The Kitchen Sink . . .

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Have you tried blowing the drain out first? Many galley sinks drain slowly due to clogs. I would not go to the extent of replacing a through hull just to drain the sink faster.

I used the exhaust connection from my wet/dry Stinger vac. We lived aboard and my wife had a hobby of plugging the galley sink.

Less noise than the air horn.

[Dockhead]

It is usually not worth it to try to re-engineer the drain system, but for what it's worth --

I think a better (albeit more complicated and expensive) solution to a direct overboard drain below the waterline is a small gray water tank with a diaphragm pump, pumping out above the water line via a vented loop.

Then you can't get any "growies", and there's no path for seawater to backsiphon into the boat. It's one less below the water line through-hull which can sink you. Crud tends to accumulate in the gray water tank, which can be cleaned out periodically.

It's worth mentioning that it is really worthwhile to try to prevent solid materials from going down your sink drain. Whatever gray water system you have on board, it is less tolerant to solid materials and grease than your home system. We use a fairly fine strainer which we clean often into a bucket for organic waste, which goes overboard after every meal. Letting crumbs and food scraps get down your sink drain is just asking for trouble.

[gonesail]

you should have 1.5" ID hose to the thru hull.

[ShipShape]

Before you do anything be sure the seacock is in good working order!

How old is the hose? Hoses are a maintenance item, and since the galley drain gets grease (oil is a solvent), boiling water, and various chemical concoctions (cleaners, acids (vinegar, lemon juice) alcohol...) through it on a regular basis, it is a good idea to renew that hose every five years. When you remove it you will find out if a clogged hose was the problem.

While the hose is off, put a bucket under the drain and pour some water through to see how fast it drains - that should tell you if you really need a larger sink opening. Next, put the new hose on the drain and run the other end to the bottom of the bucket and fill the bucket 3/4 full of water - try to position the bucket so the top of the water in the bucket is near the waterline of the boat, and to do a really good experiment place the bucket so the run of hose to the bucket waterline is similar to how it would be if the hose were attached to the seacock. If it is slow draining then a vent line may be the solution.

Quite a few boats have the bottom of the sink near the waterline, (some have to be pumped out because they are below the waterline), and the "solution" for that is the gray water tank and pump - "solution" because of what could grow inside that tank, not to mention the smell.

[osirissail]

You can also do the opposite using the plunger. Unscrew the stick from the plunger and cut the bottom of the stick hole out so that you have an opening into the "bell" of the plunger. (Putting the stick back into its threaded holder closes off the hole so the plunger will work normally again.)
- - Use a garden hose and screw the hose fitting into the bell of the plunger. Hold the plunger bell over the sink drain - firmly - and turn on the pressurized water to the garden hose. You will now be able to pressure flush the drain all the way to the through-hull.

[daddle]

Cruisers will have used very little water. So sink draining speed won't be an issue. Right?

[SimonV]

I use the old plunger and am always amazed at the gunk that comes back up into the sink.......I dont remember eating anything like that.........I think its time to replace the old hose with some nice smooth bore stuff. When it goes on new I will make up a warm soapy mix of lux soap flakes, then poor it down the sink till full ( close sea cock) and leave for a few hours then flush with fresh water. the soap leaves a film on the sides of the pipe and is easier to clean with hot water now and again.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by Alizxa

I have been wondering about this question since a while now. For several decades, the stainless steel Kitchen Sink has not seen any new innovation or product design change. I am an entrepreneur who is looking to fill this void and need your help to design the right Kitchen Sink and meet the customer needs.

The main difference between "Marine" sinks and household sinks is the depth of the basin. Marine sinks are easily twice as deep and are usually narrow. This is to allow water in the sink to not slosh or spill over the edges when the boat is rolling. Currently there are hundreds of styles and sizes available. see:
Scandvik Stainless Steel Sinks, Round Sink, Scandvik Steel Basin, Drain Scupper, Water Tap Bar Faucet - Discount Yacht Supplies, Vetus Nautical Accessories, Scandvik Parts, Garmin Marine Electronics
and: Sinks for Galley and Head at AhoyCaptain.com

New innovation is not needed - what is needed is a 50% price reduction - these suckers are downright expensive.

[MarkJ]

Ummmm osirissail, you are replying to a spammer

Its a spam post where they target their product to a thread about it (see the link below their post)

[osirissail]

I thought it was - but long time ago we had that kid from London wanting to make the "killer" program/application to keeping track of everything on a cruising boat. So who knows? Considering I need a new sink, maybe, just maybe . . . .