Shower Sump

[Dennis Mullins]

I have been going through two shower sumps a year. I believe the soap gunks up the mechanisms and causes them to fail. I recently poured a bottle of drano into my sump. I am pretty sure it dissolved the entire thing and caused it to fail. Is there a really heavy duty shower sump out there as opposed to the crap plastic boxes with a float and small bilge pump that I have been wasting my money on?

[jaredko]

Try the Whale Gulper. It's been problem free for me. It's a single diaphragm, so it is a very simple design with very few things to go wrong. Of course it needs to sit outside of the sump, so it may be a little more complicated if you've been swapping out the old box and float.

Whale Marine - Products

[rtbates]

If it's an impeller type pump as most if not all drop in are THROW IT AWAY... ANY and everything will cause them to quit pumping. Hair, wood slivers, bobby pins, metal shavings, piece of soap, piece of paper...

All of the above have been removed to fix non working shower sump pumps in the boats I charter,

GO WITH A diaphragm pump as recommended..

And IF you value your boat you'll do the same for that drop in impeller type bilge pump...They suck, but not in the good way...

[svmariane]

I have to clean our Rule 500 GPH shower sump pump every couple of months. It doesn't fail or wear out - just gets clogged with hair. Having said that, there is no way I'll ask my wife to cut short her long, blonde hair!

[Nicholson58]

SOAP????

Our sumps have strainers between the sump & pump.

[Capt Phil]

Lived aboard for years with your average 'drop-in' sump pump and 'plastic' sump box. Had to clean it out every 3 months but isn't this just normal maintenance for living aboard? I tried installing a strainer between the shower and sump but all it meant was I had to clean the strainer every 2 months instead of 3. Finally removed the strainer and went back to cleaning the sump just like regularly maintaining the heads, varnishing the brightwork, greasing the windlass, changing the oil on the genny, etc, etc.
All part of loving the liveaboard life... Capt Phil

[DumnMad]

We had trouble with our sump box clogging because it didn't have a non-return valve on the exit line. Works much better now.

[Stray-Cat]

Drano is to caustic

For maintenance use a product called “Scrubbing Bubbles”
It dissolves soap scum

For the particles that are getting into the sump and clogging up the float switch and seizing the rule pump, you can use a screen over the shower drain
I bought mine from the dollar store ,they are called Sink Screens , used normally in kitchen sinks, and for pet grooming

They come in several sizes,and in my shower the small screen fits in perfect and I clean it out after each shower

It has been over 2 years since I have had to clean the standard sump
(Rule mechanical float switch,500 pump)

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Dennis.

[Cheechako]

On two of my boats I just eliminated the plastic sump/catch basin. Both boats had shower pans that were water tight. After showering for a minute or two, I just flipped the switch and let the pump start emptying the shower pan. No float switch, etc. small sea strainer used just prior to the pump for easy clean out, perforated screen on shower drain. simple, easy reliable.

[markpierce]

A very fine screen at the drain entrance should help protect the pump from solids.

[JanetGroene]

The problem may not be so much soap scum as algae, which finds a hospitible environment in sumps. Can someone on this forum suggest a brand? Some boaters also use it in sumps where AC drainage collects because the distilled water, plus accumulated dust and debris, is also a nice home for algae. Just a little dab'll do ya and it may reduce the amount of other chemicals you must use.

[rtbates]

Originally Posted by svmariane

I have to clean our Rule 500 GPH shower sump pump every couple of months. It doesn't fail or wear out - just gets clogged with hair. Having said that, there is no way I'll ask my wife to cut short her long, blonde hair!

Don't have to do either..

Simply replace it with a diagram pump, and you'll never be aware of the increase in the amount of hair that she's losing over time, haha..

[delmarrey]

I didn't have room for a sump, so I put in one of these........



http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?...345&id=1612525

A diaphragm pump with no screens or impellers to go thru. Runs a 1" hose loop up and straight out. Came with a 3 sided joker valve so the water can't back up. And the pump assy. rotates 360º.

[vtcapo]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

I didn't have room for a sump, so I put in one of these........



Whale Gulley IC Shower Pump Kit

A diaphragm pump with no screens or impellers to go thru. Runs a 1" hose loop up and straight out. Came with a 3 sided joker valve so the water can't back up. And the pump assy. rotates 360º.

Jabsco makes a diaphram pump specifically designed to do the job for about half the price of the one above at Defenders.

http://www.xylemflowcontrol.com/mari...bilge-pump.htm

RT