Oday 34 ice box drains to bilge

[Sefuller]

I would like to create a way for the icebox to drain somewhere other than the bilge. As it is we always have a small amount of standing water that the bilge pump can't extract do to the long shallow nature of the bilge. The ice box is on the port side, and the bottom is so low that getting it to drain anywhere else is almost impossible. I thought about making a waterproof box that would sit inside the bilge, with a small dedicated pump just for the icebox, but the run of hose to get it up and out of the boat would mean most of what was pumped would run back in. Wondering about the possibility of just pumping it up into the sink, and letting it drain overboard through the sink drain? Anyone else that has already solved this problem?

 

[Roadking Larry]

My Cal 2-27 drains the ice box to the bilge. I've just learned to live with it. Since the ice melt is pretty much the only water my bilge sees it hasn't been an issue.

 

[Benny17441]

Do not even know anyone that has addressed that problem. How about placing a cork in the drain hole of the ice box; it would serve two purposes as it would prevent cold temperature from escaping and also water from reaching the bilge. All it would take to then empty the ice box is a small hose with a hand pump and to let it drain into the galley sink. If we consider convenience then there is no substitute for pulling the plug and let the bilge pump automatically take care of it.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Our O'Day 28 came from the factory with a hand pump to pump the water into the sink. Worked pretty well, but as the cold ice water would run through it the metal parts of the pump would shrink and make a lot more friction. Eventually we replaced the hand pump with a small inexpensive impeller driven electric pump that worked reasonably well.

One other concern with having the ice box into the bilge - In addition to the water it puts there, if anything ever spills in the ice box (like milk), it will drain into the bilge and make a stink.

 

[Joe]

Put a shut off valve on the drain.... empty once a day... the cold water is still helping keep things cool and you're not allowing that valuable cool air to escape through the bilge.

 

[alexco38]

Put a shut off valve on the drain.... empty once a day... the cold water is still helping keep things cool and you're not allowing that valuable cool air to escape through the bilge.

Put ice in a dry bag. No drain required. You can even drink the melt water.

 

[Harlan]

On my OD34 I installed a very small diaphragm pump - self priming and can run dry. I bushed the drain tubing down to 3/8" (that fit the small pump and minimal water remains in the tubing to drain back) and periodically turn on the pump to drain ice. You can get access to the drains by removing the stove and then the access plate under the stove. Still not easy access but you can get there. Did the same in the head to pump out shower water without having that go into the bilge.

 

[FasterHorses]

On our vessel, we have an ice box on both the port and starboard side and each has a hose that drains to the bilge. I have traced the hose and found the end which has an excess amount left to it. Once we start provisioning, my plan is to put a plastic quart water jug on the end of each hose in the bilge, capture and repurpose this water if suitable. Ideally we would like to find a way to slow the melt of ice, which we buy in blocks and usually lasts 3-5 days. Currently, we lay a reflective (similar to windshield shades) cover over the items in each icebox to keep it cooler inside and slow the melt. So far, this has worked well for us, but I am always on the look out for way to tweak methods and processes.

Hope this helps you,

 

[All U Get]

Is the bottom of the ice box below the water line? Is there a seacock on your sink drain? I had connected to the sink and used a tapered stopper. When we were on a port tack I could pull the stopper and it would drain but that water is like Maine beaches in the summer.

All U Get

 

[jibes138]

My 35 has a pump next to the sink faucet that pumps the water out of the icebox into the sink. It is a Fynspray Pump (sp?). They are pretty pricey and I had to rebuild it once, the rebuild kit was pricey too. It no longer primes so I have to either pull it apart again or replace it. I think you could mount a manual rocker style pump in the same place for a lot less money. You are only dealing with a gallon or two of water at a time so its' not a lot of pumping, and an electric pump adds more complexity to the problem. Right now I just use a stopper in the drain hole and use a small hand pump to empty it. The West link is the Fynspray but the amazon link shows an equivalent for a lot less money. Mine mounts just to the left of the sink faucet.

Note also that my drain fitting cracked below the surface of the icebox so I had to replace it, getting at the hose clamp is next to impossible with the insulation and the cabinetry in the way. I was draining into the bilge but the drain hose was OK, I finally found the fitting was cracked above the drain hose. Must have been from the ozone eating the plastic :>)?

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/fynspray--vertical-hand-pump-faucet-chrome-over-brass--190603

http://www.amazon.com/Mark-PUMP-Gal...sbs_200_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0W5086ZR94FDMV8C84E1

 

[DannyS]

Mine's the same ad Jibes. The pump no longer works so I've abandoned the iceboxes as cold storage. We've added a Dometic fridge/freezer in the foot space at the nav station for cold storage. The iceboxes are now dry storage.

 

[markwbird]

That is just how it is

Ice boxes drain to the bilge. That's the deal. Not practical to try to make them drain overboard. Two options, plug the hole and empty it yourself or keep the ice in a bag. OR if you really want to get fancy install some kind of sump that drains the water to the sink through hull or similar. Easiest thing is to just live with it. I've never had a boat that did not have a little water in the bilge all the time. No big deal.

 

[jibes138]

Danny, can you post info on the Dometic fridge? I've been wondering if I could find a fridge to fit in that space. Is the heat from the compressor a problem in the boat?

 

[Alan Gomes]

I just hooked up the ice box drain hose to a small, inexpensive Shurflo pump and then ran the pump output to a small spigot I mounted on the sink. Hit the switch and the ice box drains into the sink. It was a very simple mod.

 

[njlarry]

I currently have a cork in the bottom of both boxes. Plan this year is to add add a shower sump in the aft area of the bilge and tee the discharge into the galley sink drain hose. All will drain into the sump box and that will pump into the sink drain hose.

 

[Ken Cross]

install a small catch tank

Put in a small catch tank that you can remove and dump when needed. If it overflows, you are no worse off than you were.

Ken

 

[SoSound]

Foot pump not hand pump

Our Beneteau First 285 had one of these mounted in the cabinet and drained the icebox into the galley sink. Specs say 4 GPM, so just a couple of pumps and the icebox was empty, made it a non-job to empty ice after a cruise when it had all melted. No water in the bilge ever unless there was a leak to be sealed somewhere.

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/whale-pumps--gusher-mkiii-cabinet-mount-galley-foot-pump--P002509222

 

[DannyS]

Jibes, here's a great photo of my kid, not such a great photo of the setup, but enough to give you the idea. It's the best image I have. Here's the fridge info...
http://www.dometic.com/USA/MS-11346...-143418-CF-050AC-Portable-RefrigeratorFreezer
As I recall, we bought the CF-50 unit. I made a tray that the unit sits in that has cabinet hardware gliders that allow the unit to slide out when you want to access and push back under the nav station when not in use. I also attached a caster wheel to the underside of the tray to support everything when the unit is pulled out. I'll grab some photos of my setup next week when I'm up at the boat. I strap secures the unit when sailing.

 

[jibes138]

Here's a nice little 10 dollar pump that will pump about a gallon a minute using DC voltage. Why spend any more than this for the icebox drain? Just pump it into the sink, shouldn't take more than two or three minutes. I have a similar AC pump in a fountain on my deck that would do the job for about 10 bucks also. I think you can get those pumps at Michaels craft store. I certainly can't justify a $200.00 pump like the Fynspray for such a simple task. You can buy a couple of on demand shurflo 3GPM pumps for what it costs for a Fynspray.
The second link is a submersible AC pump, you could put a short length of pvc hose on it, drop it in the cooler put the hose in the sink and plug it in, Keep it in a drawer when not in use. Less than 10 bucks and no installation requirements.


http://www.amazon.com/Docooler®-Ult...&qid=1434754512&sr=8-2&keywords=dc+water+pump

http://www.amazon.com/RHX-Submersib...qid=1434755142&sr=8-21&keywords=ac+water+pump

 

[heritage]

Our Oday 37cc had a shower sump located fairly close to the ice box discharge hose. I just extended the ice box hose enough to drip into the sump box. They now have sump boxes that can accept several discharge hoses:

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|51|2234226|2234234&id=2100903

I hate having water in the bilge. Too many possibilities to think about of where the water might have come from to have a good nights sleep.