Dealing with the shower/ice box sump

theoden · **Joined:** 18 Jan 2021 20:46 **Posts:** 40

I'm tired of dealing with the kludge of hoses on my boat to empty the shower sump.

Currently there's a hose and strum box attached to a diverter aft of the "deep" part of the bilge. The diverter connects to the bilge pump mounted under the galley sink and has a separate hose and strum box in the deep part of the bilge. The diverter isn't mounted to anything and just floats there.

It's difficult to use and means I need to lift floor boards to check the sump and change the pickup via the diverter.

I was thinking of putting a separate pump in the sump, but I haven't figured out how to mount it since there is no clearance under the sump for a backing plate for the pump. I guess I could just mount it in the sump without a backing plate and hope for the best.

Has anyone found an elegant solution to easily keep the sump dry?

Appreciate any suggestions/pictures.

WayneH · **Posted:** 08 Mar 2023 11:39

Yes, pictures please. My boat came to me with no sump attachments. Shower and icebox just drain to the bilge. I need to fix this as my Water Witch bilge switch stays on when soap scum covers the contacts. I just slide a paper towel between the base and the contact to clean it up but preventing the problem is a better solution.

madmike · **Joined:** 06 Sep 2020 10:08 **Posts:** 111

I don't call what we have elegant, but it is what it is:

Our rebuilt fridge no longer has a drain, although the old hose (seems to be two hoses connected with a T) from the icebox still seems to be under the new fridge. It just hangs out in the bilge and does nothing. The aft wall of the sump has a thru-hull fitting which is currently plugged in case we want to install a new sink drain.

Hoses from the shower and the head sink drain combine in a T just behind the mast step. The outlet of the T goes to a thru-hull fitting in the forward wall of the sump.

A third marelon mushroom-style thru-hull in the bottom of the sump (near the aft edge) goes to a strainer and then to a diaphragm pump mounted behind the quarterberth (where a port lazarette would be if we had one). The pump output goes through a siphon-break and then into a bronze T fitting that's part of the port cockpit drain. A float switch in the sump can activate the pump, or it can be triggered manually from the Tartan 12VDC panel. (Photos of the pump, siphon-break and bronze T are attached)

Two bummers about this setup: the float switch doesn't trigger until the sump is fairly full, so left on its own it will leave a lot of water in the sump. Manual activation leaves about 3/8" of water in the sump because that's the thickness of the thru-hull's "mushroom head." That can be dried out if needed with a sponge. When I have some leftover epoxy from another project, I pour it into the sump so I can gradually raise the sump floor to make the thru-hull the low point and get rid of the residual water. (Of course there's been few epoxy projects since I made that part of the plan...)

I'll try to grab some pictures when I'm next at the boat.

madmike · **Joined:** 06 Sep 2020 10:08 **Posts:** 111

Photos of the sump. Yes, it still has a little residual water, hair, and crud in it.

Photo 1 shows: inlet from the head sink and shower at the top, former inlet (now just a plugged hose) at the bottom, and the outlet drain in the sump floor. There's just enough room below the sump to allow a right-angle thru-hull fitting.

Photo 2 shows: outlet in the sump floor, unused fridge drain, and float switch

WayneH · **Posted:** 09 Mar 2023 22:17

Well, I have some glass work to do. My sump had a slot cut into the lower part of the fore/aft wall. And no fittings are attached.

theoden · **Joined:** 18 Jan 2021 20:46 **Posts:** 40

MadMike -

you're giving me some ideas here - thanks!

WayneH - do you at least have the inlets from the shower and ice box?

My sump doesn't have an outlet like MadMike - I have a cutout in the aft side of the box and a pump hose ran over the top of it to empty the sump. Perhaps you 'had' something like that.

WayneH · **Posted:** 10 Mar 2023 16:17

Ah, no. My slot goes across the sump about 1/4" from the bottom.

I need to glass that hole closed and then install new fittings.

berwick · **Joined:** 21 Oct 2006 18:12 **Posts:** 325

Instead of a shower sump I just feed directly into an electric whale gusher pump connected via a water witch controller in the shower drain basin. It has worked well for over 15 years, nevers clogs or smells.
Never found the old shower sump ever worked well.

Richard

theoden · **Joined:** 18 Jan 2021 20:46 **Posts:** 40

Richard -

That sounds most interesting - can you post any pictures, especially of the water witch placement? How did you wire the water witch?

And how do you deal with your icebox/fridge drain?

Thanks!

berwick · **Joined:** 21 Oct 2006 18:12 **Posts:** 325

No pictures as I am away for 2 months, but the water witch is installed on the lowest part of the vertical part of the sump drain. I originally tried a small float switch but there wasn't quite enough room for the switch to come on reliably before it hits the bottom of the grate. Maybe a smaller switch would work. The timing for the water witch seems to work well for running for a few seconds to drain the water lower than the sensor too.
I plugged the fridge drain as I have a small grate at the bottom of the fridge/freezer and really don't seem to get much moisture in there, at the end of the season will just soak up the bit that I do get.

When home in mid May can do a picture of the water witch install if you want,

Richard

Tartan37.com

Dealing with the shower/ice box sump

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