Second Chance Gemini 3400
I am not sure what comes from the factory in the way of shower
drain pumps but this one did not work very well. Because the drain
is almost the same level as the input to the drain box, there is always
water in the drain area of the shower. If if doesn't get used frequently
it can start to smell.
The pump that was on the boat was a standard shower drain pump box
available at any marine store. After studying the situation, I decided the
drain input to the box should be at the bottom instead of the top. I modified
the box so that the water came into the box at the bottom. This gave the
hose a slightly better downhill angle from the shower to the box. This modification
did remove the built in filter from the box so I had to install a 1" filter in the
drain line. The normal filter screen was too small and restrictive so I adapted
some drywall sanding material which is made of fiberglass and very sturdy for
a filter. This is much like window screen but with larger holes.
The next adaptation was the shower drain itself. Mine was leaking, just a drip
but leaking all the same. I removed the factory drain and installed a new drain,
higher up in the depression where the drain is. I used alot of 5200 to make sure
I got a good seal. I then mixed up some fiberglass resin and filled the depression
from the forward side going aft to create a solid sloping surface to the drain. This
raised the drain hole up about an inch from its original position which allowed the
water to drain even better into the modified box. I mounted a bypass switch behind
the door to overide the automatic pump control in the box to turn the pump on which
allows me to drain even more water out of the box after a shower.
Since the modifications, I do not have a leak from the shower into the port bilge and
the water does not back up in the shower area like it used to. When I finish taking
a shower, I press the bypass button for a couple of seconds, and everything is pumped
out.
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