Anyone using auto bilge pump for shower sump?

[Cheechako]

Many boats have small bilge pumps and a float switch for the shower, often in a cheap ABS plastic box.

I however prefer just a fresh water pump type or any 12v pump, connected directly to the shower sump drain. ....and a switch located in the shower space (small strainer before the pump) Simple, no cycling. The pump can be located in a nearby closet bottom or wherever for easy access.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Many boats have small bilge pumps and a float switch for the shower, often in a cheap ABS plastic box. I however prefer just a fresh water pump type and a switch found in the shower space connected directly to the shower sump drain. (small strainer before the pump) Simple, no cycling.

That sounds like the setup I described. If you can handle the slurping noises, use one of the Whale Gulper pumps as they won't choke on hair. So no need for a strainer and associated cleaning.

[a64pilot]

I believe you need a strainer for any pump. My Gulper is mounted in the engine room and cane with a strainer, and I often have to clean the strainer, you can tell it needs cleaning when the pump runs longer than normal.
My Wife has long hair and sheds a lot, everything gets clogged with her hair from the vacuum cleaner to the electric head.
Hair is incredibly strong and tough and will even cut steel, if you filter to out, you will enrich happier.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I believe you need a strainer for any pump. My Gulper is mounted in the engine room and cane with a strainer, and I often have to clean the strainer, you can tell it needs cleaning when the pump runs longer than normal.
My Wife has long hair and sheds a lot, everything gets clogged with her hair from the vacuum cleaner to the electric head.
Hair is incredibly strong and tough and will even cut steel, if you filter to out, you will enrich happier.

Officially, Whale advertises that the Gulper doesn't need a strainer. One of my showers has the original Jabsco diaphragm pump with strainer, the other has a Gulper, no strainer. That's the shower that gets used far more, pump has never had an issue with clogging, etc.

[sailorboy1]

I replaced my shower sump pump in a box system 4 years ago with a diaphragm whale type pump with a manual on/off switch 4 years ago. No strainer needed as if it makes it past the shower drain screen the pump is going to pump it. Can barely hear it when running and it has been completely maintenance free during full time cruising/liveaboard.

I would never go back to one of those bilge type of systems!!!

[moseriw]

Yes I do but it is not good as you will have a terrible smell in the bilge - ALWAYS.
Better you connect the shower tub with a small pump and pump it out to the sink.
And use a dip switch! - Otherwise I bet tha someone will kill your pump shortly

[Mike Banks]

Yes I used one when living aboard for five years. I replaced one small bilge pump--twenty dollars, and replaced the float switch once--I think that was thirty dollars, but neither were new when I took over the vessel and I had not been using the replaced items for long when I sold the vessel--so they last for years. The float switch I fitted was not the immersion type, only the float itself was in the water, so I expected it to last much longer than did the original.

The lint and hair filter I made was better than the original but it has to be cleaned every two weeks, so making easy access to the shower sump is a good idea.

[Greg Mason]

On my Carver 370, the sump is low, and the power it takes to push water vertically 8', over a vented loop, horizontally 6' and out, won't happen with a Rule 800. So, I put in a 1500. There is a hair strainer before the sump. My question is, what are the gpm's of the diaphragm pumps you guys are talking about that are directly connected? I assume the reference to the noise of the pump is because it will run partially dry.

[Jetx]

Previous boat had a Rule 800 and non-mercury pivoting lever float switch. The pump was OK, but if you have a vented loop on the discharge (which you should), there will be some backflow when the pump shuts off. In our very small sump, this was significant, and led to shorter, more rapid cycling than I would have liked. Float switch failed, and I replaced it with this Johnson reed-type switch (USS switch wouldn't fit in the shallow sump). This setup was satisfactory, but not great.

Current boat has a Jabsco PAR diaphragm pump, which is better, but very noisy, and I have to clean strainers frequently. If I were doing it from scratch, I'd go with the gulper and put up with the noise.

[CarlF]

I’ve been using a Whale gulper IC shower pump that does away with the sump. A water sensor turns on the gulper and it runs a few seconds after the water stops to completely clear the sensor area. No water to turn gross. No screen. Very quiet.

In four years it hasn’t even needed a cleaning.

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp...234&id=1612504

[Paul Howard]

I use a toilet macerator pump for the shower drain with a manual waterproof switch installed in a semi-protected location at the side of the shower, plumbed direct to the drain and sloped floor below a teak grid.
Very noisy, but never clogs.

[onestepcsy37]

shower drained directly into the bilge. bilge was pumped out every day with a whale titan diaphram pump. thankfully the only time i ran the electric bilge pumps was to test them to make sure they worked and weren't clogged.



caveat. put a hair filter in the shower drain. available at nost hardware stores for a few bucks. has to be cleaned regularly unoless the admiral is willing to cut her hair short....

[dfelsent]

We have two shower sumps. Nice stainless boxes with prefilters for hair etc.
I would guess that between the two I replace a pump or switch every year and a half.
The switches and pumps are the typical Rule thingys.
Our galley gray water sump pump is a manual Whale diaphragm pump. Never fails.
And, because it is manual, it encourages water conservation.

[CassidyNZ]

I’ll probably get a deluge of replies saying how bad these sumps are and how they never work for more than a week and that a complicated system of reciprocal pumps and switches are preferable, blah, blah, blah.

When I bought my boat in 2006 it had one of these in the aft heads. There was a Whale pumper in the front heads that was as noisy as all hell, finally died and was never replaced because we never showered there.

Three months ago, the one in the aft heads stopped working, turned out to be the float switch that went dodgy. After 14 years that I know of. Don’t know how many years it worked before that.

So I replaced it with a new one the same and then, while I was at it, I installed another new one in the front heads as well. If they last as well as the “original” one, they’ll probably outlive me. And FWIW, this is currently available from AliExpress for the grand sum of NZ$32.12 so buy a few spares if you think you must. Yes, I know it’s made in China, probably in the same factory as all the expensive Whale products.

And for the ease of installation, I couldn’t ask for better.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by CassidyNZ

I’ll probably get a deluge of replies saying how bad these sumps are and how they never work for more than a week and that a complicated system of reciprocal pumps and switches are preferable, blah, blah, blah.

I'll back you up (even though I put in a plug for the diaphragm pump earlier.)

I had one of these in my last boat for 10 years, never a problem. I'm in my 7th year with the one in our guest head. Not as much use, but again, no problem.

Parts are easily replaceable. But they do need regular maintenance, which means cleaning out the hair, soap scum and other "gunk" which finds its way in there. They are also subject to all the failure modes of a regular cheap sump pump and float, which are of course legendary on this forum. Spares are cheap.

So, like everything in boating, there are compromises and decisions. Pick your poison.