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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

Island Dreams No. 922 - Additional Water Storage

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Carl in LA
Captain

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USA
284 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/28/2019 : 07:15:42

Did I already post on this topic - hope not as it would expose my pre-alzheimer's condition...

Anyway...

Apparently several others here have added additional water storage by water bladder - I did the same...

I ordered the triangular shaped Lalizas 55-liter through Amazon - way back last summer... and Amazon replied it was out of stock and they did not know when it would become available again. Then - six months later - Amazon notifies me that the bladder is being shipped - six months.

There are other bladders available but the 55-liter model seemed about the right size and shape.

They simply send you the nipple for filling the bladder and you can place it where it suits your installation situation.

Then you snip a hole the size of the fitting...

Then you twist the fitting through the smallish hole stretching the vinyl which returns to its cut size after relaxing.

Then you tighten the nipple into place...

And that's it... the bladder is prepared with grommets at the corners which I used to tie-off the bag.

If I were to do this again - I would mount the outlet on the topside of the bladder - I had this misconception that the bladder needed gravity feed to get the water out - but I did not realize that as the bladder expands with water and there is no air in there - the nipple could have been placed on top and the flow would have worked just fine.

The outlet of the bladder is plumbed to a Tee into the tank outlet line.

An added benefit to having the bladder in the system is static water pressure. With the bladder making slight water pressure - that pressure is evident at the sink - and water starts coming out of the fawcett as soon as you start using the foot pump. No more pump pump pump and then the water starts flowing.

Notice also that I succumbed to the bag of rocks in the bow camp... no more - the weight of the water adds weight forward to help balance the boat (even though Gerry Douglas says that is not necessary)

So far so good - an additional six months in use with no leaks.

Best,

Carl

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 07/04/2019 09:54:14

wm36
1st Mate

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USA
69 Posts

Response Posted - 06/28/2019 : 19:36:38

Neat idea. Two questions. How do you fill the bladder? From the existing tank overflow or ??? Second, do you control the water source with valves or just let the two sources supply the water at the T however it works out?

Wayne & Lynn
Hillsboro OR
1995 C250 WB #151

Carl in LA
Captain

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USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 06/29/2019 : 13:52:27

Appreciate the inquiry...

The bladder fills as the regular tank is filled as the bladder is tee'ed into the outlet of the tank... thus as the water level rises in the tank the water pressure fills the flexible bladder until "full" and then the water level rises in the fill-tube above the tank.

The flow into and out of the bladder is not controlled. The bladder simply fills then empties in parallel with the tank.

Hope it never leaks...

Best,

Carl

quote:
Originally posted by wm36

Neat idea. Two questions. How do you fill the bladder? From the existing tank overflow or ??? Second, do you control the water source with valves or just let the two sources supply the water at the T however it works out?