Faults

A.M.S.

Below is a list of faults I commonly find in the course of average survey.

Common Faults

Hoses

Kinked
Wire Reinforcing Corroded
Surface Cracked
Extruded Through Clamps
Incorrect Size for Spud Fitting
Wrong Application

1. Exhaust – Marine Wet Exhaust
2. Suction – Quality Marine Water Hose
3. Fuel – USCG Type A-1-15 Approved
4. Black Water – Sanitation Grade
5. Water Distribution – Approved, NSF 61 compliant

Plastic Thru Hulls

Cracked

1. UV Exposure
2. External Force
3. Internal Force
4. Over-Tightened Hose Clamps

Hose Clamps

Broken
Corroded
Over-tightened
Loose
Wrong Type
Inadequate Number – Some Applications Require 2

1. Exhaust Hoses
2. Fuel Fill Hoses
3. Below Waterline

Improperly Placed

1. Overlapping
2. Not on Spud Fitting
3. On Top of Flare

Water in Your Boat

Visible

Windows

1. Frame to Cabin Side
2. Glazing to Window Frame

Portlights & Hatches

1. Frame to Cabin Side/Top
2. Glazing to Portlight Frame
3. Cracked Frame
4. Old, Hard, Cracked Gaskets
5. Incorrectly Adjusted
6. Damaged/Missing Dogs

Not As Visible

Deck Penetrations

1. Where to Look – Follow the trail
  - Inside Chain Lockers – Look UP
2. - Underside of Hull/Deck Joint Where Ever Visible – Look UP
3. - Inside Cabinets & Lockers – Look UP
4. - Above Head Liners – Remove if Possible
5. - Trails Down Hull Liner
6. - Trails Inside Settee Storage
7. - Dampness Along Edges of Bulkheads

The Usual Suspects

Mast Partners
Mast Steps – Deck & KeelHigh Stress Deck Hardware
Stanchion Bases – Especially where vessel is boarded
Pulpit Bases
Anchor Platform/Anchor Bracket Mounting Hardware
Anchor Windlass Mounts
Anchor Windlass Wiring Penetrations
Chain Pipes
Towing Bits
Cleats & Chocks
Toe Rails
Sailboat Running Rigging Hardware
Sailboat Chain Plate Penetration
Loose Cockpit Drain Fittings

Nearly Invisible

Swim Platform Hardware – Above & Below W/L
Exhaust Discharge Flanges
Thru Hulls – cockpit drains, bilge pump discharge
Hull Penetrations
Prop Shaft Packing Glands
I/O Steering Shaft Seals
I/O Bellows – drive shaft & shift cable
Volvo Penta Shift Cable Hose
Bait Tank Pump Leaks
Washdown Pump Leaks
Potable Water System Leaks
Transom Penetrations
U-Bolts – Nearly Always

Cockpit Scuppers / Drains

Clogged

Leaves
All Things Cottonwood Related
Conifer Needles/Cones
Hair
Fishing Lures
Cigarette Wrappers
Cigarettes Filters
Grunge
Seagull Lunch Residue
Otter/Beaver/Duck/Geese Residue
Dog Toys

Submerged Discharges

Scupper Balls Close Drains – Rain Backs into Vessel
Loss of Freeboard
Too Much Gear
Improper Trim
Improper Repower
Too Much Weight From Modifications
Generator – new or upsized
Additional Battery Banks
Additional Tanks – fuel, water, waste
Extended Swim Platform
Igloo Storage Box on Swim Platform
Dingy on Swim Platform
Davit Addition
Fish Boxes Fill w/Rain

1. Design
2. Deteriorated Gaskets
3. Clogged/Blocked Scuppers
4. Excess Beer

Cistern Complex

Torn Drain Hoses
Kinked Drain Hoses
Dislodged Drain Hoses
Loose Drain Fittings
Broken Plastic Thru Hulls

Bilge Pumps

Rotor Locked

Debris – zip tie ends, screws,
Internal corrosion – seal leak

Shorted Out

Rotor Lock
Internal Corrosion

Float Switch Issues

Debris Blocks Operation
Loose Switch
Float Water Logged
Float Switch Defective

Wiring

Corroded
Undersize
Smoke Released Already
Wire Nuts
Scotch-Lite Connectors
Poor Crimps

Switches

Off
Location – easily bumped
Unknown Combination of Switches to Activate Float Circuit

1. Battery Selector Switch?
2. Master 12V Breaker
3. Bilge Pump Breaker
4. Bilge Pump Auto-Off-Manual Switch

Blown Fuse
Defective Switch or Breaker

Hoses

Stuck Check Valve
Kinked Hose
Loose Hose
Air Leak In Suction Hose or Connections
Split Hose
End Too High
Clogged Strainer
No Strainer – debris enters

Loose Pump & Diaphragm Pump Failure

Clogged Check Valves
Torn Diaphragm
Weak Motor
Thrown Belt
Loose Pulley
Leaking Compensating Diaphragms
Blige Sludge

Thruhulls & Plumbing

Seacocks / Thruhulls

Seized
Corroded/De-alloyed
Inaccessible
Handle Missing/Corroded
Handle Installed 90/180 Degrees Out
No Nut on Handle
Leaking
PVC

Below W/L Plumbing

PVC Fittings
Plastic/Nylon Fittings
De-alloyed Bronze Fittings
Brass Fittings
Vinyl Tubing

Batteries

Life

Past End of Life
Corrosion

1. At Posts/Terminals
2. Inside Cables

Attachments

1. Wing Nuts (not for use with 6 gauge or larger wire)
2. Loose Nuts
3. Loose Cast Lugs
4. Stacked Connectors (limit 4)
5. Connector Lug Holes Oversize
6. Cables Stacked in Wrong Order (largest should be first)

Electrolyte

Level Low
Hard to Check

1. Battery Location
2. Cables Routed Over Caps
Over Charged – boil electrolyte, bulge cases
1. Inverter/Chargers
2. Dumb” Chargers
3. Automotive Portable Chargers
4. Trickle Chargers – low amp but voltage too high
5. Solar Panels/Wind Generators w/o Charge Regulators
Over Cycled
- 1. Constant Draw
- 1. Intermittent Draw

Fuel Systems

Bonding

Bonding Missing – fill to tank, tank to engine ground
Bond Incomplete
Only One Leg in Place
High Resistance Connection – greater than 1 ohm
Broken Wire/Connection

Hoses

Past End of Life
Surface Cracked
Wire Reinforcing Corroded
Kinked
Soft/Wet
Greater Than 5 to 7 Years Old
Wrong Type

1. Not Designed for Alcohol
2. Not Labeled USCG Type A-1-15 (gas) or A-1 (diesel) Approved
Fill Hose Not Double Clamped
Fill or Vent Hoses Low Spots – Traps
Chafed

1. On Engine Mounts
2. On Other Hoses
3. On Any Hard Surface/Edge/Corner
Loose – exposed to snag or mechanical damage
Fuel Leakage/Seepage

Tanks

Water on Top of Tank

1. Deck Leaks
2. Fuel Fill Fitting Leaks
3. Poorly Designed Engine Room Vents
4. Leaking Plumbing
Tanks on Top of Water
1. Bilge Water Against Tank Bottoms
2. Wet Materials Against Tanks
Galvanic Corrosion of Aluminum Tanks
- 1. Ferrous Metal Against Aluminum – straps
  2. Copper or Bronze Fittings in Aluminum Tank
Mounting
- 1. Loose Straps
  2. Broken Straps Leaks
  3. Missing/Loose Fasteners
Vents
- 1. Located in Catch Rain Position
  2. Broken Off
  3. Flame Arrestor Screen Corroded or Missing
  4. No Loop in Vent Hose Above Vent Fitting
  5. Accessibility
Fuel Fill Cap Gasket/O-Ring Cracked/Missing

Bilge Blowers

Hoses

Torn
Kinked
Disconnected
Suction End Unsecured
Discharge End Fell/Pulled Off
Lack of Adequate Hose Clamps
Taped Up
Reduced Cross Sectional Area

Blowers & Wiring

Blowers

1. Bearing Squealing
2. Loss of Output
3. Not Secured
4. Seized Up
5. Blown Fuse
6. Bad Switch

Wiring

1. Twisted Connections/Wire Nuts/Scotch-Lite Connectors
2. Undersized
3. Exposed to Damage

Engines

Water Leaks

Raw Water Pumps

1. Cover Plates
2. Shaft Seals

Hose Connections
Exhaust Riser Gaskets
Heat Exchanger Gaskets/Hose Connections
Anti-Siphon Valves

Oil Leaks

Rocker Covers
Seals

1. Front Main Seal
2. Rear Main Seal
3. Water Pump Shaft Oil Seal

Timing Cover
Pan Gasket
Mechanical Fuel Pump Mount
Oil Drain Hose Connection/Hose/Plug

1. O-Ring/Gasket
2. Tube Loose

Hoses

Cracked
Hard
Spongy
Wrong Type
Kinked
Snag Hazard – too long, not secured

Coolant System

Old, Weak Anti-Freeze
Low Level
Cracked Pressure Cap Gasket
Pressure Cap Flange Cracked/Broken
Leaks
No Recovery Bottle

Mounts

Corroded
Loose Fasteners
Jacked All The Way Up
Collapsed Rubber
Fuel/Oil Saturated Rubber
Torn Rubber

Cables

Excessive Friction

1. Tight Bends
2. Corrosion
3. Mechanical Damage

Loose Hardware

1. Cotter Pins
2. Lock Nuts
3. Locking Clips
4. Outer Cable Mounting Hardware

Exhaust

Cracked Water Injection Elbows
Leaks
Deformed Hoses
Kinked Hoses
Loose Mufflers
Hose Chafe
Exposed Dry Exhaust
Hoses or Wiring Adjacent Exhaust Components

Wiring

Chafe
Snag Hazard – loopy, unsupported wiring
Wiring Above Engine Secured w/Plastic Clips
Exposed Hot Terminals (starter solenoid, alternator)
Corrosion
Twisted Connections

Sanitation Systems

Operational Deficiencies

Macerator Inoperable
Head Flushing Weak or Inoperable
Flushing Water Leaks
Treatment System Ineffective
Y-Valves Seized
Discharge Seacocks Seized

Discharge Seacocks Not Secured Odors

Permeated Hoses
Clogged Vents
Traps in Vent Hoses
Effluent in Vent Hoses
Corroded Vent Fittings
Leaks (see above)
Valves in Wrong Positions

Leaks

Hoses
Tanks
Connections
Macerator Pump