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Bigjim · 20-06-2022, 23:18

My galley sink is connected to a seacock and drains overboard. But, it is draining very very slow! I have a plunger but it doesn't seem to help. It takes sometimes 10 minutes or longer to drain a full sink of water.

Anybody have a suggestion on how to get it to flow faster? The hoses and seacock are hard to reach under the sink. The galley has two sinks connected to a together with Y-fitting and then to the seacock. The sinks are drained by 1"inch reinforced vinyl hoses.

**StuM** · 21-06-2022, 00:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigjim

I have a plunger but it doesn't seem to help.

...
The galley has two sinks connected to a together with Y-fitting .

Do you block one sink drain while using the plunger on the other?

If I have to use a plunger, I need to do that (and also block the drain hole in the dish rack area), otherwise plunging just blows back through the other drain points.

NYSail · 21-06-2022, 02:12

How far below the water line is the fitting and how close is the sink bottom to water line?

thomm225 · 21-06-2022, 03:57

Try draining the sink when sailing on different tacks!

When my sink was still on the boat and installed, it drained very slowly if at anchor or the marina because the seacock was right at or just below the water line.

Has it always drained slowly or just recently.

If just recently, it's a blockage of some sort and you will have to clear it.

sailorboy1 · 21-06-2022, 05:38

The hoses slowly get clogged with grease etc on my boat. So I try regularly to pour hot water down each side, but every once in a while I have to take the system apart and clean it. It is a nasty job and normally worst than a hold tank hose job.

So if you want to really find and fix the issue you need to take the hoses off and see where it is clogged.

peghall · 21-06-2022, 05:52

It's likely that grease buildup on the walls of the drain line is the reason it's draining slowly. The cure--and prevention--is easy and doesn't require any manual labor:

Raritan only markets their "C.P. Cleans Potties" as a bowl cleaner--and it is an excellent one. But it's also the best sump and drain cleaner on the planet. C.P. is a bio-enzymatic cleaner that not only destroys odor on contact, but the enzymes in it "eat" (euphemistic term) hair, soap scum, body oils, galley grease and all the stuff that clogs sumps and drains and makes 'em stinky. All you need to is put 2-3 oz down the shower drain when it can stand at least overnight...the enzymes need time to work. Then flush clean water through the sump. You can even let it remain in the sump for weeks, 'cuz although the enzymes exhaust themselves in 24 hours, there's nothing in C.P. that can harm anything. To clean sink drains, close the seacock, then put 1-2 ounces of C.P down the drain in both sinks and fill both drains with water--again when it can stand at least overnight, then flush clean water down the drain. That's it.

--Peggie

GreenWave · 21-06-2022, 09:32

I will add that this could likely be growth on your thru-hull exit. May need a cleaning there. Ask me how I know.

**JPA Cate** · 21-06-2022, 14:09

Very hot soapy water. Plug the other sink (if you have a double). If you're located somewhere you can try Peggy's magic stuff, close the through hull seacock first, so it doesn't just run out. Also, some people use short plumbing "snakes". Note, you'll want to clean it before storage.

Ann

**GordMay** · 22-06-2022, 03:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenWave

I will add that this could likely be growth on your thru-hull exit. May need a cleaning there...

Indeed.
Either, dive on the thru-hull, and clean from the outside, or "snake" the drain, from the sink.

Tin Tin · 22-06-2022, 03:37

Plumbers snake, unless you have a non return valve which I doubt. Buy at any hardware store. Useful for other draining issues too.

Bigjim · 13-07-2022, 09:29

I have a feeling it has something to do with the diameter of the drain hoses. I think I'm going to revise the design.

Bigjim · 13-07-2022, 09:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tin Tin

Plumbers snake, unless you have a non return valve which I doubt. Buy at any hardware store. Useful for other draining issues too.

Thanks. I have already tried that. I have a feeling that the diameter of my drain hoses are the main culprit. For plain water they should not be a problem but with particles of food they are just not wide enough.

The boat was on the hard for 12 years and I did a lot of renovations on board to get it livable again. I just started staying aboard at the end of last year. So, the drain was fine when used just for water.

carlosproa · 13-07-2022, 09:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigjim

I have a feeling it has something to do with the diameter of the drain hoses. I think I'm going to revise the design.

You have a lot of T connections, each one is an opportunity for congestion as well as vacuum. Perhaps a larger jose size may help as well as making sure the whole system is not being retarded by a clog upstream. If you are worried about a Venturi effect, you can always add a syphon ventilated loop to prevent that and actually help drainage

ilCigno · 14-07-2022, 01:59

The problem with small hoses is often air, not foul. At rest, the hose is full of air above the waterline. When draining your sink, the water tries to push the air column down, which fails of course. The air cannot escape upwards towards the sink because the diameter of the hose is fully filled with water. It's an air lock. Only bubbles of air can escape at a time and thus be replaced by water from the sink. Only when the whole hose is completely filled with water (after a long wait) a modest stream can pass thru. But by then your sink is probably already quite empty. Been there...

Apart from keeping it as clean as possible, only larger diameter (say 1" / 25mm inside) hose and fittings offers a real solution.