Blocked sink waste

[tobermoryphil]

We are nearly ready to be back in the water, and, during the tidy- up noticed the sink was not emptying. The waste is a bit odd, in that it tees into one of the cockpit drains, and the tee is probably below the waterline. I've prodded as much as I can with a flexible plastic strip, for a very slight improvement. The tee is pretty inaccessible, of course, and I am reluctant to dismantle. I am tempted to use one of the magic products for unblocking domestic wastes- is this advisable?

 

[boguing]

You may not have a blockage. I've previously come across twin sinks with a tee piece joining the wastes, leading direct to a skin fitting directly below. Sometimes they just refused to drain at all. Then (and only when you weren't looking) they'd empty themselves silently. This was while afloat though, but there was no logical explanation that a bunch of Engineers and Naval Architects could come up with - so being afloat may not have been a factor.

 

[chuzzlewit]

Try one of those black rubber cup on a stick things, as used for blocked sinks.

 

[Skyva_2]

Try the plunger, its useful to have one around.I have used caustic soda in the past with no ill effects, but it may not cure the problem. The flexible wire rods might be better that the plastic strip.

Usually the pipes are so narrow that drainage is very poor. We once replaced a drain pipe down to the seacock, and found half a matchstick there was causing the problem.

 

[philip_stevens]

If you have a gas operated fog horn, put the trumpet over the plug hole and give it a blast. Always worked for me.

 

[James_Calvert]

Try the dinghy pump. Best sink plunger on board.

 

[hlb]

Bet you have one of those strainer things, like in a normal sink, but smaller, poke a small screwdriver down. You will be surprised what come up.

 

[colvic]

We had the same arrangement on our second boat and found the best way was to use a hose pipe going into the skin fitting and flushing "backwards" out through deck fitting or the sink. Works every time.

 

[Gary007]

So what product did you use to get the gunge off the headlining.. Smile..

 

[MASH]

My sink-waste riddler is a wire-handled bottle brush of appropriate size with the handle cut off short and inserted, crimped, glued and whipped into a scrap bicycle/motorcycle brake cable outer.

It is flexible for bends, rigid in plunger action, costs pennies , takes 10 minutes to make and works a treat.

Pumps and gas bottles may work, but they may also blow hoses off fittings etc. They won't clear the slow buildup of gunge and bacteria that narrows a pipe and prevents flow even though not strictly blocked. They'll also do nothing if the blockage is beyond the cockpit-drain tee. (you may have to insert the brush from the hull fitting, ie overboard to reach that.)

Easy!

 

[Skyva_2]

Not a cure, but a small plastic strainer, cost about 50p, will stop anything bigger than a grain of rice from going down the sink. Invaluable. Also good in the shower.

 

[colvic]

It is very difficult to get hold of in the shops!! Name Carol, works wonders when motivated and can hold a small plastic container upside down over a sink waste outlet as good as any other "kitchen aid".

 

[discovery2]

As some have already said - you may not have a blockage!

If the waste pipe has an undulating fall from the sink to the skin fitting, an airlock forms, restricting the flow.

This was the case on our boat. Half-a sink of water took ages to drain away, whereas a full sink was much quicker due to the weight of water pushing the airlock through the pipe.

By slightly re-routing and supporting the pipe, the problem has been cured.

Good luck.

 

[sailorman]

Rubber Dubber pump works 4 me