Shower Sump

[xplorer]

Interested in learning what cleaners are used in the shower sump.

We are currently doing the great circle loop and have been living on the boat for over 100 days. Many of these have been in anchorages in Canada so we've used the on board shower frequently. During a recent rough crossing coming back into the US the sump float switch stuck on causing me to investigate and fix it.

However, I learned SR had put the sump in such an extremely difficult position to get to as to make cleaning manually highly unlikely short of disconnecting all lines which is another story by itself.

Appreciate any thoughts on effective cleaners.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Sea Gull]

Ah, the Great Circle. I was just dreaming of doing it before I woke up this morning. I envy you. I am not sure I can give you the exact answer you are looking for but:

There are two concerns with the sump. First is that there may be (or should be) a plastic mesh screen on the outlet of the line from the shower drain. This is there to catch the last big stuff - hair, soap pieces and other stuff that might have gone down the drain, but should not go into the pump. This really should be physically removed and cleaned.

Beyond that there is usually a lot of just gunk in the sump that can cause the float switch to stick. One option is to replace the float with something more durable. Absent that, I would think that pouring a good bilge cleaner in there every couple of weeks would go a long way to keeping it clean. The best way would be if you could disable the pump and let the cleaner stand for a while to let it do its work.

I agree that SR should make these more accessable than thy normally do. On the 58DB they have done a good job with this, as they did with my last boat (410DA) but not true of most models.

Good luck.

 

[boatmailster]

Interested in learning what cleaners are used in the shower sump.

We are currently doing the great circle loop and have been living on the boat for over 100 days. Many of these have been in anchorages in Canada so we've used the on board shower frequently. During a recent rough crossing coming back into the US the sump float switch stuck on causing me to investigate and fix it.

However, I learned SR had put the sump in such an extremely difficult position to get to as to make cleaning manually highly unlikely short of disconnecting all lines which is another story by itself.

Appreciate any thoughts on effective cleaners.

Thanks,

Mike

open the top and pour come Spray Nine and let it seat for a while or you can help using small brush (toothbrush) cleaning especially around float switch

 

[ImpulseIII]

Make sure you clean the tooth brush thoroughly AFTER you use it on the sump if you are using it again for its intended purpose !! :smt043

 

[goblue]

Agree with the comment about keeping the screen clean. I keep a supply of them in the head and just switch them out when dirty. I also pour bilge cleaner down the drain and then run all day and let it do its thing before the sump fills again and gets pumped overboard.

Loopers have another issue that we just became aware of. A friend of ours just finished the loop in a brand new fresh out of the box boat. After living on the boat for a year, the hoses from the head to the holding tank needed replacement. He was surprised.

To avoid the problem, you need to pay special attention to hose PM. The head needs to be irrigated with lots of water and soap. Sealand provided a supplemental article with my boat. Basically, it recommends Tide laundry soap with no bleach be added to a bowl full of water at pump out time. As you pump out, depress the flush pedal for 60-90 seconds. The article recommends doing this on a regular basis if the head has heavy use.

 

[Dancin Dave]

I use bilge cleaner every so often and also add pinesol upon leaving the boat.

 

[xplorer]

Thanks to all for the great suggestions. We will add bilge cleaner and CP to the mix of cleaners in the shower sump.

Also, we have been using Raritan's KO and CP for the last 8 years in all our boats vaccuflush systems without a problem. In those eight years we have only had to replace one set of duckbills. CP also lubricates the seals from my understanding of previous messages by Peggy Hall.

Thanks again,

Mike

PS If ever you have the chance to do the loop or to cruise Canada's Georgian Bay, North Channel or Trent Severn Canal, do it because it was far better than we ever dreamed it would be.

 

[Asureyez]

Drains

Hey Xplorer ...

The SR sump for all grey water is a great feature but not Maintenance free by any means. If your at a point hat it begs for attention, get bendy and get to it by removing the top (lid), being careful to preserve the gasket.

I periodically we use a HD degreaser (Roll-Off) and a parts cleaner scrubber brush to get it back to sparkle. Then I put a fresh copper "Curly Kate" scrubber into the bottom of the sump box by the pump. Copper prevents any slime from growing when the sump is not used and flushed frequently. I believe use really helps keep the sump cleaner, but you need to give some attention to what gets into it.

From the shower, screen out the globs of hair; from the sinks use the drain screen and don't let food scraps labels or veggie leaf down the drain, don't feed the sump grease from dishes without a degreaser follow up. Every six month so or so, get back to it and scrub it out. The copper will keep it from being a nasty job.

DO NOT use any clorinator tabs, HTH, Bromine TABS or any strong oxidants as they can attack the wiring, the plastics and the switch.