Shower is set up to Drain into Bilge (YUCK)

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by DubeJ

Newbie question (me not you!)...so what is the issue with draining into the bilge? I mean your post says (YUCK), so what is the yuck?
I think that is what mine does too, not sure, but will be tracing all plumbing next weekend and posting pics for help, so just wondering why this is no good, and if it is no good, why the heck our boats have it??? haha

If your boat has any timber/wood in or near the bilge and freshwater and bacteria are allowed to settle there then it is a great place for dry rot to start. If your boat is all fiberglass then it is not an issue other than the smell after a bit.

[Bash]

We drain directly into a Whale grey-water tank combined with a gulper pump. The gulper's no-clog technology is specifically designed for showers. For liveaboards, it's the only way to go.

Whale Marine - Products

[David M]

It's pretty gross to dump what has washed off of your body and soap into the bilge. The smell coming from the bilge would bother me along with the bacteria and having to periodically clean the scum out of the bilge.

All I have is a positive displacement gulper pump made for showers that drains overboard. Run the pump when you are showering.

Keep it clean and simple.

[neptunesjester]

My shower drain has a hose barb and is connected to a whale gulper pump. I have a switch that I turn on when showering and it all goes directly overboard. Not a good setup for NDZ's but works great.

[hellosailor]

Take a shower at home, with the drain closed. When you're done, take a pint of the water and put it into a jelly jar or bowl, and place that on a sunny windowsill to emulate the warm closed boat.

Come back in a week and appreciate the finer points of showering into the bilge. WHo knows, you might find a priceless new antibiotic growing in there.

[jgbrown]

On customer's boats we usually run the shower drain to what is essentially a Rubbermaid or Tupperware container I'm the bilge with a pump in it. Pump fails, it overflows to bilge and still functions. Boat filling up and regular pumps failed, shower pump helps out.
Container is mostly sealed at the top, never even gets half full with shower running full blast. Best of both worlds imo.

[Rustic Charm]

Hi everyone, I'm currently building a shower in my 36 foot steel ketch. I need to water proof the shower enclosure which I made from marine ply. Will a two pac paint suffice to do this or do I need to fibre glass it? And secondary, I'm planning on a shower sump with filter and pump, I know I've got to put a check valve in the waste line, but is this enough to prevent the water from falling back into the sump when you turn the pump off? My bilge pumps never seem to empty the bilge properly.. Ted

[SVNeko]

Glass it! Those little sumps have a check valve in the outlet line.

[Krogensailor]

I have a screen over the shower drain. bend over, clean the screen put it back. Drain goes to a hose, to the bilge, it has a removable screen on the end. When cleaning the shower once aweek add some detergent and flush

[IdoraKeeper]

Originally Posted by Krogensailor

I have a screen over the shower drain. bend over, clean the screen put it back. Drain goes to a hose, to the bilge, it has a removable screen on the end. When cleaning the shower once aweek add some detergent and flush

That is gross.

[Krogensailor]

I specialize in gross. The bending over part or the cleaning part?

[Capt Phil]

Having lived aboard for many years, dumping shower water/grey water directly into the bilge is a stinky idea! Install a shower box/sump that either pumps directly overboard if you are in an area with a lot of tidal change and is allowed under local maritime law or plumb from the shower box/sump into your grey water tank. Ensure you have access to clean hair out of the sump and once a week pour about 2 cups of simple green down the shower drain to keep it smelling sweet. Grey water tanks need to be adequately vented overboard as well.
When you live aboard, keeping a clean, sweet smelling boat is as much a measure of your seamanship as knowing when to reef, heave to and maintain all the systems on your vessel. Just my opinon... Phil

[Cheechako]

As said before, my 30' boat shower drained to the bilge. I never did notice bad smell etc. All my other bilges smelled as bad or probably worse; oil, hair from the floor and debris gets in there anyway. With the shower it's constantly cleaned with the detergent and the hair trap doesnt allow the hair in the bilge. Then again... I dont go out and roll around in the mud before taking a shower.... :>)
the little bilge sumps with pump are nothing more than a bilge anyway.... what's the difference?

[Krogensailor]

I have one of those Scandvik shower box's in the cockpit. Hot + Cold. Could shower there, but that might be gross in a different way. I don't want more hole's and more complication on the boat.. I don't care to revert back to the cedar bucket day's. But I also don't want to be in my house while on the boat. Simple and regular cleaning, it's not like there's a shortage of water.

[goboatingnow]

My boat shower drains Into the bilge , I use a little chemical toilet fluid and clean the shower try and send a little of it into the bilges , keeps everything sweet.
Dave