Battling a Leak on our Narrowboat Home | Where is the Water Coming From!?

[@thistinylife]

Weeks like this are sent to challenge us! Be honest, who blamed Jack's plumbing for the leak? 😂 Thanks for watching this week's episode! If you're new here and you don't already subscribe, it would be amazing if you'd join us. We've got something really fun to share with you next week. See you soon! Jack + Gabby x ps - If you'd like to buy us a brew, here's the link ko-fi.com/thistinylife

[@nathanberry4339]

Sometimes we need a challenge so we can learn from it improve the situation and become more resilient though I'm probably going to feel the wrath of the narrowboat gods for that comment 😂😂😂

[@RWM56]

I have a little suggestion I have a wood stove myself, and when I hooked it up the flue pipe, I install a magic heater box and as you’re burning wood, it puts out heat. A lot of heat should look into it. And I use half the amount of wood for heat.

[@marilynf2305]

Guess what!! There is ALWAYS drama and things to repair or replace when you own a house, too!!! Just goes with the territory. I understand your frustration. I’m going through it with my house, and with my two cars (one totaled when a man slammed into me, and the other totaled when limbs from a big oak tree crashed through hood and windshield during a storm. Why everything at once, I ask.

[@denisemahood9162]

Yes, I agree, but somehow it's far more dramatic, problematic and disturbing when you're bobbing about on a narrow boat with a young baby on board. I feel your pain!

[@aimee8151]

I've lived on a narrowboat and now own a house and it definitely feels worse in a boat as there's always that fear your home will sink and it's such a small space you can't escape it. I've had to wet vac my bilge in the past so I feel your pain! Fingers crossed you get it sorted 🤞

[@barbforbis1260]

Life’s curve balls🤪so glad you found the leak. You both handled that trying time with smiles. You are both amazing. The new lounge looks so comfy. Thank you for sharing your life with us.

[@thistinylife]

Thank you! It's so much better than the old sofa in comfort levels! Thanks for watching ✨

[@juliedoherty2086]

Awww bless you both that's all you need in winter and with a baby hope you sort it out x

[@user-xw6wj2qh5n]

Isn't there a back cushion for that sofa? Glad to hear that the water is an internal leak and not a hull leak. You don't sink from internal leaks, but an immediate fix is required to prevent further damage.

[@steamingiron]

Oh you poor loves life is always waiting to throw a curve ball at us. And while I'm sure its quite tiresome and overwhelming at times you always handle it so well with a smile. Love your videos and always look for a new one to be posted. Love and hugs to you all xx

[@thistinylife]

Thank you so much, so lovely to hear 🥰

[@sallyscanlan7269]

You two are so special, don’t change anything. Thanks for the joy you bring to KZbin 💛💛💛

[@thistinylife]

This is so lovely for you to say, means a lot thank you 🥰

[@susanalario3836]

So sorry your dealing with this and the baby too, you've both taken on quite a bit. God bless you all.

[@thistinylife]

Thanks Susan! It's all good, I think you'll struggle to find a boater who hasn't had water down there at some point. Par for the course on this lifestyle :) xx

[@sharonhamilton2056]

And all with a little baby too, but what memories you are creating and what experience you are gaining. The solutions are always hot on the heels of the problems, just continue focussing on the solutions.

[@thistinylife]

Exactly! It is par for the course of living on a boat. At some point something will leak and everything gets wet. It keeps us on our toes :) thank you for watching xxx

[@christinaward161]

Life always seem to throw us these things! We get it in our little house too! Well done for working out the problem, and hopefully itll be sorted soon. Its good to see you guys can still smile about it all. xx

[@thistinylife]

Life would be boring if it was all plain sailing!

[@philambrose5866]

Whenever we had a problem we would say " sigh, thats what you get for living in a machine" Mind you after 20 years afloat and ill health forcing us ashore at the age of 73 we both say it was a wonderful 20 year adventure

[@nedfisher3688]

Merci!

[@chrisknowles7443]

Nice to see you’re all looking very well amidst these catastrophes! Take good care of yourselves xxx

[@thistinylife]

Thank you ✨✨

[@NicksAllotmentDiary]

Hi Jack and Gabby. Oh no water under the floor must be a nightmare. Glad that you think you’ve discovered the source. Hope the sofa feels more comfortable than it looks 🥰Take care. Nick

[@59kiwilass]

I am so glad you found the problem Jack, & its fixable. Life is not meant to be perfect or smooth sailing, otherwise we wouldnt learn or grow. Life is a huge learning curve of ups & downs. I love the way you guys tackle a problem & solve it. Keep on keeping on. Little Joubert is just the cutest wee boy. Take care & I hope this week is a better one.

[@thistinylife]

Thank you! That's very true...if things were easy we'd all be bored and not appreciate the good times!

[@josiefrench75]

Very sorry about the leak - and Joubert is just adorable 🤓 (and Tilly of course). Hope you get some R and R on the new sofa with a roaring fire to keep you all going xx

[@thistinylife]

It's definitely a sofa for R+R! Thank you 🥰

[@sianwarwick633]

Your music while reversing is very sort of jaunty and melodic

[@clairecooper197]

Ohhhh noooo, I hope things are drying out guys. ❤

[@barbarabull2672]

Well done for staying so cheerful throughout, although I imagine a few words may have been muttered off screen! ❤

[@davidfurness1]

Good Luck keeping the boat a bit drier!

[@sarah.sparkles]

Very happy you found the leak and I love the new loungey sofa.

[@thistinylife]

Thank youu

[@jmitch5161]

Hope you get it sorted very soon!

[@beverleybutler7685]

Aww bless you guys, hope you get yur leak sorted soon🙏as they say; these things are sent to try us!!😆

[@thistinylife]

Thank you 🙏

[@sheilajoseph9953]

Glad you solved the leak. Come to think, the washing machine saved your boat from sinking, without it the sub floor would still be filling with water, drip by drip. 😊

[@thistinylife]

Very true!!

[@johnlakey5011]

Hi ,We look at all you vlogs i saw you plumbing in your washing machine noticed you did not fit the reinforced inserts in the pipes when connecting the joints together if have not fitted on any of the others you may come across water leaks later especially on the hot water side system i hope this has give some useful information

[@thistinylife]

Hey John! Thanks for your comment, I'm not sure why so many people have said this. I've gone back and checked the plumbing and the inserts are all there. The only place there isn't is on the hot side which hasn't been installed yet. Just temporarily put in place to stop pipes waggling about! Appreciate your comment though 🙂

[@denisemahood9162]

If I lived near where you are moored, I would come and look after your beautiful little boy so you could have a 'date night' out and recharge your batteries. Unfortunately, I'm about 7,500 km away on the west coast of Canada. Your family is precious and your vlogs are a delight! Take care. 👍

[@thistinylife]

Oh that's quite the journey for babysitting 😅 thank you ✨

[@lisaroot4798]

Another great vlog. Glad you sorted out the leak ❤ i look forward to your weekly videos

[@thistinylife]

Thanks Lisa, that's lovely to read 🥰

[@user-pq4qc8tb7s]

I love your nonchalant approach to all the water in the boat ,l would be in a state of near panic 😮and the sofa shot at the end made it all better apart from,what happened to Tilly’s spot ?

[@thistinylife]

I think after 4 years of living on boats you become used to the idea that there's always something going wrong somewhere. I honestly don't think there's many boaters that haven't had a leak ending up with a good few days of wet dry hoovering! Hopefully we've sorted out the problem now :). Thank you for watching! xxx

[@ytanki]

Good luck for the water problem🍀🍀🍀🍀. I liked the video very much👍🏽❤️

[@thistinylife]

Thanks so much xxx

[@markrant1460]

Hi Jack, Your thought on your water leak sound right. Hoping that it is the issue and not something hidden behind a wall. At least you did find out before the water rose above the floor boards. Since you are dealing with water issues, do take a look in the engine compartment and make sure that the stern gland is not leaking or damp. It is important that you check this both when the prop shaft is idle and also in motion. Make this a part of the maintenance program for the boat and it will save you many headaches later. Mark Alberta, Canada

[@thistinylife]

Thanks mark! Sure, our engine bay is pretty clear on the bottom so easy to see there's no leak in there! Thanks

[@karenbilyk-vogel6553]

Prayers 4 u both of u, water in the winter YUCK😢😢😢

[@thistinylife]

Ah boats eh! There's always something :)

[@susannahwhitaker994]

Lots of love to you two. You know I worry about you both, but your smiles make me think all inside is ok lol🤗

[@thistinylife]

Aw thank you, we battle it through the dramas together!

[@pootlingalong8928]

One step at a time and you’ll get there, like others have said you get these plumbing and other issues in houses too 😬. Like the new sofa - looks like an Ercol cottage sofa? If so it will outlast you both!

[@thistinylife]

It is ercol indeed! At some point we'll sand it back and refinish... Probably a job for the summer though!

[@AScottishOdyssey]

I hope that yous are alright and that the leak gets sorted. Plumbing is always a tricky thing. I do love the wee reference to Wet Wet Wet in the chapter titles.

[@thistinylife]

Thank you - we're getting there!

[@AScottishOdyssey]

@@thistinylife Glad to hear it

[@annjarvis9300]

Do hope all is well now worried for you there is just always something our boiler broke when it was minus 5 fixed after four days and it broke again same thing four days till fixed it grrr thinking of you luvv from your oldies xxx🤗🤗🤗🤗

[@wheelie2012]

have you seen the nomadic crobot....

[@lisaroot4798]

I love the Nomadic Crobot

[@neilyeomans9805]

Moor the boat where the fields are lower than the canal use hose pipe to siphon the water out much easier

[@neilyeomans9805]

Get rid of jubilee connections use flexible pipe and compression fitting much better

[@bs6281]

Fun to watch thanks

[@thistinylife]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@marianneeckertjensen4723]

Wow.. How can you dry up the floor boards so that they don't get mouldy etc..? All the best :)

[@Dore60]

👍

[@dittesque]

For a coffee (or a drink) on the hard days ;)

[@thistinylife]

Thank you so much, really kind! 🙏🙏

[@christinedelfino5322]

Omg, hand in there, lol❤

[@jaynecopland]

You need cushions for your back on that new sofa!! ❤

[@thistinylife]

It's a bit of an upcycle project!

[@tonysimons2860]

Thanks!

[@thistinylife]

Thank you so much Tony ✨

[@edwardhoughton2565]

Xx

[@dexterfitben]

I genuinely feel for you...I normally take slight schadenfreude in watching these endless tasks whilst being glad I don't live on a boat...but not in this case, not with a wee un. All the best.

[@thistinylife]

Ha fair, thank you!

[@shauncorless8965]

Thats what boat stands for brake out another thousand ,,having had 2 i wouldn't have another given free ,,none stop hassle c😢

[@thistinylife]

They can be an expensive challenge!! Still worth it for us at the moment!

[@theresamnsota3925]

Well you know what BOAT stands for right? Bust Out Another Thousand. The first spring after we bought our house, both our sump pump and its battery backup pump died. We’d had a lot of rain and our neighborhood is built on s swamp, so the water table was very high. Had to call a plumber in a Sunday, but was surprisingly not super expensive. We now have a backup pump that is powered solely by water displacement and gravity, so no electricity or battery required. Maybe you should look for a backup sump pump like that to pump water when things like this happen.

[@thistinylife]

A very true acronym! Sounds sensible option for you!

[@jacksg1809]

Hey u 3 its not just u with problems my car failed it's MOT because mouse chewed wires for the back lights and someone elses failed too i know so dont think its just u ...bless u ...need to stop mould getting in ur boat from damp wood etc ... Roll on next week ! 😊

[@hayleyrichardson3343]

6 bucket fulls xx

[@thistinylife]

If only!

[@philbrooke-little7082]

I predicted last week that you would get a leak but I thought it would be due to not using stiffening inserts in the pipe connections. That would though result in an empty water tank. If the pump wadnt running when you got home though it wouldn't be on the pressure side. it must be a very very leaky filler pipe joint with you not putting the hose down into the tank for you to get that much in. Such a shame as the floor will take months to dry out properly. I think I might ventilate it with a fan to dras moist air out. At least you now have inspection holes which you should have had anyway.

[@thistinylife]

There's always something eh Phil! We have one of those expanding hoses and the nozzle doesn't fit in the filler cap. It ends up precariously balanced using a clamp to hold it in the right place. Often when we fill up we don't realise we're full until we're over flowing. Looking at the hose its almost completely sheered halfway down somehow. Will investigate a fan!

[@jannekepetrus3793]

Bedankt

[@thistinylife]

Thank you!! xxx

[@rjkism]

Never fully fit a floor always have inspection hatches it’s definitely an internal leak and not a external breach ….. sad thing is your floor will more than likely need to be replaced at some point also fit moisture alarms in your bilge

[@thistinylife]

The inspecting hatches were something we were going to get round to eventually.... At least we have one now!

[@cherrypi_b]

Good that you found the source of the leak! How will you ever get this dry again though underneath the floorboards? Won't it start to mould?

[@thistinylife]

We should be ok, it only touched the boards in a small area and we'll keep the boat toasty with dehumidifier boxes down there. The hole will provide some ventilation, then might look to get a small fan down there to help dry things out

[@gillywild]

Yep it will grow mould and rot. The floor needs replacing.

[@thistinylife]

@@gillywild hopefully not. It's been dried out and will be kept dry. I think you'll struggle to find a boat that's not had water back there!

[@duracellgee]

Just wondering, if you believe the water is from your fresh water tank why was it soapy when you pulled it out with the wet vac? 🤔

[@thistinylife]

Explained in a couple of other comments. Our neighbour borrowed our vac a few days ago after discovering their shower was leaking. Guessing there was soap left in the vacuum pipe and the hoover body. When you stop sucking a small amount flows back down the pipe. Only the first couple of buckets had suds

[@nopenope6286]

My guess is 39 buckets!!!!❤

[@thistinylife]

That's a lot of buckets!!

[@LookMaintenance]

It is a narrow boat. Sort of get use to it. Steel and water never worked well together. What do I know? Ahh. Nothing. I only spent 2 months on sinking Piano Raft and it is unsinkable barge. Almost went down 3 times. Barrels my friend. Barrels. They are idiot proof. If I can do it, anyone can.

[@ac-xz6bf]

Mate, you need a little 12v bilge pump.

[@TheRealBigfeet]

Just one thing if the first water was soapy could it be either the waste tank also has a leak or could it be the bath, the reason I say this is don’t dismiss the first leak as the same as your main water tank leak

[@thistinylife]

We don't have a waste water tank and haven't yet boxed in the bath piping so I know it's not from there! A neighbour borrowed our wet dry vac as his bilge was full of shower water. I think there may have been soap leftover from that in the hoover pipe 🙂

[@sianwarwick633]

150 L. Uh, oh well

[@denisemahood9162]

I find it fascinating that when a person has a problem or difficulty, many people commiserate and then immediately start talking about their own problematic experiences. I have never felt that this kind of response is helpful or supportive. If, like some of the responses, there are useful suggestions - hooray. If not, perhaps just offer words of support. 👍

[@shinylittlepeople]

Sounds like the washing machine found your leak... so maybe a "good thing"...?

[@tinalopez1522]

20 minimum!😮

[@susanalario3836]

Is it possible for the drain spout to intake water?

[@ReNcEsTaR]

13:14 So the washing machine wasn’t the issue, it helped tell you about the issue. I feel the washing machine deserves an apology 😂😝

[@thistinylife]

Hahaha this is very true!! I also owe myself an apology for blaming my dodgy plumbing all day haha

[@ReNcEsTaR]

@thistinylife atleast you did it, I'm still putting off replacing our shower indoors

[@kevinwhiteland904]

What about the soapy water that you found then ???? Kev.

[@thistinylife]

So, our neighbour borrowed the vac a few days before to suck out his bilge which is a shower leak. I'm guessing the was still soap left in the hoover pipe which then flowed back down. Only the first couple of buckets were bubbly

[@aristorias]

Can you not just run the bilge pump to drain the bilge? It still leaves the leak of course but will give you time in which to get it fixed.

[@thistinylife]

Sadly we don't have a bilge pump in the main cabin, just in the engine bay. The wet dry vac is fine. Just need to keep at every other day or so, then soak up the rest with a sponge

[@bs6281]

15 buckets

[@thistinylife]

Great guess!

[@MistresMind]

28

[@danjdclark]

If it's soapy water it must be from the outlet side.

[@gerryryan1372]

You will always have some problems living on a narrowboat xx

[@thistinylife]

It's just part of the lifestyle!

[@seanjamescameron]

Hi. What's happened to your website? Just went on there and it seems to have disappeared.

[@thistinylife]

We're working on a new website so will be back up and running soon!!

[@marcobrian1619]

Daft question..... don't you have bulge pumps? I know these would cover up your problem..... But you would of heard them clicking on off.

[@thistinylife]

Not in the main cabin, as far as I know bilge pumps aren't often fitted in the living side of narrowboats. They certainly haven't been in the 3 boats we've owned. There is a bilge pump in the engine bay.

[@shawnadkins1027]

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