cockpit shower - radical approach - advice needed

[sdaly66]

Looking for feedback here.

I'm considering installing a RAW WATER cockpit shower. OK, stop laughing.  Here's why...

My "crew" consistes of myself, the admiral, and three children. We never seem to have enough fresh water, so I'm thinknig the occasional raw water and soap wash down wouldn't be a bad thing.

I understand this means installing and wiring an electric pump and the related plumbing.  But, here's the crux of my question.

Can I branch off of one of the extant raw water lines - engine or head - as my source?  Yeah I know branching from the head can be bad, but if I use a "T" and run water through the system before I spray down the crew, won't we be ok?  Can I run a branch off of the engine intake with a "T"?

Has anyone done this?  Couldn't find anything on the site.  All the refs are to fresh water systems.

Thanks in advance.

Incidentally, we sail the Chesapeake above the Potomac, so the salt content is relatively low.

[Ken Juul]

One benefit of using alot of fresh water is the tanks won't go skunky.  Unless you moor in a place where you can't easily fill your water tanks I think it is less work to just keep them full. 

If you want to add it anyway, I think a "T" on the shower drain is probably the least used thru hull.  You will have to put an inline valve on the shower drain line to keep the pump from sucking air. Since the thru hull will now be a part time intake, a strainer is probablyl a good idea, upstream of the "T" so you don't strain your shower discharge.  With the temp of the Bay in August it won't even be a cold shower

[sdaly66]

Actaully Ken, that's a capital idea.  Here's why....

PO rerouted the shower drain into the bilges, so that thru hull isn't even being used I don't think.  Does it serve any other purpose? or can I just tie into it?

[Ken Juul]

Originally the shower and head shared the same through hull and the sink drain had a thru hull of it's own.  Some have swapped the sink and the shower lines so that the head intake line can be flushed with fresh water from the sink.  You will have to check the routing of the lines under the head sink.  You may all ready have an unused "T".  For simplicity, I think I would move the sink drain to the head thru hull and use the now empty thru hull as a dedicated shower intake.  Make sure you have a sink stopper for the head sink to keep the head from sucking air.

[Stu Jackson]

sd66, u wrote: "Does it serve any other purpose? or can I just tie into it?"

The Manuals have a diagram of the through hulls.  See: http://www.c34.org/manuals/1988/1988-C34-Owners.pdf,  page 35 of 66 (PDF pages) diagram 4.3.1

Not a bad idea.  You may also have a raw water intake under your galley sink.

[sdaly66]

Can anyone recommend a good pump for this project?  I don't have a clue regarding what gpm or pressure I should be looking for to support a shower that will be held eight to ten feet above the waterline.

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

I know I have a spare throughhull under my galley sink from the raw water sink pump that I disconnected when I put a new sink and water heater in last year.
It may be harder to plumb out to the cockpit though.

[Ted Pounds]

I used a ShurFlo Blaster for my deck washdown.  It should work fine for a shower too.

[Stu Jackson]

A deck washdown pump may be overkill.  What you're looking for is a pump equivalent to the existing fresh water pump under the galley sink.  The standard ShurFlo pump is model Model # 2088-423-344, which may have been replaced by newer ShurFlo pump models.  You're only looking for 3 or 4 gpm.  West Marine has also started making pumps, but ShurFlo has a very good reputation for longevity.  Price should be around $100 to $120.  You could also remove your existing fresh water pump, use that for that for the new shower, and get a brand new pump for your fresh water.  If, as I think, the model # quoted above has been discontinued, it's because the newer ShurFlo pumps come with built in pressure devices and/or accumulators that reduce pump cycling, which is helpful for the fresh water pump and would make little difference for the new raw water pump, since you'd not hear the cycling when you're in the cockpit.

[brant]

My solution is less complex;  I have an 8 gallon solar bag which I have more or less permanently tied flat on the coachroof under the boom.  From there I have a 7 foot hose that I can bring back to the cockpit.  Sitting on the cockpit floor withthe hose and its valve in hand, I can take a nice shower, heated, and let the water run out the cockpit drain.  We use fresh water, but you could substitute raw water if you wish. No pump, no draining of the bilge, and even a little privacy since we take our showers seated.  Has worked for us for 7 years form Mexico to Panama.

[Fuzzy]

And - If you are lucky (or unlucky) enough to sail in Northern Lake
Michigan you will have un unlimited supply of fresh water.

Fuzzy

[Jeff_McKinney]

This sounds like a neat idea, but I'd be a bit concerned that you might ingest a sea nettle (depending on the water salinity and temperature). I've seen them in Little Round Bay (upper end of the Severn) in mid-summer.

At the very least it would clog up the line, which is an easy fix. At worst, you would get blasted by a spray of the stingers. Definitely a bad end to the day. 

[sdaly66]

Yeah Jeff,

I thought about that.  Not sure how I'm gonna prevent that from happening.

Are you planning to be out this weekend?  We're going to be out Saturday, mid to late afternoon.

Probably run around Thomas Point light and back to Cadle Creek.  Taking some friends out for a cruise.

[Ken Juul]

keep the nettles out with a raw water strainer like on the engine intake.  You want to mount it so the bowl is vertical so the critters don't get out when you unscrew the bowl.  I have a larger (Groko I think) strainer for my A/C.  During the season, empty it at least daily.

[Ted Pounds]

Yeah, any pump will require that you mount a raw water strainer on the intake.  I had to do that with the deck washdown pump.