Shower Drain Hose

[Jon W]

Planning to replace all the water system hoses in Della Jean. I read the May 2001 Tech Notes article about cutting an opening in the sub-floor out side of the head door to gain access to the hose connection under the shower floor.

Has anyone cut a hole in the actual shower floor to get access to the drain connection instead, then used an 8 1/2" or 10 1/2 " diameter beckson plate to seal the hole? Appreciate the input.   Jon W.

[Stu Jackson]

Jon, I don't recall that being reported.  I'm sure if it had worked, it would have been.  However, here's what I would do before I made that cut:  Take a good sized mirror and with a flashlight look around under the head sink and determine just where that hose actually goes; my recollection is that it goes more towards the engine and then turns forward than it does going under the head sole and then out.  Harder to describe than to just look.  Then, you'll be sure of where to cut.  IIRC, the hose end is just clamped onto the tube at the end of the sump box, and that's what you have to get to.  Good luck.

[Wayne]

Jon, I really wouldn't cut into the head floor.  I had some work professionally done on my boat that involved needing access to that connection.  The wood sole is thin plywood (or actually some type of plastic) held in place by the screws you see.  Take out the screws and the wood will come right up (it isn't glued--just screwed into place).  Beneath is the fiberglass liner pan which is at least 1/2" thick, and beneath that is space (1"?) and below that the hull.  The yard cut a hole (maybe 8") into the liner right outside the door.  The hose does run toward the centerline of the boat and perhaps slightly forward (so cutting into the head floor probably wouldn't give you very good access anyway).  They did their work, and when it was time to restore things they epoxied a 'lip' onto the underside of the liner pan.  The cut out piece was dropped into place on the lip and secured with a couple of flathead screws.  Then the wood floor screwed back into place.  Very neat, clean, and tidy.  And access is there for the future.  I wish I would have taken some pictures of the opening when it was apart . . . but that would have involved too much forethought . . .

[Ron Hill]

Jon : The reference to "cutting a hole in the floor"  was the instructions to an owner that had the shower drain hose come loose from the floor drain!!

If your shower drain hose is still fastened, then I'd leave it and ONLY replace it if it were to come loose.  Just leave it be!!

A thought

[Stu Jackson]

Jon,

Another way to say what Ron did is, as part of your thorough re-do of all the plumbing, leave this one right where it is.

Given your other post where you explained how much good stuff you've done and are planning on doing for your boat, I agree.  I'd leave this one alone.  One of the few "out of sight out of mind" things, maybe the ONLY one, on our boats.

If you want, run some bubbles  through the shower sump system, and check the check valve between the sump and the diaphragm pump.

[Jon W]

I'll leave the drain hose as is, add the strainer and maybe a new check valve.