How do I access Aft Deck sink plumbing hose?

Hi,

Our 45MY ('88) has a sink that won't drain on the aft deck. After several tries in various ways, we decided to just replace the drain line.

"Just" BAH!!!

We can trace the hose from under the sink, and see where it comes out in the engine room (stbd side, aft of engine, above exhaust pipe. Problem is we can't pull it through. Any idea how we would access the area between the engine room and the aft deck?

We have a built in table structure (Stbd, aft-most area of salon, and it backs onto the same wall as the sink) in the salon, but would hate to cut into it and discover it didn't help. I've attached a picture of the area I'm talking about -- its directly below the big mirror.

Any ideas how I get in there?

Don't know. But I just unclogged a similar pipe with a wet vac with suction pipe reduced down with a smaller dia hose clamped to the drain.


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Have you tried running a conduit snake down the line? Take it slow and don't force it so you won't risk puncturing the hose.

Thanks! I'll try the wetvac first, then the conduit. Not sure the conduit will work -- the tubing seems pretty soft (puncturable).

I'd try vac, snake and/or drain cleaner first...then

Hose is likely attached / supported along the way. May not be able to pull the old through.
You may be able to pull a new hose and just abandon the old.
Try a snake or pushing a small hose through...if successful you can use that to pull a new drain hose

Maybe try boiling water?

I have seen boats that have a panel on the outside but inside the window that is removed to access the space between walls.

I have a 1990 and my sink drains very slow. I think my problem is that the drains becomes air locked as i can plunge it and then it drains. I don't know how access the drain but will look when i am back on boat ant will let you know if i find an access. My salon looks identical to yours.

Are you talking about the sink on the sun deck? If so our 1988 48' drains on top of the deck just outside the starboard wing door. It does drain slow but it's only a 5/8" hose.

On my 48MY the drain line can be seen and touched through the access in the center stateroom. It then goes into the engine room behind the S/B engine and out through a thru hull. Mine passes through the deck behind the ice maker in the wet bar. I believe the hot and cold water line and 110 electric line goes through the same hole in the deck. You may want to check for a blockage at the discharge point. Spiders, mud dobbers and what ever will get in there. The vent from my holding tank was so restricted that I had trouble doing a pump out and back pressure was forcing waste smells past the joker valve at the head. Cleaned it out and everything works fine.

Also. Try a hose connected to fock spigot. Attach to drain hose and hope. My sink routinely clogs at the hose connection to the sink drain where it necks down. Try to back flush this as well.

Have you checked whether it has a through hull which is closed..? Of course you did. I see from your first post, that (presumably) it drains thru an above water thru-hull above the exhaust somewhere. Can you put a hose into this (? from a dinghy), and put some water under pressure back up it. Ie back-flush it, like MVDarlin has also suggested. Sometimes these drains, which are seldom used, get clogged with a type of algae, often attached to clumps of long hairs that have got down there. ? women rinsing hair of salt water after a swim. Whatever you do, make ripping out the existing drain hose the last resort. I doubt that will be necessary.