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Renovating a Yacht -- My Experience with Onboard Plumbing

My father-in-law, although elderly, died rather comfortably well-off. In addition to other items in his estate, he left me a rather large yacht. The trouble is that the inside needed a fair amount of work. Let me tell you the story of what I had to do to get her shipshape again.

The area where this yacht required the greatest amount of work was in the interior. For one thing the lower decks were leaking a lot of water. After making necessary repairs, I purchased a good battery backup sump pump system -- the kind that has a 12 volt sump pump hooked up to a marine battery, just in case the primary power source goes out. With this new sump pump system installed the problem of excess bilge water was eliminated.

I also noticed that some of the other plumbing needed work -- so I purchased and installed some new PVC pipe underneath the onboard sinks -- I used both PVC plumbing fittings for those areas which were not exposed to view, and some fancy brass plumbing fittings where the pipe could be seen. It didn't cost me a whole lot; doing the installation myself saved the labor charge.

Then I decided to get ambitious: I wanted to install a new hot water heater system. Obviously you can't install a huge residential hot water heater tank like you have in your home, but I found an alternative approach: I installed a new energy-efficient, electrical tankless hot water heater for the principal water supply, and a couple of under-the-sink instant hot water heater taps in order to better handle hot water demand during periods of peak usage. This way I can take a shower (which draws from the tankless hot water heater) at the same time that my wife is washing dishes in the galley (and then she can use the instant hot water units that I installed there).

I am pleased to report that since undergoing these renovations the replacement equipment is working just fine. As I mentioned, the battery backup sump pump system that I installed is working flawlessly -- no more dampness and that horrendous mildew smell from the lower decks is completely gone!

In addition, thanks to the newly installed PVC plumbing system, I don't have to worry about broken or leaky toilets or sinks. And because of the new tankless hot water heater/instant hot water heater setup that we have onboard, we won't ever have a problem with a lack of hot water, no matter how long our shower or bath needs to be. And since we now have a more reliable plumbing and water system on board, I am much more comfortable inviting guests -- because I can rest easy knowing that they will also be able to enjoy all the necessary comforts that accompany the yachting lifestyle!

Simon Harris owns and operates http://www.plumbingreviews.net Plumbing Tips For Homeowners

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