Shower (pump). Who uses them?

[Justin_NSA]

An active thread got me to thinking about my own shower pump that I am working on....sort of. I noticed this while I was working on my refrigeration unit which should be up and running Friday.
My shower pump is laying unsecured on the cabin floor. I assume this is original since there is a shower head and floor drain. I was annoyed that it is just laying there and not secured to the nearby wood bulkhead. Now I'm thinking this might be intentional to keep the pump below the level of the drain? If I mount it, the in and out hoses will still be as low as they can be. Does the pump have to be low too?
I've never used the shower. Don't ever plan to. I just don't like it when things aren't done properly. At least they used smooth bore hose. How does the pump typically come on? Water level inside it? Manually switched on until done showering? In other words, will moving it from laying horizontally on the floor to vertically on the bulkhead just above cause problems in the possible future?
I also wonder if I should be winterizing it. Even though it's not used, there was a little water in the line when I disconnected the output hose to reroute it. The thru hull is up high next to the bilge pump discharge hole. Could be driven rain. Should I add this to my winterization checklist?
Enquiring minds want to know. Thank you my friends.

 

[dlochner]

Depends on the pump. If the pump is a bilge pump type pump, it is not self priming, so it needs to be below the water level.

Does the shower drain into a sump with a pump in the sump? Or is it connected directly to the shower drain?

Is it something like this one from Defender?

Johnson Multiple Port Shower Sump System

The Johnson Pump Multiple Port Shower Sump System is a compact shower / gray water pump system designed to meet the higher demands of today's boating industry. Features: Multiple inlet ports handles waste water from more than one tapping point In

www.defender.com

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Mine lives in the cockpit. I will NEVER put a shower below decks- mildew magnet!!

 

[Justin_NSA]

I don't have a picture but it looks like the one for my A/C. No sump, just a hose from the port head to the stbd pump and out the thru hull

 

[rgranger]

Mine lives in the cockpit. I will NEVER put a shower below decks- mildew magnet!!
View attachment 177596

My son and I have used that same setup when we go camping. It is surprising how warm the water can get on a hot summer day.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Mine lives in the cockpit. I will NEVER put a shower below decks- mildew magnet!!
View attachment 177596

I think these head/lav showers are ridiculous. Maybe for washing feet, but spray the entire lav area for a full body wash?

 

[Terry Cox]

Different model boat here. Our aft shower, that I use regularly, drains into a sump that has a pump and float switch. Works quite well. Pump does not completely drain the sump, so I empty it manually after a cruise. Otherwise, it will stink up the boat after the soapy water sits for a few days In the warm weather.

 

[Justin_NSA]

I found the closest thing I have to pictures of the pump. This is looking down thru the hatch in the settee. Pretty messy in there. The green arrow points to the shower pump. The red arrow points to the pump for the sinks. The shower pump is laying down here. There's a wood bulk head just outside of the left of the picture. The second picture shows it laying next to the water heater. I guess I can mount the pump and see what happens.

 

[seadaddler]

I have a pump connected to the shower drain and have a switch in the head area when taking shower
it drains shower on the floor.

 

[smokey73]

Different model boat here. Our aft shower, that I use regularly, drains into a sump that has a pump and float switch. Works quite well. Pump does not completely drain the sump, so I empty it manually after a cruise. Otherwise, it will stink up the boat after the soapy water sits for a few days In the warm weather.

Dito

 

[Davidasailor26]

I found the closest thing I have to pictures of the pump. This is looking down thru the hatch in the settee. Pretty messy in there. The green arrow points to the shower pump. The red arrow points to the pump for the sinks. The shower pump is laying down here. There's a wood bulk head just outside of the left of the picture. The second picture shows it laying next to the water heater. I guess I can mount the pump and see what happens.
View attachment 177600
View attachment 177601

Looks like a diaphragm pump from what I can see in the picture. If so it is positive displacement and should be self priming. That’s what we have and it is mounted above the level of the shower floor.

I for one have no problem with boat showers. Not as nice as being at home, and yes it’s a pain to have to squeegee everything down afterward, but worth it to me.

 

[SG]

That looks like a positive displacement pump to me. It has a filter on it to keep hair out of it, which is a good thing. It's in a miserable location.

You need to be able to clean-out the filter occasional from i) hair or ii) scum build up.

The normal situation is to a waterproof switch (sometime push or pull type) or one located where it won't get douched. Turn it on when you want to drain the pan.

As for the separate shower compartment. I've been on boats that have them. If they're big enough to get into, then underway, they're dangerous. (Nothing is nicer than being able to quickly wash down before you get a few hours of sleep after being out on a multi-day cruise under way.) We have two heads on our J/160. The rear head has a shower which washes down the compartment as you shower. I think it works fine. The forward head has a shower divider, which we haven't used in 21 good years of cruising. It works fine just to use the hose and wash down in the space.

[PS - A big head is a danger in a seaway. The best heads have the toilet on-access with the boat. I've been "launched" a few times from our forward head's toilet, which is on a port-starboard axis. Our forward head is just aft of the anchor/sail locker. It's not usually an issue if your just sitting and doing your business while wedging yourself into the space, but if one of your hands and arms is doing other things, and you drop off of 4', or bigger, wave, then you can get launched across the head. I've let bits of skin from my face and shoulder on the opposite side of the head. In a couple of cases I could have take "star sights" without a sextant. :^)))]

 

[Justin_NSA]

Thanks everyone. It doesn't sound like mounting it vertically on the bulkhead will cause any problems. We never use it but I'll look for a filter or screen. Also find out where the switch is and see if it works.

 

[RoyS]

We use our onboard shower while cruising even when we are staying overnight in a marina with shower facilities. I once saw a person coming out of marina shower with a wet golden retriever.

 

[Jim26m]

We use our onboard shower while cruising even when we are staying overnight in a marina with shower facilities. I once saw a person coming out of marina shower with a wet golden retriever.

Sad thing is, the wet dog is likely the least of your worries.... Suggest shower shoes; and try to think about something else.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Good point Jim. I wear them in the locker room at the gym too. It was something Marine bootcamp drilled into me.

 

[rgranger]

I also wear water shoes in the marina showers ... but I am also very aware that it is likely the shoes that bring in most of the filth....

 

[RoyS]

Use your own boat shower. We have found our six gallon water heater can hold enough hot water so that both of us can shower the next morning after motoring for a few hours the previous afternoon. Takes a bit of practice, but no golden retrievers or strangers in our shower.

 

[william24424]

I periodically use my onboard shower, pump makes noise and works painfully slow to drain water, shower stall is tight...very tight, can barely turn sideways. I bought a $39 Ivation portable shower, goes in a five gallon bucket and can shower anywhere. It's actually less messy than the shower, and charges with a USB cable. Other than that, a large fluffy towel, works on the water splashed throughout the head. Good luck.
.

 

[rgranger]

I periodically use my onboard shower, pump makes noise and works painfully slow to drain water, shower stall is tight...very tight, can barely turn sideways. I bought a $39 Ivation portable shower, goes in a five gallon bucket and can shower anywhere. It's actually less messy than the shower, and charges with a USB cable. Other than that, a large fluffy towel, works on the water splashed throughout the head. Good luck.
. View attachment 177741

That is very cool. I had to go look it up.

Wayfair.com - Online Home Store for Furniture, Decor, Outdoors & More | Wayfair

Shop Wayfair for A Zillion Things Home across all styles and budgets. 5,000 brands of furniture, lighting, cookware, and more. Free Shipping on most items.

www.wayfair.com