IceBox Drainage

[The Great Godsea]

Newbie question. where does/how does the icebox drain? seems stopped up somewhere and i dont want to try to snake the drain for fear of tearing a line. i cant tell which of the various holes in the hull/bottom (or is it some other outlet?) the melting ice water drains to. Thanks in advance. Mark

[Dolce_Vita]

The icebox drains into the shower sump, which is the small box that is visible under the floorboard hatch in front of the main table. This in turn is pumped out thru an above-the-waterline thru-hull via a pump that is activated by the manual switch in the head/shower area.  The thru-hull is located on the stbd forward area, accessible from the V-berth. In the original installation, it had a gate valve installed there.

When the shower sump fills up, water starts to back up into the icebox and the floor drain of the shower, under the teak grate. 

Some 323s have had the sump box removed, and allow the icebox and the shower to drain directly into the bilge.  This is a bad idea, as all the organic debris from the inevitable icebox spills, plus the shower and small sink output will quickly have the bilge smelling like an open sewer, especially in the hot summer months.

[selene]

My icebox connects to a small "Jabsco" pump next to the sink.  A few strokes empties any water into the sink (and therefore overboard).

[The Great Godsea]

Thank you both for your responses. we tested all the pumps and bilges and outflows yesterday and i think we found all of these items... except a way to get water in the icebox to drain. there must be a blockage somewhere.

[Dolce_Vita]

The icebox drain is a small line, so it's easy to believe it's clogged. 

The first thing you should try is to locate it and disconnect it at the shower sump box.  If it doesnt flow, it's clogged.  If it does, the obstruction is further downstream.

If it's clogged, try blowing backwards through the hose.  This may dislodge the clog.

The last resort is to replace the hose, but the icebox end is real hard to get to.  It can be accessed through the small storage cabinet under the stove area.

[selene]

Do you have the sink pump or Ed's sump pump setup?

Mine was also blocked when I first got the boat...two problems.  First, a blockage: I used a wire as a "snake" to ensure the first few inches of the pipe were clear.  Second, my pump had lost it's suction; fortunately a repair kit was available online.

The other common problem I had is when a clear bit of plastic gets into the icebox, covering the drainage hole! Duh! Stumped me for a while why it would no longer pump out....

If you have the sump pump setup - Ed may chip in here - I am assuming the pump works fine and you have suction?  With my sump pump, if the plug is left out in the head sink, the shower won't drain - it just sucks air from the sink!  So a longshot, but is your plug in!!! 

[Dolce_Vita]

... With my sump pump, if the plug is left out in the head sink, the shower won't drain - it just sucks air from the sink!  ...

Interesting...

My pump has been replaced with a Jabsco self-priming pump, and seems to have plenty of suction, but not much volume.
When my shower started draining slowly, even with the pump on, I discovered a small in-line strainer near the sump box that was clogged with hair!  Don't know if it is OEM or added by a previous owner (there have been eight!).

[Libations Too]

Libations Too (hull 349) is set up with the ice box drain routed to a pump at the sink, much as described by Selene. Perhaps this arrangement is common in the later years of 323 production.

Personally, I would not want my ice box connected to my shower/lavatory sump or drain to the bilge without some type of back flow preventer.

[The Great Godsea]

i contacted the previous owner yesterday (great conversation) and he believes that the icebox drains directly into the bilge. so, i'll just spend some time this weekend hunting that tube down and clearing it. thanks again everyone for your input. can't believe how much i'm enjoying working on this boat. first boat i've ever owned. i'm even dreaming of it already and it isnt even out of drydock yet.

[selene]

Slightly off-topic - hope you guys will forgive me - a little while I visited "Enchantress", which was for a while docked opposite me.  Nice boat, with many mods; one which particularly impressed me was converting the chart table so it pivoted upwards, opening up all that lovely space for storage (okay, that was a total digression).  Also (here is the relevant bit) the shower sump was moved forwards, under the space between the two access panels.  This not only made better use of otherwise unused space, but also opened up a big area forward of the bilge where the sump container used to be - still accessible under the main access panel - where he fitted a drop-in storage box.  Nice!  So if any of you guys are mucking around with that sump box, give that some thought....

[The Great Godsea]

and for my off-topic item... what have i done to get negative Karma? what does it mean?

[selene]

This karma thing beats the heck out of me - I guess when people don't like what you say, they ding you.  If they find your comments valuable, the nudge you up.  What you could have possibly done to get dinged is beyond me - so I fixed it, as your questions seem reasonable!  Maybe somebody didn't like the fact the icebox drainage had been discussed briefly in an earlier thread?

Anyway, don't feel bad.  I personally don't like the negative Karma idea; I was also sent negative for a while, and remain unsure why.  Not a happy feeling; but as you have already seen, there are many good folk on this site who are willing to help a fellow 323 owner in any way they can!

[The Great Godsea]

Thanks, right back at you!

[Now or Never!]

The ice box drain on Now or Never! is plumbed through the foot pump that pumps sea water to the sink.  There is a Y valve that switches between sea water and ice box melt water.  It is important to have some kind of filter to keep ice bix debris from fouling the pump.  You can put an in-line filter for this.  A simpler solution is to roll up some screen wire and put it into the drain hole in the ice box.

[Dolce_Vita]

Interesting...my footpump pumps freshwater to the sink, not saltwater.