Treatment to clean and minimize scum in shower sump? [2007

mobocracy

Active Member
Jun 29, 2014
541
United States
Boat Info
310 Sundancer
Engines
350 Mag & Bravo III
Is there anything “safe” that could be added to the shower sump to minimize scum and mold buildup?

I just cleaned mine out because my boat was stinking when the AC got left on for extended times. I’m pretty sure the sump pump was clogged with scum and not pumping well. It was super gross. I cleaned it out well and tested it to know it actually moves water now.

I should probably be getting in it more often to clean it, but I was thinking it would be great if there was something like a urinal mint or something that would inhibit nasty stuff from growing in the bit of water that never drains. Of course I don’t want anything so harsh it rots the hose or damages the pump.
 
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I use citrus bilge cleaner poured down the drain. No smells at all other than fresh clean ones. Do this weekly when cruising as the shower gets heavy use.
 
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Also install a round piece of fiberglass window screen in the drain if you have a screw in drain cap. Keeps the hair out of the sump.
 
Run clear water in the sump after using it to shower. Using only liquid soap helps minimize build up. And regular doses of bilge cleaner after use to keep things flowing.
 
Noflex digestor will solve your issues. Fill the sink with water and some noflex and drain it into the sump when you leave the boat. Problem solved.
 
Another believer in Noflex in the sump every once in a while. I’ve also had a lot less buildup in the sumps since I started using liquid body wash instead of soap.
My AC units drain in to the sumps too. I use AC Pan tablets in the pans.
 
Through the years I tried many many cleaners to keep our sump ( which was huge ) all the sinks drained into it and probably held over 5 gallons if the bilge pumped crapped out which several times it did.....errrrrrrrr

The one item I found that worked flawlessly was Joy dishwashing liquid. At the end of the week I put a little in each drain ( sinks and shower ) and the water in the sump became crystal clear! Go figure after all those years I finally found something.

Tommy
 
Is there anything “safe” that could be added to the shower sump to minimize scum and mold buildup?

I just cleaned mine out because my boat was stinking when the AC got left on for extended times. I’m pretty sure the sump pump was clogged with scum and not pumping well. It was super gross. I cleaned it out well and tested it to know it actually moves water now.

I should probably be getting in it more often to clean it, but I was thinking it would be great if there was something like a urinal mint or something that would inhibit nasty stuff from growing in the bit of water that never drains. Of course I don’t want anything so harsh it rots the hose or damages the pump.
Try Hydrogen peroxide thru the shower drain.
Let it sit in shower sump for about 1 hour.
Rinse with fresh water and pump over.
Been doing this for years.works great.
 
Some of the folks on here will disagree with my method, but it has been working for 10 years with no side effects... I place a toilet puck on the upper shelve of my sump box.
 
Some of the folks on here will disagree with my method, but it has been working for 10 years with no side effects... I place a toilet puck on the upper shelve of my sump box.
I was going to comment with the same, but held back due to the "Safe" comment in the request. The rules are that bleach will ruin both plastic and rubber parts (whale valve). However, I'm in the same camp as you. Been doing this for years - replace the puck every 2-3 months......no gunk, gone boating!
 
What about these pucks....non-toxic and made for septic tanks....

https://www.amazon.com/Unique-Drain...argid=aud-801381245258:pla-525535918941&psc=1

cliff

FWIW...Unique makes a holding tank treatment and toilet bowl cleaner. The advertisement and Amazon make it sound just like Norflex, only about 1/3 the cost. I tried it for several months. It works about 1/3 as good as Norflex as well. When I pump out, 99% of what I remove looks like stained water. With the Unique, there were a lot more solids to remove....just my $0.02...these pucks may work great in the shower sump. Personally, I put in a 1/2 scoop of Norflex when I leave for the week and never had an issue.

Bennett
 
I read on one thread that I believe Carter Chapman had mentioned that he was using Oxy Kem in his, so I bought some and when I went to inspect after the first month of use the shower sump was pretty clean and had no smell. So I put another one in, and thought why not put one in my a/c strainer to see what it does? So I did, and within 5 minutes the sight glass was clean and little brown flakes were coming out the side. This happened for about 6 hours until all the Oxy Kem was gone...so I did it again, and the brown flakes disappeared within about an hour.

-Tom
 
Guys ,
The noflex ur talking about is a holding tank treatment that ur using in the shower sump? just want to make sure im getting the right stuff.

Rob

Yes, it’s the holding tank stuff. I’ve used it the last few seasons in the sumps. I pour a teaspoon full in the shower drains every few weeks and flush it through to the sumps with some hot water. It does a nice job of keeping the sumps clean. I’ve also switched to body wash instead of soap and been diligent about putting the AC Pan Tablets in the AC pans so it is probably a combination of those three things that is helping.
I recently tried the Oxy Kem that Carter recommended as a less expensive alternative in one of the sumps to do a comparison but it hasn’t been long enough to check the results yet.
Regardless of the results of the Oxy Kem in the sumps, I’m still going to stick with the NoFlex in the heads because it is that good.
Well worth the money IMHO.
Just be sure to flush it thoroughly through.
 

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