Shower Sump Not Working

[Midnightsun]

As an addition to the shower sump rebuild I did also add a high water alarm to both sumps. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7944&p=62159&hilit=sump+alarm#p62159

[Viper]

Source of the post I have not had the lid on mine for years. Not aware of why it is even there. er

Helps contain odours for one, that's part of the reason for the seal in the lid. For safety, it helps prevent flooding in the case where the vessel heels over in rough seas and ingests water through the discharge port. While newer model have check valves, they fail eventually and some folks prefer not to have them so they get removed. They also help identify a pump or switch failure. If the pump or switch fails with a lid, nothing will drain as it will back up from having nowhere to go. When there's no lid it just overflows and there's no sign there's a problem until you happen to look into that compartment.

[Midnightsun]

Just to elaborate on Vipers post. The cover is not sealed however it does not allow water to leak out rapidly, most comes from the wiring opening. That being said, there is enough restriction built into the box that your shower drain will back up where you will notice you are standing in water or the drain seems to be real slow. Both are good indicators of a failed shower sump.

I clean out the shower sumps with some degreaser and a brush as part of winter lay up. Keeps thing working and odour free all season long with no surprises.

[Viper]

To elaborate on my post, I should have said that premium brands like Rule have models with a seal/gasket in the lid. Older, cheaper, lower priced builds tend not to have that.

[Midnightsun]

The Rule brand in mine does not have a seal but the newer ones do. I would have replaced with a newer model however Carver used up all the outlets and then added a couple more with bulkhead fittings which would be a real challenge to replicate to fit all those hoses which are rather stiff now with age. The new box changed the locations of the outlets which would not permit me to use most existing hoses due to placement/length.

If you can easily upgrade it would be the best route to go. The older rule model was a 98A like I have which is replaced by the 98B. Here is a vid comparing the two. https://www.xylem.com/en-us/support/video-library/shower-drain-box-improvements/

[km1125]

When I replaced my original shower sumps with new boxes several years ago the new ones had a snap-on cover with a gasket. But they did also have a small overflow hole, so if the level inside got near the top it would flow out that hole into the bilge.

shower_sump_overflow.jpg