Page 1 of 1

1991 Californian 52 Slow Drains

Posted: July 25th, 2023, 3:02 pm
by Bsherryg
Both the forward shower and the aft tub drain very slowly despite all our efforts to remove hair and gunk. Carver manual says not to use caustic drain cleaners to avoid causing damage. Looking for suggestions for what to try next! The water seems to drain into some kind of holding tank and then pumps out from there. We have no idea where that tank is located nor what pump actually pumps it out.

FWIW the idiot mechanic who was supposed to winterize the boat poured RV antifreeze into every tank but didn't run it thru the lines. As a result we had several broken and leaking lines when we returned in June. We hope they've all been found and repaired or replaced but... no idea if this could be related to our slow drain problem but thought it worth mentioning.

Thanks for any help or suggestions!

Sherry
Toucan Do
Anacortes, WA

Re: 1991 Californian 52 Slow Drains

Posted: July 25th, 2023, 5:00 pm
by buster53
OK, all tubs, showers and even air conditioning condensation drain into sump boxes with a simple bilge pump to pump the contents overboard. You need to find these sumps. They will be located in the bilge usually within a few feet of shower drains. Do you have any bilge access panels nearby? Pick up carpeting as they are frequently hidden there.
They are probably pretty dirty and need a good cleaning. Just get some Fantastic type of cleaner, pour some in and hit it with a high pressure water hose. You can even use your hose up against the drains to flush out those drain hoses. This is something that needs to be done from time to time.

Re: 1991 Californian 52 Slow Drains

Posted: July 25th, 2023, 7:06 pm
by Midnightsun
I'll repeat what was said above, you need to find and clean the shower sumps. This should be done almost every year if you want to be trouble free all season long.

Re: 1991 Californian 52 Slow Drains

Posted: July 25th, 2023, 7:46 pm
by buster53
Let me add to what I said above…in addition to pouring Fantastic in the sump, pour some down the drains as well and then hit the drain with your pressure water hose. Maybe do it several times as most likely, the drain hose has really gotten gunked up and is a major cause of the slow draining.

Re: 1991 Californian 52 Slow Drains

Posted: July 28th, 2023, 4:06 pm
by buster53
Bsherryg wrote:Source of the post Both the forward shower and the aft tub drain very slowly despite all our efforts to remove hair and gunk. Carver manual says not to use caustic drain cleaners to avoid causing damage. Looking for suggestions for what to try next! The water seems to drain into some kind of holding tank and then pumps out from there. We have no idea where that tank is located nor what pump actually pumps it out.

Sherry
Toucan Do
Anacortes, WA


Have you found your sump boxes yet?