece of plexiglass or similar, properly caulked, and with its own inspection port properly installed.
Then send Ronco an appropriate invoice.
I was able to get the plates out yesterday. They are held with small bolts held by a locking nut. this was not visible due to the retaining ring and felt like an extrusion of the plastic. There was minimal caulk. As of last night I am in e-mail contact with Ronco, with thanks to our Nonsuch organization. We will see what comes of it.
Yes the INA does monitor this discussion group and we have put Ronco in contact with Brad concerning this issue. Continuing membership in the INA allows us to offer services specific to Nonsuch needs and we strive to ensure quality in those offerings. This Discussion Group is one of best contributions to the Nonsuch community and while it is open to those requesting access it is still an INA initiative supported by members of the association.
Ted Eedson
Purrfection N26U, #232
INA President 2017
One of the things I learned about on board water tanks was not to put the fill hose down the fill tube and turn it on full. The tank cannot vent the air and water pressure quick enough out the small vent tube.
This leads to slight bulging of the tanks but more importantly stress on all the attached fittings including the cleaning plates. This leads to many problems including leakage.
The way to correct this is to hold the fill hose a couple of inches above the fill hole and be ready to turn it off when the water starts bubbling out of the fill tube.
I cringe when I see other boaters push the fill hose down as far as they can, turn the water on full and then not pay attention to it until the pressure finally spits the hose out or shoots a stream out of the vent.
This is in no way a comment on a defective tank but a hard lesson I have learned from experience.
It looks like many people have problems with these old tanks cracking. My starboard tank was replaced years ago by the previous owner. The port tank cracked at the fill hose fitting so leaked whenever it was near full.
All the tanks even the new one and unfortunately the holding tank leak a bit at the inspection ports even with new orings. I will check and see if it is the fitting that’s leaking and not the oring seal.
I bought a 26 gal Plastimo flexible water tank from Binnacle. Basically a PVC bag with tough outer woven bag cover. Fits perfectly under port bunk. $90 and free shipping. Easy to install. I used new hoses because the old ones were dirty. No more vent tube. Smelled a bit plasticy for the first few tanks of water but now is great. I would not go back.
Plastimo doesn’t make holding tank bags or I would get one.
I replaced my stinky old aluminum (ugh) holding tank with a NAUTA 15 gallon bladder. These are pricey but are the only brand used by the military and the U.S. Coast Guard (to hold fuel, no less).
Simple and clean install - superb product. No sloshing and it "grows’ with its load. I’d never go back to a formed tank. It also takes up way less room. Made in France, I got it from Ahoy Captain. I also changed the hoses (very important0 and used pricey but good hose.
This was 4 years ago. There is no smell - ever. It’s the best way to go.
Ya gotta believe me, Carol … they really are THAT good. Important that they "sit’ on a nice piece of foam or bubble-wrap with no sharp edges. but … in truth, they are bullet proof.
And no, I don’t work for NAUTA. It’s just that when you find a find a product that is THAT excellent you tend to “go on” about it. Did I mention that they’ll outlast you, me and lots of other people ??!!
If you get one, get it with the installed and adjustable inlet (not the slightly cheaper one that entails you “cutting the inlet yourself, etc.”). They even supply a neat tool used to tighten that adjustable directional inlet. A very cool product.
With my tank, half-filled with you-know-what, you could sleep on it and smell NOTHING.
Ernie,
That last point is just the issue we may have to address. I researched this and NAUTA is part of Imtra. We just added two of their St. Maarten lights to the “Captain’s quarters” and I love them. They are also located in MA, so they are local to me. I really like that.
As I just “wrote” on another post … you DO love your boat. Yup, NAUTA is part of Imtra and they do good stuff.
You live in Nahant. That’s where Dick Carter, the wonderful boat designer, lived in an old lighthouse. I used to sail a (very forgiving) Carter 30, some 20+ years ago. It was an English-built one, not a Polish one (tho the Polish boats were great, just a bit…uh… special !!). It was a superb IOR 1/2 tonner.
I don’t just “contribute” to this board all day - I actually DO go sailing (whenever it’s not POURING rain, like right now. Up comes the water in Lake Ontario, yet again. Ughhhhh.)