Clogged Cockpit Drains
 

One of my cockpit drains is running very slow from being clogged with
leaves, etc.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I've tried wrapping the dock hose in tape to form a tight seal and
blowing it out with water pressure to no avail.

I'm loath to run any kind of snake down there because it's just hose and
there's a seacock below as well. BTW the hose is 4'-6' long with at
lease two 90 degree bends. Not a good design and way too small if I get
pooped.

Would Peggy's beloved Raritan CP safely dissolve this stuff.

Joe Wood

Clogged Cockpit Drains
 

Shop Vac with a 'wet' tank ... use the suction to 'bounce' the clog. If
that doesnt work, 'snaking' a long stiff wire up from the bottom outlet
is probably the best course. Compacting the clog from the 'up' side
with air pressure, etc. will probably make it worse.

Apply 1/4" mesh SS screens to the drain holes.
At 4-6 ft. length drain hoses and two 90 degree (dirt catcher) angles,
either opt to remove the 90 degree bends and replace with a single hose
(long radius bends) ... or physically relocate the seacocks elsewhere.


Joe Wood wrote:
One of my cockpit drains is running very slow from being clogged with
leaves, etc.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I've tried wrapping the dock hose in tape to form a tight seal and
blowing it out with water pressure to no avail.

I'm loath to run any kind of snake down there because it's just hose and
there's a seacock below as well. BTW the hose is 4'-6' long with at
lease two 90 degree bends. Not a good design and way too small if I get
pooped.

Would Peggy's beloved Raritan CP safely dissolve this stuff.

Joe Wood

Clogged Cockpit Drains
 

I would also check on what type of valve is being used for a 'seacock'. Is
it a true seacock or just some kinda valve??

If it causes any obstruction to the flow (globe valve) or angle valve, you
will always have problems with clogging.

It should be a plug type or ball type valve so there is not obstruction or
tendency to collect dirt in the valve seat area.

In many of my used boat purchases, I have found totally inappropriate valves
in such drain lines.


--
My opinion and experience. FWIW

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Clogged Cockpit Drains
 

Once you have it clean, put a "leaf catcher" in the drain hole. I used a
tapered spring hand-wound out of galvanized wire. The big end is slightly
larger than the drain hole, with the loose end bent straight across the
larger diameter of the spring. This is screwed into the drain hole. The bent
end is used as a handle to pull it out for cleaning.

Cost: next to nothing.

Bruce




"Joe Wood" wrote in message
...
One of my cockpit drains is running very slow from being clogged with
leaves, etc.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I've tried wrapping the dock hose in tape to form a tight seal and
blowing it out with water pressure to no avail.

I'm loath to run any kind of snake down there because it's just hose and
there's a seacock below as well. BTW the hose is 4'-6' long with at
lease two 90 degree bends. Not a good design and way too small if I get
pooped.

Would Peggy's beloved Raritan CP safely dissolve this stuff.

Joe Wood

Clogged Cockpit Drains
 

Thanks for the good advice. I'll try the shop vac trick and if that
doesn't work I guess I'll have to get some gentle type of snake. If I
can't get it from topside, I guess that it's over the side for me.

This condition has lasted since last winter when I foolishly didn't put
the boat cover on. The boat almost sank, not from the drains, but
that's another story. The boat is in no danger since I do have two
drains one of which is open and the other is slow but it does drain
eventually. The seacocks are proper ball types.

Joe Wood

Joe Wood wrote:

One of my cockpit drains is running very slow from being clogged with
leaves, etc.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I've tried wrapping the dock hose in tape to form a tight seal and
blowing it out with water pressure to no avail.

I'm loath to run any kind of snake down there because it's just hose and
there's a seacock below as well. BTW the hose is 4'-6' long with at
lease two 90 degree bends. Not a good design and way too small if I get
pooped.

Would Peggy's beloved Raritan CP safely dissolve this stuff.

Joe Wood

Clogged Cockpit Drains
 

Geeze, the hose SHOULD be reinforced/armoured hose .... should have a
stainless spring cast inside the rubber duct. If a simple stiff wire
penetrates it, then dispose of the whole mess and start over.

Clogged Cockpit Drains
 

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 22:28:23 -0400, Joe Wood
wrote:

Thanks for the good advice. I'll try the shop vac trick and if that
doesn't work I guess I'll have to get some gentle type of snake. If I
can't get it from topside, I guess that it's over the side for me.

This condition has lasted since last winter when I foolishly didn't put
the boat cover on. The boat almost sank, not from the drains, but
that's another story. The boat is in no danger since I do have two
drains one of which is open and the other is slow but it does drain
eventually. The seacocks are proper ball types.

Joe Wood

Joe Wood wrote:

One of my cockpit drains is running very slow from being clogged with
leaves, etc.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I've tried wrapping the dock hose in tape to form a tight seal and
blowing it out with water pressure to no avail.

I'm loath to run any kind of snake down there because it's just hose and
there's a seacock below as well. BTW the hose is 4'-6' long with at
lease two 90 degree bends. Not a good design and way too small if I get
pooped.

Would Peggy's beloved Raritan CP safely dissolve this stuff.

Joe Wood

What I do is go overboard with a garden hose, stick the hose against
the thru hull and wrap it with a rag as best I can then have someone
turn it on. Blows the gunk backwards and gets a little messy in the
cockpit but that's no big deal.

Clogged Cockpit Drains
 

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 10:58:29 -0400, Joe Wood
wrote:

One of my cockpit drains is running very slow from being clogged with
leaves, etc.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I've tried wrapping the dock hose in tape to form a tight seal and
blowing it out with water pressure to no avail.

I'm loath to run any kind of snake down there because it's just hose and
there's a seacock below as well. BTW the hose is 4'-6' long with at
lease two 90 degree bends. Not a good design and way too small if I get
pooped.

Would Peggy's beloved Raritan CP safely dissolve this stuff.

My vote is for a shopvac. The lift on the cockpit drain is a coupla
feet. You should be able to suck the ocean dry.....even with leaves
plugging the hose.