Sump Pumps?

Dougal

Dougal

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Who's had any kind of success with these kind of shower sump pumps? They're silly money, but I've NEVER had good results. Seems they work well ONLY if there's NOTHING added to the waste water. Waste shower water however, is by its very nature, usually soapy. Neither type of sensor seem to cope very well with bubbles in or on the water!!!! Very frustrating as it was a total nightmare to fit;-(
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Looks like a Whale (the pump manufacturer, that is, not the large wet mammal). We've had one for a couple of years: no probs other than periodic cleaning of the coarse filter. It's located a few metres away from the shower it serves, so I imagine the water isn't too bubbly by the time it reaches it.
 
I could be wrong, but that looks like a centrifugal pump to me. Completely useless for shower water unless you're one of these kinky people who shaves their entire body :). You need a diaphragm pump that will pass hair, fluff, soap scum, and assorted other detritus.

Pete
 
prv said:
I could be wrong, but that looks like a centrifugal pump to me. Completely useless for shower water unless you're one of these kinky people who shaves their entire body :). You need a diaphragm pump that will pass hair, fluff, soap scum, and assorted other detritus.
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Yes, a diaphragm pump is the one to go for. My boat has a Whale Gulper IC with a Whale shower sump with some sort of float switch in it. Works flawlessly (though makes horrible slurpy noises).

PS What's wrong with a bit of intimate shaving? :rolleyes:
 
pvb said:
Yes, a diaphragm pump is the one to go for. My boat has a Whale Gulper IC with a Whale shower sump with some sort of float switch in it. Works flawlessly (though makes horrible slurpy noises).

PS What's wrong with a bit of intimate shaving? :rolleyes:
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Haven't seen one of these with a diaphram pump. Might think about making one.
 
prv said:
I could be wrong, but that looks like a centrifugal pump to me. Completely useless for shower water unless you're one of these kinky people who shaves their entire body :). You need a diaphragm pump that will pass hair, fluff, soap scum, and assorted other detritus.

Pete
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I have one with a centrifugal pump fitted in the bilge to take water from multiple sources and pump it into a holding tank. The outlet from shower is pumped to it through a filter by a diaphragm pump, and the maim galley sink waste passes into it by gravity, also though a filter. It works without problems, but needs to be cleaned of soap scum occasionally.
 
Norman_E said:
The outlet from shower is pumped to it through a filter by a diaphragm pump, and the maim galley sink waste passes into it by gravity, also though a filter. It works without problems, but needs to be cleaned of soap scum occasionally.
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Do you not end up needing to clean those filters all the time? Especially the galley one, with all the small food scraps that inevitably go down it?

I'm also puzzled by the idea of pumping the shower water into a small tank in order to then pump it into a bigger tank. Why not connect the output of the diaphragm pump directly to the holding tank? I'm sure it works fine, but it seems like unnecessary complication.

Pete
 
Connect a Gulper to the outlet pipe of the shower drain and you will never have issues like you describe again. It's cheaper - £75 - and much more reliable.
 
Dougal said:
Haven't seen one of these with a diaphram pump. Might think about making one.
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Whale make 2 sizes, both fitted with gulpers, I fit a lot of them to live aboard boats and they work very well with shower, galley and basin inlets to them, only one hole and the ability to have it well above the waterline is a real bonus. A bit pointless for one drain though as they also make a gulper with a shower drain sensor, or you can just have a simple switch, in any case it should be a gulper doing the pumping.
 
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