Shower will not drain

matt_unique · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 8:12 am Post subject: Shower will not drain

Among the list of fixes done incorrectly by my dealer was the shower drain. I ran the shower during a sea trial and it would not drain a drop. The maintenance manager said he re-routed the drain hose and fixed the problem. Among the many things I had to check and double check I did not double check the shower drain. Yesterday I ran some water and discovered (again) my shower does not drain. (I'm planning my first weekend away where I would be using the shower and I wanted to test it).

Looking underneath at the drain hose routing, it's basically level with the floor until it drops down to the pump out box. So of course about a quart of water can drain into the hose then it backs up and does not drain.

The challenge seems to be access to that area. I will take a look to see if there is anything I can do somewhat easily but if not of course it's a warranty matter.

Has anyone had the same problem and can offer some suggestions on how to fix it or get to it?

Thanks

drjohn71a · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:12 am Post subject:

Matt, 'Sorry to hear about the shower drain problem. So far, mine has worked OK. I am wondering how level your boat is sitting in the water. If the stern is low, that could pool water in that aft hose section.

Have you checked the little sump pump box - the one with the clear lid - under the removable floor section under the sink? Maybe, if that pump is clogged or not working, water would back up into the shower.

I am thinking someone posted about having a poor wire connection to that pump on an earlier thread - maybe Thataway.

I did have some fiberglass/wood shavings messing up my sump pump early on.

Let us know what you find out! I am thinking it won't require major re-working, though.

John

matt_unique · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:41 am Post subject: Sump

Thanks for the suggestions John. Upon my first inspection at the dealership, the shower sump box had two hoses broken off and it was not wired for power at all. I had the shower sump box completely replaced before it left the dealership. Considering my dealer, I certainly removed the cover and lifted the float to make sure it worked!

I'm sure it is slightly angled stern down at rest but the drain of course needs to work however the boat will be sitting when tied to a dock with someone taking a shower Smile

My shower drain hose is zip tied and parallel to the ceiling in the bilge compartment. There needs to be a down angle from the bottom of the shower to the sump box.

I'm not sure how one would get access to the area underneath the shower....I can see the area of the drain hose from under the sink area to the sump but farther back I'm not sure.

Thanks again! I know it will be a warranty fix if I can't figure it out but if I can somehow get her to drain I will just fix it myself to avoid the time and hassle.

Doryman · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:36 pm Post subject:

I had that problem too. L@@K HERE for a discussion. I finally got it to work by taking a hose and blasting some water down the drain. You may have other issues, but try this too.

Warren

matt_unique · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:59 pm Post subject: Block

Hi Warren,
In my case I know it's a gravity feed problem based on the hose routing. I just don't know how to access the area under the shower to attempt to change the level of the hose routing.

Thanks for the suggestions.

drjohn71a · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:38 pm Post subject:

Matt,

That blasting the hose thru the shower sump that Warren mentions is a good idea. I think a lot of construction debris - chips, wires, threads, etc., get in those lines, not to mention some mold/mildew build up. I routinely direct powerful water streams into those aft cockpit suppers to blow the spiders, leaves, mold, etc., that build up in them. They too are routed very close to parallel to the deck. That reduced angle leads to buildup inside the drain lines.

Good luck, John

Alasgun · Guest

Using a hole saw a little larger than the hose pop several holes in a scrap piece of star board.
Saw thru the center of each hole to create a saddle. Further shape (saw these into support blocks of various heights. If you use 3/4 stock or glue 2 together they will stand up nicely when wedged under the hose. You can control the amount of drop by adjusting the overall height of the blocks. I can't imagine needing more than 2 and one might do it. Common rule of thumb for drains is 1/4 inch per ft of run!
Mike

matt_unique · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:14 am Post subject: Shower

Thanks for the suggestions. I will take another look the next time I am out. I emailed C-Dory and they said the area under the shower is basically a blind spot. I will try to feel in there for the position and shape of the hose leading forward to the sump box and see what I can do.

matt_unique · Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:12 am Post subject: Solution

You guys will love this....the mechanic who fixed the shower said the hose leading to the sump box was terminated at the end! Meaning the end of the hose was closed when connected to the sump, and not from a clog but actually terminated. He had to cut the terminated nub off the end of the hose and reconnect.

I have not had a chance to pour a bucker of water but I did pour a bottle of water and it went down and within a short period of time the sump came on and shot the water out of the side.

As a rather funny anecdote...the mechanic was unfamiliar with the (otherwise unmarked) ACC2 switch on the dashboard and threw the switch to make sure it was not the shower sump. Of course this blasted my unmentionables into the driveway of the yacht yard. Ha ha ha! I was trying to figure out the smell when I walked over to inspect my boat...

Something not so funny...after running the macerator was run I found a puddle of pee under my sink on the floor. It leaked out of the connection to the y-valve. Yuck....I never use the macerator and in fact it's now illegal to do so near the MA coastline. I always prefer to use the local pump out boat. Anyway...I cleaned up the pee (scrubbing copiously) and that is that.

matt_unique · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:36 pm Post subject: Re: Solution

Bad Boy · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 5:14 pm Post subject: Leaking macerator hoses

Matt,

I saw that C-Dory factory was not using the proper hose for the head system. They use some sort of bilge pump hose rather than a sanitation hose used for the head. The clamps were not holding the thin hose very well and I saw a small leak. Matt, yours may also be leaking on the discharge hose, where there is more back-pressure. I changed to quality sanitation hoses. They are definitely stiffer, so you may have to relocate the macerator to reduce bend radius. Try to use two hose clamps on all sanitation hoses.

When I ordered my boat, I insisted they had the thru-hull discharge from the macerator located below the macerator, exiting just above the water line. I saw that C-Dory was discharging at the rub rail, which would be too high for me. When I fish offshore, we are allowed to discharge overboard and I did not want to have the effluent spraying all over the side of the boat and/or blowing back to the cockpit. It was unbelieveable how difficult it was to get them to see the logic. Eventually, I told them to leave it be and I would install it myself, but they somehow figured out what I wanted.

Also, because C-Dory mounts their thru-hull for their discharge above the macerator, the hose will always be full of "dirty liquid" inside the hose between the macerator and thru-hull. If that were to dry up into a solid mass, it would create an undesireable clean up.

I rotated the discharge of my macerator head 180-degrees so that the hose exits straight down, through the floor under the galley sink and out the thru-hull. Now, I do not have any effluent in my hoses or macerator. Anything that may remain will always will flow out downhill via gravity.

Off course, I always rinse and rinse my system, but I think it is best to not have any holding tank liquid left standing in the hoses.