What is the point of a shower sump pump?

[David Mathis]

What a novel idea. Letting the shower water run into the bilge would eliminate the pump and a possible source of a malfunction. If the pump isn't there, it can't break. But why stop there, you could also eliminate the toilet and holding tank and just use the hole in the floor (those confusing nautical terms aren't being used). Now another source of malfunction and expense can be eliminated. Since the bilge pump might clog with the solids and not so solids, you could use the now unused macerator pump as a bilge pump. And don't forget about dishwater from the kitchen sink and the shaving and tooth brushing water from the bathroom sinks.

[Sailing4Jesus]

Could be that it gives you Sumpen to do?

Old Senior Chief

[Whisper 2]

Also it's another pump to get rid of water if you take any onboard.

[MicHughV]

to the OP.....I vote that you do it.!!

Seriously, do it !!!

Report back here in two weeks and let us know how things went !!!

[Sailing4Jesus]

Peeing in the shower ain't so bad. It's bad when ya grew up in Ruel Alabama in the 40ties & 50ties and you took a bath once a week on Saturday Night in a Number Three Washtub, and you were the youngest so your two older Sisters got to bathe first and YES they peed in the Tub. But your Mama was standing there with a BIG HICKORY SWITCH SAYING, "GET IN THE TUB OR I'll Switch ya Good."
And so peeing in the shower ain't as bad as Bathing in that ole Number #3 Washtub.

Old Senior Chief Retired

[CarinaPDX]

My shower has a sort of sump with a drain that connects to the bilge sump. I have considered installing a shower pump and plugging the drain, and some day I may do that, but I have not had a problem that required it. First, and most important, NEVER use bar soap as it will leave a soap scum throughout. Buy and use liquid soap (body wash, whatever) and the system will stay clean. Also, I have a screen above the drain that catches hair and other debris. Of course I occasionally clean the shower sump - required in any event - but I have not found a build-up in the drain pipe that connects to the bilge. On a couple of occasions I have pushed a water hose up the pipe to pressure flush it but I don't think it was ever necessary. Having the liquid soap in the sump seems to keep it clean, so a flush with fresh water is usually all that is needed. YMMV

Greg

[lewisa]

Compared to the other "stuff" in my 45 year old bilge, my body detrious is nothing.

[Kerryf]

I'd rather plumb the toilet into the bilge than the shower. Grey water is truly rank.

[chasfgr]

Originally Posted by Rohan

While winterizing my sump this year the question yet again occurred to me - why?? What is the point of a shower sump pump?? I don't think it could ever be an emergency backup for the bilge pump, because if the water got that high the sump motor would be totally underwater and I don't think it would function.

Awhile back I replaced the sump motor myself, and at the time it dawned on me I could make my life easier by simply adding a filter basket and letting my shower water drain into the bilge instead. Then the bilge pump would handle it. Less complexity is a good thing. The only reason I didn't do that is because I may sell my boat someday and having a missing system would look bad.

I know some people want their bilges completely dry, but that's never the case for me. I have a keel stepped mast, and always a half inch of water down there because the bilge pump can't grab it any lower than that. Besides, I spray fresh water into the bilge every once in awhile anyway, to clear out any algae.

But at some point professional engineers decided that the sump was important enough to include, even on a budget cruiser like mine (Hunter 36), so there must be a good reason (frankly, I would have rather that same money and effort had gone toward a second back up bilge pump instead). What am I missing?

Probably a sense of smell - shower water in the bilge soon become quite noxious.

[MicHughV]

more to the point...anyone contemplating this scenario is nuts !!!

[MicHughV]

to the OP....

you could ask the question " will it hurt if I bang my head against the wall ?"

you will get responses like "maybe...probably.....maybe not.....depends.....etc"

but this is really on of those cases...where you must bang your head against the wall to find out...to your own satisfaction....whether or not....it hurts....

so let 'er rip.....do it !!

[Simi 60]

All of our sinks and showers are above waterline level.
No sumps required
Water drains straight over the side.
Simplicity is wonderful.
Some would have you believe big boats are more complex - I disagree.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Some would have you believe big boats are more complex - I disagree.

I think there's 2 things at play there. Big boats are typically more complex, but big boats also don't have to be more complex. In a lot of cases, builders use bigger to jam in more fancy stuff, so it ends up complex. But if built like a "bigger small boat" in some ways where things scale up, but you don't add extra stuff just because it fits or "big is fancy", then they can stay pretty simple.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by PirateGuy

people have been known to pee while showering. a separate shower sump doesn’t just keep hair and soap scum from the rest of the bilges

That's called water conservation.

[MicHughV]

my old C&C had a sump right under the shower "floor" which was a teak grate resting over a pit maybe 6" deep or so...after each shower, the pit was emptied by pumping the soapy residue overboard...the pit could hold enough shower water to have a shower...several gallons....

periodically, I removed the grate to clean it and the sump pit...

lemme tell you something...the underneath side of that teak grate and the sump pit would get disgustingly dirty with soap scum ,mold, dirt...etc...for the life of me, I cannot imagine why anyone would want to pump this stuff into the bilge, where on top of everything else, trying to clean the mess would likely be a very difficult thing to do...

but, if one is hell bent on trying to do this...by all means...go ahead....