How to unblock drain holes

[philipm]

Has anyone got a good suggestion for unblocking drain holes on their boat?

I have used a coat hanger but it's not entirely satisfactory.

Need a massive pipe cleaner.

 

[Portofino]

Suck them out .
As opposed to ram stuff in firmer .

I use one of these with a clear tube pipes .
You can run a bit of water after doing a dry suck / vacuum first ....it sucks the lot out .
Any obstruction naturally will be near the entry so to speak .

 

[burgundyben]

Wet vac? Perhaps a butchered sink plunger adaptation on the end?

 

[julians]

I've successfully used a hose pipe to blast the blockage away with water.

 

[markc]

Yep, agree with hosepipe stuffed in the hole. You could also use a wet vac on suck or blow. The flybridge drains on one of my old boats used to get blocked all the time and the hose worked well.

 

[sailorman]

Has anyone got a good suggestion for unblocking drain holes on their boat?

I have used a coat hanger but it's not entirely satisfactory.

Need a massive pipe cleaner.

Dinghy bellows / pump

 

[Clancy Moped]

Hose and bog brush?

 

[wildmurphy]

Flexible gun barrel cleaning sticks.

 

[Catalina36]

If all else fails, pressure washer in small doses.

 

[LittleSister]

Need a massive pipe cleaner.

I've used old fashioned curtain wire for that very purpose - spiral metal inside, plastic coating outside, about 1/4" diameter - cheap from ironmonger or curtain shop. It's rigid enough to poke with, and flexes itself round bends (even sharp ones).

 

[kashurst]

as Littlesisters post, once clear you can attach a bit of rag to build up the diameter to get it really cleaned out. Be careful using a pressure washer or a hose pipe. On some boats the quality of the drain hose isn't very good or just old and it could burst leaving you with a flood somewhere inside the boat.

 

[simon]

Drain Weasel Drain & Plughole Cleaning Brush

Just used this week for the first time ……. it actually worked, great at getting long hairs out the shower pipe.

 

[Robin]

I bought a coil of fencing wire on Amazon cut off required length to reach farthest spot, like to central windscreen. It is flexible enough to follow most except 90 deg turns.

Gardener's Mate 14020 Heavy Duty Garden Wire, Green, 30 m: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

 

[Fantasie 19]

I use one of these on mine.. similar to the curtain wire idea above... but with a handle.. bit like a long flexible cork screw..

2M FLEXIBLE WIRE SINK & DRAIN CLEANER SINK UNBLOCK UNBLOCKER TOILET BATH PIPE: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

 

[DougH]

All the suggestions will work and I have tried most of them over the years, but without doubt the pump method used by portofino is the easiest and most successful of them all.

The galley sink waste sometimes empties very slowly so I now use the same pump and clear hose with nozzle from a B&Q sink plunger. Works a real treat.

You will be amazed what comes up from a galley sink. Yuk.

It also works round all the elbows etc.

 

[plumbob]

Without doubt the best method by far is a wet vac. If of course you have shore power. I use one regularly for draining bilges after winterizing, all drains, after washing down the shower etc etc.Best things ever.

 

[Robin]

For galley drains we have filter strainers in the plug holes, no grease allowed down them, goes in old coffee jars retained for the purpose. When the get claggy we use a trick from google/utube, put a bunch of baking soda in, then white vinegar and watch it fizz clean, follow with hot water with/without a plunger. shower tray is harder but again a strainer helps over the drain hole, pumpguard filter before the diaphragm pump out cleaned every 4-6 weeks.

 

[maverickofpoole]

I have a plumbing company and we use a wetvac hoover to clear sinks showers etc to great effect

 

[philipm]

I use one of these on mine.. similar to the curtain wire idea above... but with a handle.. bit like a long flexible cork screw..

2M FLEXIBLE WIRE SINK & DRAIN CLEANER SINK UNBLOCK UNBLOCKER TOILET BATH PIPE: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

I've just ordered one of those, thanks for the link. Seems to fit the bill in terms of ease of use, small size and at £3.99 it's worth a punt.

 

[jon and michie]

Go to a engineering suppliers and get a mig welder wire liner industrial type like esab they are about 5-6ft long flexible rubber coated.