Sink drain thru hull obstructed

[hd002e]

I have not been on the boat for a while and came to realize that the sink drain thru hull is draining very slowly. I worked the search ck valve a few times and poured some CLR down the drain but it did not do anything. I am considering poking a wire diwn the sink but fear damaging the seacock valve. It is too cold to dive. Any suggestions?

[DaLuz]

Close seacock. Disconnect hose from seacock. Check disconnected hose for obstructions. Slowly open seacock with hose disconnected. Have some towels to soak up water entering via open seacock. Have a plug available for the seacock just incase. Had same problem on my boat, turns out it was a small piece of plastic blocking the seacock. Opening the seacock forced obstruction out. Once water flows through the hose, and water flows into the boat via the open seacock you should be good. If when you open the seacock and no water enters, use a screw driver to poke through. Might be critters have blocked your hole. Hope this helps, be safe!

[Fore and Aft]

A wire should not damage the seacock valve, I have poked a wire down our sink drain more times than I can remember. I think the worst blockage was my sons toothbrush which just "disappeared" one day. Its amazing what kids can jam in places just to see if it fits.
Cheers

[billknny]

Not rocket science.

It can only be clogged above the seacock or below.

What DeLuz said...^^^^

And no, a wire or (better) a plumbing snake will NOT damage the seacock.

[Stu Jackson]

I bought a mini-plunger from ACE Hardware last summer. Works fine.

[wsmurdoch]

My #1 tool is a rubber stopper that fits in the sink drain. There is a female hose fitting in a hole in the center of the stopper. A good blast of water thru a hose from the marina or from the anchor washdown pump does wonders on soft stuff.

Another tactic is to close the sea cock, remove the hose. and install a length of hose that reaches above the waterline in its place. Check that the removed drain hose is clear, then open the seacock and rod out the seacock thru the newly installed hose.

Bill

[Sojourner]

Originally Posted by billknny

Not rocket science.

It can only be clogged above the seacock or below.

What DeLuz said...^^^^

And no, a wire or (better) a plumbing snake will NOT damage the seacock.

No reason not to carry a little sink snake. Buy one now, this will come up again \

Also, might be possible to close seacock, detach hose above waterline (but still connected to the seacock, or attach a new temporary hose for this), open seacock, and huff a big lungful of breath down the pipe to dislodge backward and out the bottom any obstruction. Used to have to do this on my VW bus gas tank (looong story ) but it works great.

[Jim Cate]

If it is the galley sink, sometimes it is an accumulation of grease and gunk that is causing the issue. Pouring a kettle full of boiling water (and then giving a couple of plunges with a plumber's helper (an essential tool on a cruising boat IMO)) will usually clear out such clogs. In drains with big bends in the hose, the wire trick is not so useful, so the hot water is a good experiment to make.

Jim

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, DaLuz.

[Reefmagnet]

Our recently relaunched boat had a blocked head intake. Had the missus confounded. Turned out to be a mud wasp nest inside the through hull. Took considerable digging with an assortment of screwdrivers of varying sizes to even get a small trickle to start. Moral to the story is its ok to pull the hose off the valve on the water with due care and jamming things into an open valve isn't likely to cause any damage.

[Tetepare]

DrainO (the fizzing crystals form) is good at breaking up grease and food deposits.

Sometimes it’s good just to replace a disgusting filthy old hose.

[SaltyMetals]

HD 002,

Pleny of suggested solutions if it really is the stopcock. I use a simple plunger which Jim says is essential gear on a cruising boat (I agree) but there is also another gadget if you can find it. "Power plumber", swedish origin.

If you have a Jeanneau you probably have the same drainage arrangement that i have on my boat from the two sinks which join at a junction directly under the sink. I tried all sorts of drain cleaners when mine got blocked but it was not the stopcock, it was the junction directly under the sinks and it was full of small pieces of broken mussel shell from cleaning and cooking. It is simple to dismantle and clean out.
Andrew
"Genial Bee"

[Nanamuk]

I have had this problem on both my boat and a Caliber 40 LRC we sailed on in the Bahamas and solve with a short length of hose close to, but not bigger than the strainer hole in the sink. If it is a double sink use the stopper to block one side, put the hose into the other and seal with a donut made from a damp rag. Use one hand to hold in the plug, the other to hold the rag tight then blow in the hose till you hear bubbles coming out the through hull. Repeat with the hose in the other drain.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

If it is the galley sink, sometimes it is an accumulation of grease and gunk that is causing the issue. Pouring a kettle full of boiling water (and then giving a couple of plunges with a plumber's helper (an essential tool on a cruising boat IMO)) will usually clear out such clogs. In drains with big bends in the hose, the wire trick is not so useful, so the hot water is a good experiment to make.

Jim

We do use a wire (an old coat hanger with a slight bend in the end). The through-hull is pretty much directly below the galley sinks. There are a few connecting lines but all T's in that drain hose are put together so that a wire can go directly through, no right angle turns, to the through-hull. Pushing gently down while turning the whole wire allows the curve to find the way.

It always works.

[jackheape]

I have had this problem several times, both with the sink and the a/c water inlet. I made up a fitting which will fit the intakes and dains and will also allow a garden hose to attach to it. I detach the drain hose, attach it to the fitting, hook up the water hose, and turn o the water. The water pressure always blows everything that is blocking the drain line out. Same thing for the a/c coolant water inlet (different size hose though). The pressure from the hose clears it every time. If it is completely stopped up though you might need to run a snake through it as others have suggested so some water will flow. Do NOT use Drano or any other harsh solvent. That just leads to more trouble later.