Separate Shower Sump on a 30'...Is It Worth It?

[Bob]

Now that we are spending more weekends aboard, I was giving careful consideration to installing a separate shower sump - pump combo unit in the bildge for the shower run-off. It appears installation would be simple enough. My motiviation for doing this is to minimize the collection of shower drain water in the sump that in my experience on other boats, becomes malodorous if left standing. I can never get my bildge drained completely dry in my '88 30. The shower sump unit, which is all self contained, would handle all drainage. Any experience with installation or thoughts on the shower drain system, bildge pump improvements, etc., on the 30 Catalina are welcomed and appreciated.Bob"Breezin II"Lake Lanier, Ga

 

[Jim Hamilton]

easier?

I never really thought about a separate sump for the shower. My first thought would be to simply partition off the forward end of the bildge (for the shower) and install a second pump there. That way, you can keep the main bilge dry and only worry about the shower portion.That may be put on my list of improvements to my boat. If you make the partition wall a couple inches shorter than the very top of the bildge, then your shower pump could act as a backup bilge pump should your original one fail.Always nice to have dual use items....!!! JimmyD

 

[Bob]

Thanks Jim

Jim.They make these self contained units with about a 1/2 gallon water capacity with built in bildge pump and ghose connectors that would fit nicely into the bilge. The only problem is running the drain from the shower directly into it as well at teeing in the drain hose to the main hose with a back flow preventer and wiring it up to the existing bilge pump. The challenge would be dealing with that square shaped drain in the shower pan that would be tough to reconfigure.RegardsBob

 

[John]

bilge sump

MY boat is a88TR C30 and my PO had abattery box in the bilge with a pump in it that drained into a tee in the manual bilge hose in the port locker This worked ok but in lake george you need to tank all gray water so I now have a sump in the bilge that drains into the stb water tank.And I pump this tank in to the main holding tank thru the deck fiting as a rinse.I think the attwood sump fits your boat and I bought it from WM or Defender . I no a guy that has a C27 and he has a defender In line pump that he turns on when he runs the shower He hooked his rubber bilge hose to a two inch pvc pipe 2' long that is runing along the side of the bilge the with the in line pump useing the pipe as a small tank so when the pump is off the water in the hose leeks back throw the line and stays below the drain level. John