shower/sink sump problems

[warby1212]

Hi, We have a store bought sink sump which is made up of a small plastic reservoir, a float switch and a pump. It drains the sinks because they are close to the water line. Trouble is the sump gets quite dirty with scummy stuff and this clogs the float switch which in turn fails to come on letting the waste overflow into the bilge. A bit of a disaster. Is there a solution to this problem? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Ships_Cat]

I assume that you mean the pump only drains the sink/shower in the bathroom (not the galley which poses special problems of fats and solids) in which case I suspect that the float switch is not big enough to overcome the scum, etc.

In our own case (in a custom built sump/pump arrangement) we used a "Sure Bail" float switch which are commonly available and I am sure I have seen them for sale in Oz. It is a big switch so may not fit into your current arrangement, but otherwise it is shrouded (there is a cover over the float) and cheap. We have never had a problem with it and never clean the sump out into which goes the bathroom sink and shower waste.

John

 

[bruce]

perhaps dumb suggestion, but soap being used may be part of the problem.. perhaps something like our ZEST soap that 'rinses clean and leaves no residue/bath tub ring' might help clear up the problem....

 

[HeadMistress]

Regular doses of detergent (dishwashing liquid will do nicely) will help to dissolve the toothpaste, oils and soap scum...some septic tank enzymes down the drains weekly when it can stand at least overnight will "eat" hair and also help eliminate the soap scum etc.

 

[BrendanS]

Which septic tank enzymes do you recommend Peggie, and are they available in UK/Europe?

 

[Ships_Cat]

Perhaps I can also add that the sump should in my view be very small so that the residence time in it is minimal. It should not have any storage apart from that little amount required to provide a buffer for the pump so it is not rapidly cycling on and off when a tap is running. The pump should have sufficient capacity so that it can always clear the full flow from the taps/shower.

Even if the shower tray is below the waterline, as it usually is in a sail boat, I am also happy piping the pump direct to a through hull below the waterline with a non return valve (plus there are the port valves in the pump if a diaphragm type) so that there is no drain down back into the sump from any above waterline discharge pipework or from an anti-siphon loop. Then for every cycle of the pump the sump is emptied apart from the dead range under the float switch. Others may not be comfortable with this (in the case of the non return valve leaking back the pump will give a warning as it cycles on and off for no apparant reason as the backflow from the sea slowly fills the sump - so if doing this always leave the pump on when the seacock is open).

Problem amounts of scum cannot then form.

Obviously, with an existing installation one is stuck with what you have got but the above may give some leads as to what the root of the problem may be.

With respect to the comment on soaps, when we are away on the boat for more than a week or two we use alot of salt water for washing and with that use the ordinary soft soap that one can buy for pump type dispensers. That lathers well in salt water (I suspect some of the body gels etc might do so too but keep forgetting to try them - maybe someone knows). For fresh water we use conventional bars/cakes of soap. Neither of these have caused any problems with scum in the sump.

John

 

[Ships_Cat]

Peggie

For the cases when there is a small inline filter on the pump suction side and which is external to the sump (ie is not one of the package type sumps where the filter is inside the sump) do you think/know if enough enzyme would be resident in the filter body to clear hair off the gauze filter?

Normally these filters are quite small and otherwise need frequent cleaning, especially with hairy monsters on board /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

John

 

[HeadMistress]

Brendan...any septic tank--I don't mean a boat waste tank, but a true in-ground septic tank--enzyme treatment product will do...Rid-X is the major brand here...they're all about the same, so I don't think brand matters. I'd use about 100 ml of a liquid...2-3 tablespoons of a powder. Just be sure there's at least a little water in the sump.

John...whether an enzyme treatment can keep your filter totally "hairless" depends on just how much hair and how long the enzymes are in the sump. However, if a lot of hair goes down the shower drain, I wouldn't count on being able to skip cleaning the filter. However, you can keep it out the sump altogher by simply putting a screen over the shower drain. Scraping hair off the screen has to be a lot easier than cleaning the filter.

 

[mainshiptom]

Yes I just replaced mine and the new one arrived with alarge filter !

It is used for my shower and gets lots of hair in it( not mine) .

Seems to work ok.

Let me know if your s does not have a filter because I kept the old one !

Tom

 

[warby1212]

Thanks enormously for all that help. I coldn't check my mail until now and have noted all of the above. Because the sump is used for the galley as well I think I might go for the larger float switch solution and also try the setic tank enzymes. Very much appreciated.
Cheers Warby12

 

[HeadMistress]

And plenty of detergent to emulsify the galley grease and oil. Also a strainer screen on the galley sink drain...food bits don't dissolve easily and can clog up the sump pump.