Clogged Shower Sump Outtake Hose

Hello. I have a Rule 800 12v Shower Sump. The unit is clean and everything inside (floater, motor, check valve, etc.) works just fine. But the outtake hose seems to be clogged. What is the best way to unclog?

Replace….

Replace. Just did mine recently. What a difference. The original hose was 33 years old.

I bet it is clogged with a hair ball flushed down from the shower. Take a hose and while someone watches the sump turn it on and back flush the hose from the outside of the boat at the thru hull fitting. It shouldn't take more than a few seconds and may easily clear the hose.

David

Welcome to the TF. It looks like you have been given advice re the best approaches already. Trying a back-flush would be worth doing. If that fails replacement might be the way to go. I might be inclined to get a length of trusty curtain wire the try threading it through the length if the back-flush fails, before throwing the length out.

Oh, and as this was your first post, I took the liberty of moving your thread to the Welcome Mat section.

if you are getting any flow at all, some drain cleaner might help. I've had good luck with this on my boat:

https://www.amazon.com/DISSOLVE-Liq...ocphy=9003386&hvtargid=pla-420191211295&psc=1

My thanks to all for the advice. As it turned out, I also needed a new check valve but neither Rule nor Jabsco stocked replacement parts for my old 98A unit. So I purchased and installed an entirely new 98B unit. Everything is working just fine now. The problem is solved.

mjd said:

My thanks to all for the advice. As it turned out, I also needed a new check valve but neither Rule nor Jabsco stocked replacement parts for my old 98A unit. So I purchased and installed an entirely new 98B unit. Everything is working just fine now. The problem is solved.

Click to expand...

For now....

I've heard that bar soap is eventually trouble.

diver dave said:

I've heard that bar soap is eventually trouble.

Click to expand...

I have heard that as well and only use liquid body wash in my shower.

mjd said:

My thanks to all for the advice. As it turned out, I also needed a new check valve but neither Rule nor Jabsco stocked replacement parts for my old 98A unit. So I purchased and installed an entirely new 98B unit. Everything is working just fine now. The problem is solved.

Click to expand...

If you had a check valve in your shower discharge hose, that most likely was the problem. A check valve in a hose passing "dirty" water (hair, soap scum, debris, etc.) is sure to fail sooner or later.

Why is there a check valve and do you really need a check valve?

I have also installed a screen strainer in the shower floor and it catches a lot of debris. I didn't buy it on Amazon but happened to find it in a store and tried it. It looks like this. Try it if it's the proper size for you.

https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-St...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

I 'think' he was referring to the check valve on the shower sump. My shower sump has a check valve ... otherwise water would run back into the sump from the uphill rise to my thru-hull. Isn't this standard?

Welcome aboard to the OP. The problem with check valves is that they can jamb from debris and showers have a lot of hair going down the drain.

Again, see post 12. It works and actually looks like it belongs.

I have been using this the past year and has been working great.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=shower+s...3&sprefix=shower+schroom,aps,263&ref=nb_sb_ss

Russell Clifton said:

I have been using this the past year and has been working great.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=shower+s...3&sprefix=shower+schroom,aps,263&ref=nb_sb_ss

Click to expand...

That link didn't work for me other than showing a variety of different products. But your point is the same as mine, you don't have to accept the fact that hair and other stuff has to end up in the sump.