Shower drain pump box options?

mnm99

mnm99

Well-Known Member
Oct 2, 2015
2,447
Long Island
Boat Info
2004 340 SeaRay Sundancer
Engines
Twin 8.1 Merc
I'm thinking about my shower box and how to make it better/More reliable. Every year it either hangs up or the switch breaks. I'm thinking of some sort of external pump that's not sitting in the water, similar to the fresh water pump. A really good switch setup. Just getting ideas now. Have any of you ever modified your box?
 
I would start out by keeping the shower sump as clean as you can. The workings are pretty simple and should not cause many problems.

If your AC condensate drains into the same sump..... try some AC Pan Tablets to keep things fresh and clean.

There was also some talk a month or so ago about some bath soaps are better on the sump workings then others.
 
Agree, keep it clean.....Shower sumps can get really nasty, and foul the float and or pump. I've been maintaining mine every other month with a toilet tab directly in the sump. Been doing it this way for the past 5 years, and it is working well.

I originally had concerns with the whale valve breaking down from the chlorine tab, and bought a spare just in case. It is brand new in a box, with 5 years of dust on it :)
 
I replaced the rule float switch, after having 4 fail in as many years, with a Johnson electromagnetic float switch. Now have no issues at all.
 
Ive gone with Liquid soaps and it still forms a layer of build up on everything. What soaps do you use that work best? Also what tabs do you add?
 
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https://www.fisheriessupply.com/water-witch-bilge-pump-switch
This switch & a chlorine tab... Once a year inside scrub down and we are great !!
 
We have used Pine Sol for years. Just pour a cup down the shower drain and occasionally in the AC pan. Keeps things clean and fresh. No need to undo covers either.
 
We keep a piece of fiberglass window screen under the screw in stainless steel floor drain to keep hair from getting into the sump. We replace the screen when soap scum and hair build ups cause the drain to empty slowly. Also, pour a citrus scented concentrated bilge cleaner down the drain about once a month to keep the sump clean. The shower gets a lot of use and we have never opened the sump to clean it out because it is not easy to reach. When it dies, I will replace it, but it still works perfectly.
 
I just pulled my shower sump out. It was full of nasty water and not working. Had about 1/4" of black 'scum' on the bottom. It wasn't working when we bought the boat. Left it out for winter layup but to get to it I had to remove the cabin steps. I can see it and touch it by removing the hinged top step but can't get to the screws to remove the top and doubt I can even fit it through the trash can hole in the top step so to remove mine you need to remove about 10-15 screws and take the steps completely out.
 
I open up and clean mine each year. With liquid soap it's not too bad.

There is much less debris there now that we no longer have a bath mat in there (when we're not showering, of course).

Similar to the idea of the pinesol, we put a little of this in once a month, let it sit, and then take the shower head down to the drain hole and put a lot of hot water down there. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KTZ49W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
boatman37 said:
I just pulled my shower sump out. It was full of nasty water and not working. Had about 1/4" of black 'scum' on the bottom. It wasn't working when we bought the boat. Left it out for winter layup but to get to it I had to remove the cabin steps. I can see it and touch it by removing the hinged top step but can't get to the screws to remove the top and doubt I can even fit it through the trash can hole in the top step so to remove mine you need to remove about 10-15 screws and take the steps completely out.
Click to expand...

That sucks. Many builders never care that you need to do maintenance.

MM
 
We use the aft shower every day when we are on the boat. I take hose once a week and wash it down with warm water to get soap scum out. The forward one we drain a portable washer into a few times a year that seems to keep it clean. The forward sump is clear plastic and about 2 feet long 1 foot wide and 8 inches high. Switch failed in it once and it was full of smelly swamp water. At the end of each season I vacuum them both out and rinse with fresh water. Aft switch has failed twice in 13 years.
 
boatman37 said:
I just pulled my shower sump out. It was full of nasty water and not working. Had about 1/4" of black 'scum' on the bottom. It wasn't working when we bought the boat. Left it out for winter layup but to get to it I had to remove the cabin steps. I can see it and touch it by removing the hinged top step but can't get to the screws to remove the top and doubt I can even fit it through the trash can hole in the top step so to remove mine you need to remove about 10-15 screws and take the steps completely out.
Click to expand...
This exactly why we do the screen and bilge cleaner routine. Once you get the sump clean and a pump that works, you should consider doing something similar so you can forget about trying to clean it on a regular basis. Oz. of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
 
mnm99 said:
I'm thinking about my shower box and how to make it better/More reliable. Every year it either hangs up or the switch breaks. I'm thinking of some sort of external pump that's not sitting in the water, similar to the fresh water pump. A really good switch setup. Just getting ideas now. Have any of you ever modified your box?
Click to expand...

Keeping my shower sumps clean and float switches in them working properly was a mission for me this season. Last year was my first with this boat, we take a lot of showers, and I had to clean those stupid things out several times and replace float switches in both.
So far, so good this year. Hopefully I’m on to a cure of sorts for dirty sump problems.
The forward shower (the only one we usually use) and forward AC (smaller unit) drain in to one. The second one gets much less shower use, but a lot more AC condensation because the salon AC is a bigger unit that runs more often.
This is what I did:
1. Started with 2 spotlessly clean sumps.
2. Used two tablets AC pan tablets in drain pans of both AC units, and dropped two more in each every few weeks or whenever I thought about it.
3. Switched from showering with soap to Body Wash.
4. Dropped about a half a teaspoon of Noflex Digestor (it’s what I use in the heads) in each shower drain every week or so and flushed it down each with a cup of hot water.
5. Kept my fingers crossed.
 
JVM225 said:
Keeping my shower sumps clean and float switches in them working properly was a mission for me this season. Last year was my first with this boat, we take a lot of showers, and I had to clean those stupid things out several times and replace float switches in both.
So far, so good this year. Hopefully I’m on to a cure of sorts for dirty sump problems.
The forward shower (the only one we usually use) and forward AC (smaller unit) drain in to one. The second one gets much less shower use, but a lot more AC condensation because the salon AC is a bigger unit that runs more often.
This is what I did:
1. Started with 2 spotlessly clean sumps.
2. Used two tablets AC pan tablets in drain pans of both AC units, and dropped two more in each every few weeks or whenever I thought about it.
3. Switched from showering with soap to Body Wash.
4. Dropped about a half a teaspoon of Noflex Digestor (it’s what I use in the heads) in each shower drain every week or so and flushed it down each with a cup of hot water.
5. Kept my fingers crossed.
Click to expand...

Well planned.

MM
 
sbw1 said:
This exactly why we do the screen and bilge cleaner routine. Once you get the sump clean and a pump that works, you should consider doing something similar so you can forget about trying to clean it on a regular basis. Oz. of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Click to expand...
Good idea!
 
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