Shower Drains into Bilge

[Steve A.]

I am considering buying a 1990 30G. This appears to be a fantastic boat, however, I am concerned about the shower draining between the hull and the liner and coming up into the center bilge compartment through a small weep hole. There is a strong mold/mildew odor in the boat that I think is coming from both the bilge and the area between the hull and liner.Has anyone experienced any problems with this design? Has anyone made a modification that keeps the shower water out of the bilge? How can I get rid of the odor (I have already ordered Peggie's book and am waiting for it to arrive)?A friend of mine suggested that I run a hose directly from the shower drain to a pump (beside the one that is already in the bilge) that has a small holding tank and pumps the water overboard.Any comments?

 

[Rick J]

A good way to flush out the liner...

I've got the same setup on my H31. Some of these models have reputations for funky smells that probably originate partly from stagnant water accumulating between the hull and liner.I have gotten into the habit of using the shower drain to flush out the water that accumulates in this area. When I'm filling the fresh water tank, I always turn on the shower and put the shower head near the drain. Every month or so, I pour a few ounces of biodegradable detergent into the shower drain, and then run the shower for 10 or 20 minutes. Occasionally, I'll pour a gallon of distilled white vinegar into the shower drain, let it sit for a day or so, and then flush, as noted above.I've never had any funky smells in the boat, but it seems to me that using the shower drain to flush out stagnant water into the bilge and then overboard is a good way to keep it that way. Honestly, I've always thought the 'false bilge' was kind of creepy, and having the shower drain as it does, under the circumstances, seems to make sense.I'll keep reading any other replies you receive, and I'm sure I'll learn another trick or two.

 

[Steve A.]

Funky Smell from Bilge

Thanks for you reply.I was thinking about using a mild chlorine and water mixture to flush out the bilge initially to "sanitize" it by pouring the mixture into the shower drain until the bilge is nearly full, letting it sit for a couple of hours and then pumping it out. I would follow with lots of fresh water. Will the chlorine hurt anything "down under" or should I only use the biodegradable detergent you mentioned?Your suggestion seems like a good routine maintenance approach. I will have to figure out how to get that much water to my boat since it is on a mooring and I don't know if a marina would like me flushing my bilge in their area.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Best solution: install a sump and sump pump

And redirect the icebox drain into it too. Keeping a sump clean is a LOT easier than keeping a bilge clean...a weekly dose of Raritan C.P. down the drain when it can stand at least overnight is all that's needed. Vinegar doesn't accomplish much in a bilge. NEVER combine vinegar with bleach. Most people know better than to combine bleach with ammonia, but don't realize that vinegar and bleach produce an even MORE lethal gas.