Sea Water in Vanity Unit Sink

Halo

Halo

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When we heal over (a lot!) we get sea water in the vanity unit sink which can slop about causing a right mess. In an ideal world I would not put her so far over but I do like to push her a little. Has anyone fitted a non return type valve to a sink drain ???
 
Halo said:
When we heal over (a lot!) we get sea water in the vanity unit sink which can slop about causing a right mess. In an ideal world I would not put her so far over but I do like to push her a little. Has anyone fitted a non return type valve to a sink drain ???
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Surely you just turn off the sea cock?
 
We have a non-return valve for the same reason.
The downside is every now and then it has to be de-gunked or water fills the sink and won't drain out.
People put all sorts down the heads sink so I keep a small plunger under the sink.
We have the same issue with the galley sink. If healed over too far water comes up the drain. That one is easier to spot and people are more likely to reef before it happens.
It is asking too much to rely on people to turn off the seacocks.
 
A pedant writes ...

It's a vanitory (of or appertaining to washing) unit, not a vanity one.

That said, a non-return valve is an interesting idea. Do they cut off firmly enough with the fairly small pressure difference involved?
 
Have you not noticed that overpressing the boat like this just causes a reduction in speed. The extra rudder deflection required causes excess drag, (all that turbulence behind the transom). The constant luffing up in gusts causes your course to become a series of curves rather than a straight line.
You can leave full sail up in strong wind if you are racing, with a half-dozen gorillas on the rail to keep the boat flat, but if cruising, your boat and crew will be happier with the sail-plan matched to the conditions.
 
Halo said:
Many thanks for that information
I have to order some buts from asap and they also do the same thing !
Click to expand...

My experience of the Whale ones is not particularly good. It contains a rubber flap that distorts after a while, in fact after a few years it broke off and disappeared. I had two, the one on the shower pumped drain being the one that broke off. The other one was in the engine inlet line to try to prevent water from draining out when sailing in rough conditions - it didn't work, perhaps because the head is insufficient to keep it closed. I wonder if you might find the same thing.

The other type of valve has a spring of some sort, loading up the valve so it will always close. However, it needs a significant head to open, which your sink may not provide.
 
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Fit one of these
 
The more recent Whale valves (both those fitted in the whale gulper pumps and the standalone versions) have done away with the rubber flap - the valve is now a bit like a rubber pyramid with splits down the side. Water trying to go against the valve holds the splits closed - bit difficult to describe, but certainly better than the old flap design.

Neil
 
What are those words called that are made up of bits of 2 others?[/QUOTE]
Portmanteau words? And by the way, if we're being pedantic, 'heel' is preferred to 'heal'.
 
Fair point but where I sail we get a phenomenon known as a gust of wind. This comes as a sudden increase in wind and tends to cause rapid heeling. It is possible to have a sail plan that can accomodate gusts without excessive heeling but then one tends to be sailing unacceptably slowly and boring the pants off everyone.
 
Halo said:
When we heal over (a lot!) we get sea water in the vanity unit sink which can slop about causing a right mess. In an ideal world I would not put her so far over but I do like to push her a little. Has anyone fitted a non return type valve to a sink drain ???
Click to expand...

When I had that problem (through the shower tray pump), I put a swan-neck in the outlet.

I'd suggest the easiest way round the problem is to not heel the boat so much. It will almost certainly go faster, so your inclination is self-defeating.
 
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