Hello 36'ers
I really need some help on this one
this is my shower sump pump and I have determined that there is no 12v going to pump. I have used needles to pierce the wire and I am able to run the pump with a jumper battery. there is power at the switch and not at the pump. I can pull the brown wire out to the butt connector and the black wire can be pulled out a ways and not to the the butt connector.
Has anyone replaced this pump? I am thinking this may be a case of corroded butt connectors if I can only find the connection for the balck wire.
PLEASE HELP!
thanks
Bill Brayton
Maverick #1015
1989 MKI
I replaced this pump a while ago (actually, replaced it with a Whale gulper pump located elsewhere, but that's a longer story). If I recall correctly (and it was quite some time ago), the black wire runs under the floor back to the negative bus behind the main distribution panel, so you should try to trace that back to there. The brown is the positive, it should run from the pump to the switch in the head, and thence back to the main distribution panel.
Matthew Chachère
s/v ¡Que Chévere!
(Formerly 1985 C36 MKI #466 tall rig fin keel M25)
2006 Catalina Morgan 440 #30.
Homeported in eastern Long Island, NY
Hey 36's
So I sent in a HELP!! message about my shower sump pump not working and got a great reply from Jerry with hull# 716 an 87 MKI. He told me about the inspection hatch under the floor boards for our boats (see pics).
Well I found the connections and cut the wires to te pump and tested the pump with my jumper battery. Pump tested like a champ!
That made me wonder why or what the issue was with no voltage going to the head for the sump to work.
Well long story short.
There is a funny switch on the panel called "shower sump". Now it was pretty amazing when I flipped the switch and there was power to the switch and and the pump!
Honestly folks I haven't used that shower in years because it didn't work. Keep in mind I have only been racing the boat and an occasional few day Island trip.
I am living aboard now so the convienience became a little more important.
Yes I was calling my self a dumbs#%^t for the rest of the day!
Hey I learned about the inspection panel under the floor and had a great big helping of humble pie to boot!
Thank you Jerry for the replies and the point in the right direction!
Capt Bill
89 MKI
#1015 fin keel stndrd rig
My shower sump goes on with the switch on the side wall, adjacent to the seat, in the head (so long as the switch on the DC panel is on). I have yet to really tinker with it, but I was wondering if there is a better pump to install? Does anyone have a compact pump with its own float switch that fits in this sump just right? I'm tired of having to turn the switch on before the sump over flows in to the blige! Curious how others have it arranged.
Mike
1999, MkII
Jackfish Girl, 1999, C36 MKII, Tall Rig, Wing Keel, In-mast furling, Monument Beach, Bourne, MA
I replaced ours with a 'low profile' automatic Whale pump (yellow) with a built-in backflow valve, then added TWO backflow preventers by re-routing the hose around the center bulge to prevent the water trickling back into the pan, then added a filter between them to reassure the Admiral that her hair would get filtered out. The latter needs regular cleaning. Works fine after 5 years of regular use. I use the switch in the head after squeegying the interior after a shower to eliminate most of the water and I leave the floorboard up leaning against the aft wall to ensure it dries out completely when we're away from the boat. Also added an additional drainage hole on the starboard/aft upper edge of the pan in case the battery/sump fails to protect the cablin floorboards.
Kevin Lenard
"Firefly"
'91 C-36 Mk. "1.5" Tall Rig, Fin Keel, Hull #1120, Universal M-35 original (not "A" or "B")
CBYC, Scarborough, Lake Ontario, Canada
We replaced ours with a Whale "Gulper 220" pump that is located in the unused cavity behind the little foldout door over the toilet (you need to remove the hinge screws to get in there). We installed an offset mushroom through-hull (also called an "L-head") at the lowest spot in the sump, ran the hose from there under the floor of the cabin (there is an access port under the floorboards -- see the first picture in response #3 above) then back around under the forward bench of the port settee, then through a small hole from that area into the space behind the foldout door to the pump. From the pump, the line goes to the syphon break in the cabinet above, then down to the drain seacock. (The existing exit hole from the sump we glassed over).
The Whale pump removes ALL the water from the sump, no need to mop out the last bits that an immersion pump can't quite get at.
Matthew Chachère
s/v ¡Que Chévere!
(Formerly 1985 C36 MKI #466 tall rig fin keel M25)
2006 Catalina Morgan 440 #30.
Homeported in eastern Long Island, NY
Wow! FamilyI just left the boat from a semi-long weekend. Prior to leaving we were cleaning/ drying our bilge because we always find it with a small amount of water (1" or so). We were inspecting the shower sump pump and noticing that when it pumps that pan out and then is turned off it all flows back in there. We were thinking about how to solve that issue. And here I am perusing the site while she does her leg of driving and this is the first, new, post I come across.
Does the pump really need to go all the way back to that vent before it goes to the sink drain? Why cant it just go straight to the 'T' on the sink drain sea cock? Too low? Though it seems I will be trying one of yall's fix'es.
David Lane
S/V Grace
88' Catalina 36'
Oxnard, Ca
You DEFINITELY need that syphon break above the waterline (it should already there in your existing set-up as it came from the factory). Without it, a few moments' inattention can lead to a reverse flow as seawater is syphoned from the seacock back into the showerpan. I know this from personal experience: normally, we make it a practice to close EVERY seacock when we are leaving the boat for more than 1/2 an hour. One time, however, we forgot, and a guest had taken a shower shortly before we piled into the dingy to go out to dinner while we were moored. At the last minute, I suddenly remembered to check the seacocks, and when I went back into the boat there was water streaming in that was already above the floorboards. Turned out it that not only had the shower sump seacock had been left open, but as well the syphon break for the shower sump was stuck (hint: washing out the syphon breaks with fresh water at the beginning of the season should be on the maintenance lists).
So, yeah, you should have a syphon break since there otherwise would be no air gap in that hose line. As they say, your boat, your choice, but to me its a simple bit of plumbing that can definitely help keep one's boat on the correct side of the sea surface.
Matthew Chachère
s/v ¡Que Chévere!
(Formerly 1985 C36 MKI #466 tall rig fin keel M25)
2006 Catalina Morgan 440 #30.
Homeported in eastern Long Island, NY
Thanks, and yes it is currently plumbed that way as per the factory. I was just interested in learning why, and you sir answered that. Thank you.
edit: I like your system as above. I will look into that.
David Lane
S/V Grace
88' Catalina 36'
Oxnard, Ca
Credit where credit is due: This was one of the plethora of improvements I snagged from former commodore Tom Soko's compendium
( https://julandra.shutterfly.com/ ) of his many upgrades of his former C36 --- although I think he located the pump elsewhere: see https://julandra.shutterfly.com/217 and https://julandra.shutterfly.com/218
Matthew Chachère
s/v ¡Que Chévere!
(Formerly 1985 C36 MKI #466 tall rig fin keel M25)
2006 Catalina Morgan 440 #30.
Homeported in eastern Long Island, NY
Hi All
16 months into ownership of a 1987 C-36.
I have Whaler 220 pump for my shower drain. when I turn it on all it does is agitate the water and doesn't suck it out.
with everyone's wisdom or do I need a rebuild kit with this type of behavior or is it some thing else?
please advise thank you
Regards
Ann&Daniel Tocatlian
C36: Benedetta Lil’Ann
Port: Forked River NJ
Kind Regards,
1987 C36, Forked River NJ
Daniel
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain