Sump Discharge? Just what is it

[Pseudomind]

I did a search and many threads come back, so just what is a "sump discahrge?" All I can find in my manual is the port outlet drain on the port side called the "Sump discharge."

Just what is the drain connected to? :huh:

Thanks

:thumbsup:

 

[Dancin Dave]

most sumps handle the collection and discharging of gray water overboard, which will include your galley and head sink as well as the shower. better find it and clean it or it will be stinky soon.

 

[RollerCoastr]

Dave,

It's safer to say that sumps sometimes handle gray water which includes sinks. Very often though, the sumps handle only air-conditioning condensate and shower drains.

This applies to the 380DA's I've been on, unless one has been altered or specially ordered for areas where gray water is illegal and must be plumbed to a holding tank. (such areas are rare, but do exist)

SeaRay DOES make boats that pump all gray water through sumps, but they also make a LOT that discharge sink drains directly overboard.

(not that this invalidates your advice - shower runoff and AC are perfectly capable of making a sump NASTY)

 

[Dancin Dave]

Roller I agree, many boats are different and the combos many. My boats ac condensate drains into my bilge and my friends 03 380 galley sink ends up in his sump. model and vintage will dictate set up. Nevertheless I think I did answer the question "what is sump discharge?"

"Very often though, the sumps handle only air-conditioning condensate and shower drains." otherwise known as gray water

 

[Pseudomind]

Roller I agree, many boats are different and the combos many. My boats ac condensate drains into my bilge and my friends 03 380 galley sink ends up in his sump. model and vintage will dictate set up. Nevertheless I think I did answer the question "what is sump discharge?"

"Very often though, the sumps handle only air-conditioning condensate and shower drains." otherwise known as gray water

Thanks! I will try and find a better way some how to trace it back, but I believe you are correct with the A/C condensate. I am in the slip with shore power and have the air running, just below 80 degrees to keep mold and mildew from forming. Ever once in a while a small amount of water will be pumped out of the sump discharge. It is at very random times when I am there that this happens. I might be there off and on over a period of two weeks and never hear or see any water pumped out.

As this boat is new to me, I am slowly , but surely going over everything and checking it out. Thus my concern about where this discharge is coming from, and the manual is not a big help.

Thanks

:thumbsup:

 

[lorenbennett]

On my 260da its for the shower and ac condensation. :thumbsup:

 

[boatmailster]

I did a search and many threads come back, so just what is a "sump discahrge?" All I can find in my manual is the port outlet drain on the port side called the "Sump discharge."

Just what is the drain connected to? :huh:

Thanks

:thumbsup:

I am maybe stupid but I thing that should be a port where shower sump pump "OUT" hose is connected to.

 

[RollerCoastr]

I can't explain the setup in Dave's friends '03, but you probably already know that your '02 drains the galley sink directly overboard. It's the large through-hull just outside the galley.

AC condensate and shower runoff collects in the sump, and is discharged through one of the 3 smaller inline through-hulls on the port side. The reason for the sump is that the air-conditioning pan and shower drain are located too close to the waterline to go directly overboard. The sump is simply a box, usually white plastic box with a clear lid that contains a strainer, a bilge pump, a float switch and a check valve. You'll learn to hate it. That sump is located in the aft-most hold under your salon.

Depending on the brand and model, the check valve may be susceptible to damage by harsh chemicals some people use when cleaning the shower. (bleach etc) If the check valve becomes distorted, worn, damaged etc., the pump will push water up the hose and out, but the water remaining in the hose when the cycle is complete will make it's way back into the box and will soon trigger another cycle. I've met a lot of boaters who think their air-conditioners are producing a tub full of condensate every 4 minutes, when in fact they're pumping the same water up the same hose all day long.

You mentioned your AC setting, which brings up another point. Once you've had intimate relations with sump guck and learned to hate sumps as much as the rest of us, pull out your CruiseAir manual. Opinions differ, but I recommend using the "HU" (dehumidifying mode) to keep ahead of moisture and mildew. My reasoning is that as winter approaches, the ambient temp may go low enough that the AC won't run enough to remove moisture, but of course a cool day isn't always a dry day. The HU mode will ensure that the unit cycles on a preset (and configurable) schedule regardless of the weather.

 

[mwph]

Great post Roller Coastr. Thanks.

 

[Daniel P Thomas]

Roller Coastr
Good post.
Recently I replaced the bilge pump on my sump discharge.
Mine is for AC condensate and shower, though we never shower on boat.
I believe that I do not have a check valve on my discharge line.
As some water drains back into sump box
Questions:
1. Where would the check valve be located?
2. What type and model should I look for?

I remember an earlier post about a 'whale valve' but cannot locate that post.

Thanks
Dan
2.

 

[Southpaw II]

In the 380 DA, the sump collects condensate from the 2 A/C units and the drain from the shower. Lift the panel up in the floor, and the lid comes off the clear plastic sump, which is about 10" square and about 3" deep, with 4 screws. Rinse out the collection strainer that collects the input, clean the float switch, vacuum out the sump and the inlet tubes, and put it back together. Takes about 5 minutes or less. No prob.

 

[dmm10355]

I just replaced my shower sump this past Saturday. Took about 1.5 hours. It was located under the floor in the galley area. Sump was not working and water had overflowed from the sump box into the pit area where it was installed. The sump handles the a/c condensation and the shower drain.