34 shower drains

[kerry]

Hi Guys,I have an Albin 34, can anybody tell me where the forward and aft showers drain to? Do they just go into the bilge, i doubt they do, do they go straight overboard or do they go into a container with a bilge pump hooked up to it? Any advice would be very welcome. Thanks, Kerry

[Ron222]

Kerry,
On my 1986 A34 the forward shower drains to the sump which is isolated from the bilge. I was able to reach it by opening the wood panel in front of the engine which also holds the coolant reservoir on my boat. There is a separate bilge pump in the sump. What was interesting was the fact that the hose draining the shower and extending to the sump is sooo tight and restricted there was no way that I could replace the filthy drain hose. I didn't want to try to take apart the shower stall to get to the hose last winter. I wonder if the shower unit was installed before the cabin and deck were placed on the hull. I wouldn't be surprised because that is what Albin did when installing the water tanks. Another interesting oddity regarding this sump. The discharge hose from the forward sump extends aft through the bulkhead then turns 90 degrees to the port side and up to a point midway above the waterline. This hose is so long that the pump can't work on automatic. After pumping the bilge the water left in the hose drains back to the sump and starts the pump, again. I will need to look into whether a one-way valve can stop this backflushing cycle. You may want to check this out on your boat. The aft head has a shower unit that is drained by a hose that discharges on the starboard side of the boat. This hose is short and goes straight out to the side.
Ron
A34 Paumanok (hull #3)
Connecticut

[kerry]

Ron, great information, i think i will just go dirty!

[Marcy K]

Kerry,

Ron didn't mention that we also installed (he did) a shower on the swim platform connected to the water heater - it works great if you don't mind a public display - we don't mind as we are in our 60s!! we also use sun showers when at anchor for long periods. Haven't yet used either head shower yet but plan to keep going out for 3 - 3 days until mid-October so we will probably have to try one of them. Will work on new solutions this winter. Good luck. Marcy K A 34 Paumanok