Slow drain....No drain?

[rpell1@msn.com]

Hi everyone,

I am about 95% done with all those "little annoyances" on my new 1991 Cat 30 MKII, except...........

My galley sink drain is very slow and I was wondering if anyone has experienced and/or resolved it as simply as using a snake? Or is it so simple that I can't see the problem?

The other item is my refridgerator. There looks to be a drain at the bottom, aft, portion of the unit that seems to be higher than the forward portion where some water collects. Is this hole actually a drain and can I also clear it by using a snake? Does anyone have a solution for this problem?

I am reluctant to use any form of drain cleaner for fear of damaging hoses.

To all of my fellow veterans out there.....At least WE don't forget!!!!

Thanks to all for your experience and assistance.

 

[Bad Obsession]

The galley sinks in the Catalina 30 drain slowly. Remember that they are draining into the water. Common places for clogs in them is the T section where the two drains connect and then the T fitting where the drain goes through the through hull. The best thing to do is to take the section out and clean it out. If you are doing a major project there consider replacing the hoses as it wouldn't be that expensive of a project and it will let you know that you have good hoses and it will make sure the lines are clean.

The Refridgerator in the boat (mine is an ice box) drain from the bottom of the icebox to the galley sink. It does got through a vented loop for obvious reasons. You may start by taking the hoses off of it (gain access through the drawers near the stairs by taking them out) and cleaning them out once they are out. Check the vented loop as well.

Of course the first thing I would do is to make sure that the through hull doesn't have an obstruction in it that will slow everything down. They could pick up some crap from being in the water (mine did last time) and all the work you did would be for not if you didn't clear the through hull out. Clean the through hull out good and then check to see how things go.

 

[rpell1@msn.com]

Thank you much.....

You've more or less confirmed what I thought was going on, but never having to deal with these types of problems on my smaller boat,
(Chrysler 22), I wasn't sure.

I will have to pull the drawers out again since, the first time I did that, there didn't seem to be any access to the refrigerator plumbing? This unit appears to have been OEM, with no apparent points of access.

The fact that the refrigerator drain does tee into the sink drain answers many of my questions.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences.

Happy Sailing,

Ralph

 

[Bad Obsession]

You are lucky. I don't have refridgeration and it is something that I am kicking around. It would be really nice to have, but I would want to add more of a house bank. I already did one house bank upgrade where I added a second group 27 in parallel and moved the reserve battery under the quarter berth. With refridgeration I would like to add in a third house battery and it would probably have to sit in the boat under the port dinette area (which means a long run with the battery cables).

I may just wait until I upgrade boats instead of doing this type of work to my boat.

 

[Glenn17467]

My 84 C30 has a refridgerator, drain in the forward area and the hose drains on to the floor then to the bilge, at least there is a plug. We have a third Group 24 battery dedicated to the frig under the aft berth next to the fuel tank. The frig can be on 120v or 12v power, we have only used it at the dock though. I intend on using it this summer, most likely as an icebox.

 

[rpell1@msn.com]

Just some information for you.....

The P/O of "Southern Belle" had installed quite a battery set-up. There are 2 Deep Cells as house batteries, 1 starting battery for the engine and 1 additional combination battery for the refrigerator. These are all cross-wired through the main battery selector switch and also similarly connected to the 4-battery charger connected to the "shore-power" circuit.

Fortunately, ALL of the 4 batteries were replaced this past September. So, I shouldn't have to worry about them for awhile.....I hope!! The P/O did alot of "gunk-holing" in and around Savannah, so I can understand the need. We "Yankees" have somewhat different plans of doing the North Shore of Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Mass.......Maybe an occassional trip up the Hudson, where there are a myriad of Marinas and Associated Clubs to pull into. Since my Club, The Varuna Boat Club, is a registered AYCA Club, we practice reciprocity with most other registered Clubs.

I don't intend to make any changes at least until I can determine our needs.

Good luck and Happy Sailing,

You are lucky. I don't have refridgeration and it is something that I am kicking around. It would be really nice to have, but I would want to add more of a house bank. I already did one house bank upgrade where I added a second group 27 in parallel and moved the reserve battery under the quarter berth. With refridgeration I would like to add in a third house battery and it would probably have to sit in the boat under the port dinette area (which means a long run with the battery cables).

I may just wait until I upgrade boats instead of doing this type of work to my boat.