Y Valve Shower sump

Oct 22, 2007
17
Catalina 310 Keuka Lake NY
As a new 310 owner I will most likely have many questions. Here is a couple;

I rebuilt the shower sump pump but it still seems to struggle to pump out the water. Has anyone replaced the pump with something a bit more efficient?

Also, the only function I have found for the Y valve is to open and close the thru hull for the shower sump. Am I missing something?
 
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
As a new 310 owner I will most likely have many questions. Here is a couple;

I rebuilt the shower sump pump but it still seems to struggle to pump out the water. Has anyone replaced the pump with something a bit more efficient?

Also, the only function I have found for the Y valve is to open and close the thru hull for the shower sump. Am I missing something?
First, check the strainer. It is located under the galley sink on the bulkhead towards the dry storage/refer. See red arrow in the photo I attached.

Second, there is a seacock/thruhull valve below the trash pin under the galley sink. Two actually, one is for the sink and the other is the effluent of this pump. Make sure that is open and the thruhull is clean (might need a diver).

Lastly, the Y valve switches between the shower sump and the refer. The same pump is used to drain both thanks to the U valve.

We did have to replace our pump last year, so that might be another issue. Ours would sound like it turned on but no flow. I think there was a rip in the diaphragm.

Welcome to the group. If you go to "The Boat" on my blog I have a lot of the manuals there for download if you don't have them.

Good luck and fair winds,

Jesse
 

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KZW

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May 17, 2014
831
Catalina 310 #307 Bluewater Bay, FL
As a new 310 owner I will most likely have many questions. Here is a couple;

I rebuilt the shower sump pump but it still seems to struggle to pump out the water. Has anyone replaced the pump with something a bit more efficient?

Also, the only function I have found for the Y valve is to open and close the thru hull for the shower sump. Am I missing something?
"Also, the only function I have found for the Y valve is to open and close the thru hull for the shower sump."

- It all depends on when your boat was built. The older boats have a Y valve that will allow you to pump the contents of the head directly overboard. The newer boats have no such valve and pump the head contents directly into the holding tank. You can empty the tank through the macerator and its through hull valve. I don't know when the switch was made.

There is a Y valve in my boat (No 307) in the cabinet under the sink. It switches the shower sump between the shower and the refrigerator. The pump empties through the through-hull that lets sea water into the head intake. If that through-hull isn't open when the sump pump it running, there isn't anywhere for the water to exit.

Picture #1 Shows the seacocks in my Head. On the left is the Macerator sea cock. The one on the right is the sea water inlet for the head / outlet for the shower sump pump.

Picture #2 is the Y valve under the sink that switches between the shower sump and the refrigerator.
 

Attachments

Oct 22, 2007
17
Catalina 310 Keuka Lake NY
Y Valve

Ok thanks for the info. Which position should the Y valve be in when the showere is not in use?

One more question: I have the mew style Lewmar windows, Is there a way to adjust them to stay all the way open?
 
Sep 29, 2008
1,928
Catalina 310 #185 Quantico
My $0.02

Ok thanks for the info. Which position should the Y valve be in when the showere is not in use?

One more question: I have the mew style Lewmar windows, Is there a way to adjust them to stay all the way open?
We leave the Y valve in the position that drains the shower sump as we use that the most.

For the lewmar windows you should be able to get an allen wrench in the hinge on the side to tighten.
 

KZW

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May 17, 2014
831
Catalina 310 #307 Bluewater Bay, FL
Ok thanks for the info. Which position should the Y valve be in when the showere is not in use?

One more question: I have the mew style Lewmar windows, Is there a way to adjust them to stay all the way open?
Rotate the Y-valve under the sink clockwise for the refrigerator and counter-clockwise for the shower.