I bought a 423 Beneteau a few months ago and the bow head sink drains very slowly (but it does drain). How do you fix a slow draining sink on a boat? A friend told me to use a plastic water bottle as a power surge to clear the hose. What I got was a lot of water under the sink. Any other ideas?
slow draining head sink
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Draining slowly is relative. Our 423 drains slower than our previous Beneteaus. I attribute it to the type of drain hose connection at the bottom of the sinks.
You should check to make sure you don't have blockage at the thru hull.
You should check to make sure you don't have blockage at the thru hull.
This is what I would do to unblock the drain.
Close seacock, disconnect sink hose connection, then make sure hose is clear of obstructions. Use wire coat hanger,or whatever you have that will go up the pipe, or just squirt down water, into a bucket of course.
When you are happy, the sink is clear, connect a length of hose to the seacock, making sure the open end is above the waterline. Open seacock, and push down the same wire probe so it protrudes through seacock, to see if clear.
Regards Ross.
Close seacock, disconnect sink hose connection, then make sure hose is clear of obstructions. Use wire coat hanger,or whatever you have that will go up the pipe, or just squirt down water, into a bucket of course.
When you are happy, the sink is clear, connect a length of hose to the seacock, making sure the open end is above the waterline. Open seacock, and push down the same wire probe so it protrudes through seacock, to see if clear.
Regards Ross.
Thanks for your instructions. Since this is my first boat, I generally need detailed instructions like yours. The hoses under the sink are brand new, so I will start at the second part and check the seacock.
Patricia
Patricia
Careful - that is not a typical commercial or residential sink drain - looks the plastic nut can easily break
TJ's right. A plunger has no place on a boat. Earlier advice about making sure the hose is clear (your is new) and clearing the thru hull is very good. You could also use a dinghy foot pump to clear the thru hull unless there are barnacles in which case the coat hanger idea is fine.
Sometimes smaller sinks are closer to the waterline and inherently drain slowly.
Sometimes smaller sinks are closer to the waterline and inherently drain slowly.
I think you will find that both your sink drain hose and your shower sump drain hose connect to the same thru-hull fitting via a manifold. That manifold has a 90 in it that clogs from time to time.
Plungers are bad news for marine heads, but a small plunger does a pretty good job of surging water back and forth through that drain system and will usually clear it. If not, you will need to pull things apart.
Plungers are bad news for marine heads, but a small plunger does a pretty good job of surging water back and forth through that drain system and will usually clear it. If not, you will need to pull things apart.
prevention: mesh strainer
also, if you don't already use these, get some stainless sink screens, there are various sizes that will fit most sinks. Always have it in place and you'll not have blockages. I am amazed how often I watch friends rinse food into the sink....then fight slow drains and odors even.
also, if you don't already use these, get some stainless sink screens, there are various sizes that will fit most sinks. Always have it in place and you'll not have blockages. I am amazed how often I watch friends rinse food into the sink....then fight slow drains and odors even.
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If you have a pressurized air-horn, they work very well for blowing debris out of drain lines. Fill the sink with a bit of water and press the bell of the horn tightly over the drain and give a 1-2 second blast. If you have a barnacle or clam that has taken up residence in the through hull, this may not work. For that, fill the sink with a 50/50 mix of muriatic acid (from a pool store) and water, wearing a disposable glove to protect you skin, pull the drain plug and let the mix run through your drain; wait overnight and try the air-horn trick again. Good luck
It took me a while to learn (on a B323) the head sink water has to overcome the (hydrostatic?) pressure of the outside water. A full sink would overcome this quicker, with more weight behind it. Smalles amounts take a tad longer to drain out, so you might think it was blocked- but it isn't.
In a galley sink, someone may have rinsed oily or greasy water into the drain as folks sometimes do at home. If so, the grease will quickly congeal when it hits cold seawater, and can build up quite a layer on the inside of the drain line that can interfere with drainage. If that is the case, it may take a few pots full of rolling boiling water in quick sequence on after another to soften/loosen the blockage followed by blowing out the drain as previously described. (If you have a double sink, where each connects to a single through-hull, ensure you completely block on of the sink drains before attempting to work on the other.)
FWIW...
FWIW...
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