What is the point of a shower sump pump?

[George DuBose]

I am diligent about keeping Skylark odor-free. No diesel smells, no smells from the head or the bilge.

After living with a slow leak in my bilge from cracks and voids at aft end of the bilge, I became extremely paranoid about having something block the impeller of my bilge pump. Screws, bits of cable ties and other small objects are vigilantly controlled, collected and disposed of.

I regularly put my hand into the bilge and "feel around" for any stray objects.

I certainly don't want soap suds, hair, toothpaste, etc. in my bilge.

[PirateGuy]

people have been known to pee while showering. a separate shower sump doesn’t just keep hair and soap scum from the rest of the bilges

[Dooglas]

One of my early sailboats had an icebox which drained into the bilge. Guess what happened when a container of tomato sauce turned over and lost its lid. I agree with those who observe the less gunk in the bilge, the better.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by PirateGuy

people have been known to pee while showering. a separate shower sump doesn’t just keep hair and soap scum from the rest of the bilges

That’s really not hard to imagine. Lol.

[rhubstuff]

As you can tell by the negative responses, if you remove your shower sump pump and drain your shower waste water into your bilge, you will have to replace the sump pump when you want to sell the boat, because NOBODY wants a bilge full of smelly, grimy, hairy, scummy water. I used to run a boat that had three heads, with three showers that drained into a common sump tank, which was then pumped over the side, controlled by a float switch. After only a few weeks, the pump stopped working because the float switch was caked in slimy, scummy fatty-like goo that stank up the whole boat. Filters do not remove this stuff from the waste water stream because hot soapy water dissolves fats and oils, and when it cools in the tank it all becomes viscous again. And then it rots. And then it stinks.

[Scott Berg]

Ditto on a diaphragm pump directly from the basket drain overboard (with appropriate anti siphon,etc. We have ours plumbed to the shower light. Turn it on, take a shower, turn it off; always pumps the shower dry, no smell, no sumps to maintain.

[PineyWoodsPete]

Originally Posted by Shrew

Not really.

Sump: (Noun) A pit or hollow in which liquid collects, especially one in the floor of a mine or basement.

Any pump placed in a sump becomes a Sump Pump. The 'Shower Sump' also has a pump side. It's typically the same pump used as a Bilge Pump (when placed in the bilge). Once placed in the sump box, it becomes a sump pump.

What Cheekago is describing is simply in inline pump, where the pump is inline on the hose between the shower basin drain fitting and the through-hull discharge fitting.

No Sump, No Sump box. Therefore, not a sump pump. Put it in a bilge it's a bilge pump. Put it in a Livewell and it's a Livewell Pump.

Right, we have a gray-water sump holding several gallons, with sinks, shower sump and AC condensate lines in, with a float switch to an external displacement type pump.

[CarlF]

While a bit pricey, this shower pump uses a sensor to start and stop automatically. There's no screen and no tank. The pump is mounted remotely from the sensor. The sensor needs to be below the shower drain level.

I've had one for over five years and it's never needed cleaning or attention.

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=1612504

[er9]

i have a pump located under the head sink about a foot above the waterline. similar to the one CarlF just linked to. its connected to the thru hull for the head sink. it has an inline strainer and the other end of the hose connects to the shower drain.

my fiberglass shower is one piece and in the front where the door is it has about a 4" lip at the bottom essentially creating a deep pan. i have a wood grate that rises above the shower floor a couple inches with an pull switch on the wall of the shower to operate the pump. i can get about half way through a shower when it fills up to the bottom of the shower pan to my feet. i then turn on the pump and it goes directly overboard.

i soap up, rinse off and run the pump again when im finished. only cleaning i have to do is scrub the shower pan couple times a year with soap and water and clean out the strainer. stays pretty clean really not much to do.

i have an inline y-valve where the drain hose runs through the bilge so it can be used as a bilge pump in an emergency.

[peter57]

The PO on my boat put a strainer (which has to be cleaned periodically) where the sump was then ran a hose from it to the bilge sum, when I purchased the boat I thought to myself I'll change that to a shower sump but to my surprise it is not of no concern more crap comes into the bilge through a tiny leak in the rudder post gland that has developed over the last 18 months. So one has always have to clean the bilge sum anyway, but I always put disinfectant down the shower waste so the bilge sump always smells sweet.

[HeinSdL]

I have two shower sumps and wash basins which correspond(ed) to 4 thru-hulls. I diligently greased the thru-hulls (of which there are another 7 elsewhere) but then one of the shower thru-hulls was becoming harder and harder to move. One day I will have the handle in my hand, or more, I thought. And when pumping out the shower, water always remained in the lowest part.


Now my bilge is almost non existent with the hull being rather flat bottomed but there is a small bilge of about 3 litre capacity built into the top of the keel. That's where all the wash basin and shower outlets now lead to (via tubes obviously not via the hull insides) and then the bilge pump, via an easy to reach filter, ensures this is kept dry.


Several advantages:


4 fewer thru-hulls (the yard removed them and the hull looks as new. Also created space in the cupboard where they used to be)
I know the bilge pump is always fit for purpose (and I have two spare, being the old shower pumps)
Two fewer pumps to maintain/clean
No pumps to use battery power
No filling up of the forward wash basin when on starboard tack in a blow. Not to speak of the below the water line configuration of the shower pump layout. You'd better trust that equipment!


And then once a week I get a hose and briefly clean (and inspect) the bilge. I have absolutely no problem with this, smell or whatever.

[David B]

Originally Posted by Rohan

While winterizing my sump this year the question yet again occurred to me - why?? What is the point of a shower sump pump?? I don't think it could ever be an emergency backup for the bilge pump, because if the water got that high the sump motor would be totally underwater and I don't think it would function.

Awhile back I replaced the sump motor myself, and at the time it dawned on me I could make my life easier by simply adding a filter basket and letting my shower water drain into the bilge instead. Then the bilge pump would handle it. Less complexity is a good thing. The only reason I didn't do that is because I may sell my boat someday and having a missing system would look bad.

I know some people want their bilges completely dry, but that's never the case for me. I have a keel stepped mast, and always a half inch of water down there because the bilge pump can't grab it any lower than that. Besides, I spray fresh water into the bilge every once in awhile anyway, to clear out any algae.

But at some point professional engineers decided that the sump was important enough to include, even on a budget cruiser like mine (Hunter 36), so there must be a good reason (frankly, I would have rather that same money and effort had gone toward a second back up bilge pump instead). What am I missing?

You seriously don't want grey water from your shower and body washing, sloshing around in the bilge. Clean out the sump, and at least change your plumbing so that you can divert straight overboard via a diaphragm pump, or else into the sump for holding until you are in an area you can empty it.

Ideally, take out the sump, and install a gravity-emptying grey water holding tank so all grey water goes into the tank, which in appropriate areas can just drain below the waterline discretely, or be held until appropriate to discharge.

No need for any filter - just a diaphragm pump, and a gravity discharge tank. Simple, and trouble free.

[SV Magnolia]

Well for starters;
Your bilge Pump is really meant for more emergency situations, such as a potential sinking, and you really do not want to use it for anything else other than what it absolutely necessary. Secondly, no filter can really do the right job in keeping your bilge clean. By placing grey water down there; You are not only jeopardizing the overall health of your vessel, but you are also placing the health you you, your crew and any passengers at risk. Say for instance someone uses the shower and they have a foot fungal infection. Now that gets into your bilge, and yes it does and can live there. Worse yet, any poor unsuspecting sould working down there, now is exposed to a ring work infection. And yes, Ring Worm and foot fungus do come from the pretty much the same thing.

[Mickeyrouse]

If COVID has robbed you ( and those around you) of your sense of smell, why not?

[Fbfisher]

Your shower drain pump certainly can be used as a backup to your bilge pump. Acquire plastic tubing that fits the inside diameter of your shower drain, of sufficient length to reach the deepest part of your bilge. Turn on the shower drain pump and you now have a backup to your bilge pump.