Fridge/ice box condensation lines

Oct 6, 2019
5
Catalina 310 339 Annapolis
We are new owners of a 2007 310 and are learning. This forum has been terrific to read so many of the previous posts.

Question: I've gathered that most of you have a fridge line that runs to the shower drain pump and the ice box line runs to the bilge. Ours is plumbed the opposite with the fridge draining to the bilge and the ice box running to the shower drain pump. Is it a dumb idea to connect the fridge to the icebox line and run both to the shower drain pump? Is there a reason that one should need to run to the bilge?

I'm looking for a way to keep the bilge as dry as possible. Thanks for your thoughts....
 
Dec 16, 2011
257
Catalina 310 Atlantic Highlands
That may not be a factory installation...I own Hull #48 (2001) and there is only a fridge...no ice box...and no drains of any type go to the bilge. Everything goes to through-hulls. As an FYI, my shower and fridge run to a "Y" valve that can be turned to make one or the other drain through a through-hull under the galley sink (the same place the pump is located on my boat).
 
Dec 25, 2008
1,580
catalina 310 Elk River
No Drain on my Ice Box wish Catalina had thought of the obvious.
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Hull 211' 2003 with confirmed factory installed fridge, drain line to Y valve under sink in head that uses the intake through-hull for the toilet water. Also I assume you are calling the storage next to the fridge an ice box, that is not plumbed for a drain on my boat and after breaking a merlot in it I wish it were to clean up easier. We had to air it out for months to keep everything in there from becoming merlotish...

As for you question, I'd fix that fridge for sure and if I had to pick one or the other I'd leave the icebox line to the bilge and never use it unless you needed to wash that area out. I'm on a similar quest too, but I fear I have leaks in water supply lines that I can't find.
 
Dec 16, 2011
257
Catalina 310 Atlantic Highlands
Ah! I call that the "dry storage" box. I've never put ice in there, and on Hull #48 there is no drain in that thing. I wonder if the drain from the dry storage aka ice box was installed by a previous owner who also swapped the lines around...
 

DaveJ

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Apr 2, 2013
449
Catalina 310 Niagara-on-the-Lake
Hull #160 (2001) does not have a drain in the 'dry storage', and that is what we use it for, dry storage. My fridge drain is the same as Curt's in post #2 and will drain the fridge or shower depending on the position of the 'Y' valve. If you are using the compartment for an ice box, maybe you should join the fridge and icebox drains with a Tee fitting. You may have to put your finger over one of the holes for better suction on the other one when draining.
Cheers
dj
 
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KZW

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May 17, 2014
831
Catalina 310 #307 Bluewater Bay, FL
Hull #307 (2005) has the fridge drain going to the Y-valve. The ice box does have a drain that goes to the bilge. The ice box clearly has insulation around it as it will hold ice for a couple of days.
 
Oct 6, 2019
5
Catalina 310 339 Annapolis
Thanks for your replies. I have been calling the "dry storage' the icebox because it is insulated and does drain to the shower drain pump via the Y valve. The fridge definitely drains to the bilge. I think we will connect the two lines so that they both go to the Y valve and out through the head thru hull. Good idea to cover the hole one the one when trying to drain the other for better suction. I hadn't thought of that. Thanks for your input!
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Ah! I call that the "dry storage" box. I've never put ice in there, and on Hull #48 there is no drain in that thing. I wonder if the drain from the dry storage aka ice box was installed by a previous owner who also swapped the lines around...
Exactly. We have always used that for dry storage. Never thought to use it as an ice box, since there is a fridge.
 
Dec 16, 2011
257
Catalina 310 Atlantic Highlands
Just as a point of information...it looks like the original C310 brochure doesn't mention an ice box (just "lots of handy storage"), but a later equipment list does:
- Front and Top Loading Refrigerator
- Pump for Overboard Discharge of Icebox
I wonder (just spit-balling here) if people started using it as an ice box, complained about how they couldn't drain it, and then Catalina started adding the drain to later hulls.
 
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Oct 6, 2019
5
Catalina 310 339 Annapolis
That sure sounds like that could have happened. I wonder why they stopped running the drain line from the fridge to the pump when they added the icebox drain line??? An earlier suggestion was to connect the two lines with a Tee fitting to run both to the pump....but to create more of a suction, would need us to put a finger over the hole we were not trying to suck out. What if I used another Y valve to connect the lines and would be able to select which drain I wanted to drain? Likely we'll use it for the fridge most of the time but will have the ability to drain the icebox if we ever use that. Any problems you might see if we did that?
 
Feb 14, 2014
7,399
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
I would combine both to the shower, if they both gravity drain.

Mine does that and we even put a damp face cloth over the drain hole.

Why the face cloth?

These drains are not like the Galley sink. Thus drip, drip, drip.

The damp face cloth restricts humid warm air from back flowing into the Boxes every time refrig door is opened.
The damp cloth will still, drip, drip, drip through it to the sump pump.;)
Jim...

PS: Hot humid air rises even with the doors closed.
 
Nov 16, 2017
59
Catalina 310 #246 TX
Wish I had looked closer at this before. Pulled everything out of the “dry storage” today and sure enough, there is a drain in the bottom. I always assumed my fridge drain went to Y valve in the head, but it drains to the bilge as mentioned by others. My ”dry storage“ box has the drain in it plumbed to the head also. Learn something new every day. Clears up some mysteries.
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Wish I had looked closer at this before. Pulled everything out of the “dry storage” today and sure enough, there is a drain in the bottom. I always assumed my fridge drain went to Y valve in the head, but it drains to the bilge as mentioned by others. My ”dry storage“ box has the drain in it plumbed to the head also. Learn something new every day. Clears up some mysteries.
Sounds like a modification by a previous owner. My boat, hull #231, has no drain in the dry storage, and the fridge is plumbed to the head.
 
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Nov 16, 2017
59
Catalina 310 #246 TX
Sounds like a modification by a previous owner. My boat, hull #231, has no drain in the dry storage, and the fridge is plumbed to the head.
Maybe, but seems like most of the later boats have it. See the original post and Curt’s post #11. My hull is #246. I will probably try one of the mods mentioned above. The fridge puts out a ton of condensation in the Texas summers and I am not a fan of sloshy bilges.
 
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Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Maybe, but seems like most of the later boats have it. See the original post and Curt’s post #11. My hull is #246. I will probably try one of the mods mentioned above. The fridge puts out a ton of condensation in the Texas summers and I am not a fan of sloshy bilges.
Got it! Seems like lazy engineering on Catalina's part. Another valve to select either fridge or icebox would have been an easy fix at the factory.
 
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Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Got it! Seems like lazy engineering on Catalina's part. Another valve to select either fridge or icebox would have been an easy fix at the factory.
I'd think both fridge and ice box would gravity-drain to the pump then through a thru-hull with shutoff valve.
 
Aug 29, 2016
131
Catalina 2004 310 (Hull #250) BC
Maybe, but seems like most of the later boats have it. See the original post and Curt’s post #11. My hull is #246. I will probably try one of the mods mentioned above. The fridge puts out a ton of condensation in the Texas summers and I am not a fan of sloshy bilges.
I'm hull #250 and no drain in the dry storage box...I was kind of wishing it did to open up some options for use as an ice box.