Floor Drain Elbow Broke (@#$%^&)

[randlemanboater]

My floor drains were not draining well with the check valves I had put in so I was going to try another configuration with them to see if they would work better. *

When I took the starboard hose loose from the boat side, the elbow in the floor, broke.

I know people have had this happen before, what did you do?

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r222/randlemanboater/101_0162.jpg

[reelapeelin]

1st thing I'd do is be glad it didn't happen at sea from vibration, etc...then I'd check the other side to see if it's about to happen there...then I'd replace both sides w/ larger drains... ;) ...

[Mulv80]

Hammer will be along shortly, he made this repair.

[Gator_Bait]

I could tell mine were brittle and breaking so I took them out and spent some time considering what to do. One option is to order the 90 degree ones that Hammer used (from TH I think). I preferred stainless but they are all too long but I finally found some short model from Attwood that are only 2 1/2" long top to bottom (about the same as from the top of the old one to the bottom of the elbow), so with the hose bent tight, it's slightly longer but seems to drain well.

No check valves so water still pops up when rocking and the thru hull dips below for a sec but it goes back out. The plus is that these are stainless, the drawback is that the tops are more mushroomed than the OEM ones, so not every drop goes down, a tiny amount of water will sit around the drain (maybe a 1-2 tablespoons), since it's higher than the floor.

Here is a link, this is the only place I could find short barbed SS ones and if you click on the images you can see the dimensions etc. One other thought was to hack off the barb then the threads are only 1" long or so, and just tread this into the elbow you took out (the good part). That may work, but wanting to get on the water this past weekend I didn't want to experiment only to find the threads didn't match or something. In fact you should try this and let me know if it works ;D ;D

http://www.firstchoicemarine.com/p-190-stainless-straight-thru-hulls-barbed-short-length-1-id-hose.aspx

Good luck!

Scott


;D

[Blue_Runner]

Let me know what you go with RB - I need to replace mine too. They are the plastic grey ones just like in your pic.

[msbhammer]

Randleman. mine both broke as well and I could not find a replacement part at all and I tried everywhere.
I finally found a boat building suplier. They state on the website that they only sell to boat companies, but when I called I spoke to a women and she hooked me up. SInce that time, two more members picked up the same type of ball floor drain. When or if you call, they may say no, but just drop my name and say a few guys recently bought some. They will only sell two at a time.
I know you wernt to happy with the valve drain set up, but trust me on this one, these work great.

http://www.thmarine.com/

[msbhammer]

Here's a pic. of my floor drains. They have a ball inside to prevent water from coming up onto the deck. I get zero water on the deck.
But if you want to do it right, "I didnt", you might want to knotch out the deck a bit. The drain has a lip, so water will sit around the drain, if not knotched out. The lip is only about 1/8 high.
BUT whatever you do, you MUST order the drain with a 90 degree, a 45 wont work because of teh height of the floor and hull. The 45 will hit the hull.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f153/msbhammer/DSC01987.jpg

[msbhammer]

I also removed one inline valve because it was holding in to much sand. She drains fine now, and water doesnt come up through the hull when I'm out.

[randlemanboater]

Yo HAMMA,

How much did you pay for them scuppers?

And you say that they keep the water out without using the check valve?

[msbhammer]

Randleman, when i first got my V, I didnt like how the through hulls were set at the water line. It made me nervas. So I went overboard on the drain set up, just so I wouldnt sink. ;D
The deck drain has a ball in it. It lets water flow out great when washing down the deck...or a large wave ;D
For the price of two deck drains, I think they charged me maybe 60 bucks I think.
now the hose opening is bigger, so you will need to reduce from 1 1/2 down to 1" to fit the through-hull scupper, but they sell them at any hardware or marine store.

[msbhammer]

Here's a pic. of the coragated 1" hose I used and you can see the 1 1/2 to 1" reducer i Have on.
No wyou cant see it in the picture, but there is a slight incline in the hose. The 90 dregree deck drain does sit lower then the scupper, but, this is the only type of drain that I could find. I had the same drain as you and checked everywhere, even pool stores and couldnt find that part. ...90.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f153/msbhammer/DSC02626.jpg

[Gator_Bait]

Thanks for posting those pics Hammer. Now I see what you mean by the floor being in the way. On the V21 the floor isn't a problem at all, the thru hull must just be higher on the hull. Although they still used that same 2 piece impossible to find 90 degree elbow thingy.

BR you can likely use a setup similar to mine since the floor isn't in the way. Wish I took some pics of it but forgot the camera last weekend when I did the install.

[msbhammer]

Forgot the Camera. :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( ;D

[randlemanboater]

I found them for sale at two places, this is the cheepest,

http://www.marineengine.com/products/accessory.php?in=3420504

[msbhammer]

Great find Randleman. So whats your plan of action.

[randlemanboater]

I am going out to mow the grass. Then fix the flat tire on my sons bike.....Oh, you mean about the drain.....I think I'll order me some of those and install em next time I go to the coast.

[Blue_Runner]

Gator, yes pics would be cool I'd like to see how the stainless looks in the V21. Did you access this through the rod box or rear hatch?

The port side on mine has been changed before. It has a regular through hull on it and allows the standing water around the lip as you all have described.

Hammer, great pix ;D

[kamikaze]

I had the same problem on my Aquasport when refitting the deck drains recently. Not liking the price of the off the shelf options or the modifications need to refit some of the replacement units I found. I came up with a fix that works well, cost a couple of bucks and doesn't require any refitting modifications to what you already have. I found out that the gray fitting shown in the picture is specific to Marine and RV applications (Shower drain I think) given that it has a hose barb on the one end. However, Home Depot carries the same item in the electrical department in a sleeve vice barb configuration for only a couple of bucks. I took the sleeve and applied my 4" grander to rough up the exterior and make my own barbs. I then applied 5200 to the inside of the hose and two stainless hose clamps to make sure It will never separate again. Screwed in a shiny new SS deck drain off Ebay for 5.00 and I was good to go. Looks great and works identical to the original and didn't cost a fortune to boot.

Kamikaze

[msbhammer]

Flash Card time. Post pics. of what ya did. ;D

[randlemanboater]

Yep, we need some pics of that please Suicidal Japaneese Pilot.

[sfprovyn]

The V20 deck drain is a design problem. Mine were not broke but cracked so I sanded them down and ran about a quarter inch band of marine tex around the cracks and put them back in. I dont know if you can find the original drains anywhere. Frank

[msbhammer]

Wondering if Tuna is reading this thread. His scuppers were patched over and his deck drains into the bilge area. maybe that isnt a bad idea after all. Just as long you have two hard and fast working bilge pumps. :-/ ???

[phatdaddy]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e203/ffatdaddy/POL_0064.jpg

I had to replace mine 3 or 4 years ago, i used a drain for a small sink. i picked these up at a plumbing house they are called bar drains. they are brass and come with a brass stopper. the nipple on the bottom is too long and you have to cut it off so the 90*barb fitting will fit snug against the bottom of the drain. they work great, except they have no screen and stuff will get into them and have to be cleaned.

[msbhammer]

I bought a set of them myself, before finding my deck drains. Good job on the repair. ;)

[Airslot]

I went to my local plumbing supply house, told the guy what I needed, and he gave me a 1" brass bar stop with an elbow and it works great.

[msbhammer]

I actually have two of those bar drains somewhere I bought new. if I can find them, anybody need them ??

[msbhammer]

I have two of these lying around somewhere if needed.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f153/msbhammer/drain.jpg

[randlemanboater]

These are some good ideas. I found some bronze fittings online that are flat like the original plastic ones that would let the water drain like the original.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/10001/-1/10001/2680/10001/217/70/11

[msbhammer]

Nice fittings, but do they come in a 90 ??? :-/

[Gator_Bait]

I looked at those too RB, the only problem is I couldn't find them in the short version and the threads are about 3" long I think, so add that to the elbow and it was too low I think (at least for mine). I considered cutting them off, but then I figured the threads would burr and not screw into the plastic elbow again.

Man one of us should produce these things all over again and make a killing! Frustrating when something is so impossible to find!!

;D ;D

[phatdaddy]

gator, you can use those, just cut off the part of the threads that you don't need. just thread the nut all the way up, cut the nipple where you want it, and unthread the nut to cleanup the threads. i had to trim the bar drains.

[bradford]

I've always wondered if you could reroute the scuppers to drain into the motor well on outboard powered V 20's and then fill in the holes on the sides. ??? *I feel this would be a much safer setup instead of having two holes in your boat below the waterline. *what do ya'll think?

Not to mention it would be easier to work with having a little extra distance between the drain and the thru hull. Anybody thats done this repair knows what i'm talking about. ;)

[msbhammer]

I tend to agree with the thru hull design being a disaster design, but then you would alwys have to count on your bilge pump to be working. :-/

[randlemanboater]

Yeah, I thought if I got one of them I would cut it off and use the original plastic elbow......if the threads were the same.......and I could get the broken piece out of the elbow without breaking the elbow......and, well, I think one of these other ideas may work better.

[randlemanboater]

I've always wondered if you could reroute the scuppers to drain into the motor well on outboard powered V 20's and then fill in the holes on the sides. ??? *


I am going to explore this, that seems like a real good idea as long as the height of the well is lower than the floor.

My other thought is to run them straight out the back with flappers.

[Blue_Runner]

Personally, I like self bailing. But I keep my boat on the trailer and very rarely leave it in the water. All of my other boats were not self bailers. I don't miss having water in my bilge one bit. Matter of fact that is what sank my 17ft boat at my dock on High Rock Lake. It wasn't a self bailer. The rains came, automatic float switch quit working and down she went down in 10 ft of water. You could barely make out the bow rail if you looked closely. :o

Its 6 one way and half-a-dozen the other I guess but my vote is to stick with self bailing. Just make sure your fittings are good and double clamp them if not already and there should be no problems. I'm pretty sure that most boats of today are self bailing and there is a reason for it. I think its because when not self bailing, the hulls sit and tend to fill with water over time, rotting the stringers and such, but that's just my guess.

Think about all the rot in the older boats that are not self bailing......

Blue's .02

[reelapeelin]

Blue's .02 makes LOTTA sense ... don't get me wrong; I love my '74, but if I'd looked a little longer, it'd be a newer, self-bailer ;) ...

[macojoe]

Fix what you got, water in the bildge never did anyone any good!
Splashingn around getting everything covered in salt, rotting stuff, Nope I would not miss it for 1 min!!

Tell you the truth I have been trying to figure out how I could make mine a self bailer!

But there is to much to it for me, I have the 2 floor fish boxes and with out makingthem water tight the water gets into them any way, I could plug the drain holes but then I would have to tanks full of water, so yes 600 of one, 200 of the other.

[reelapeelin]

I have been trying to figure out how I could make mine a self bailer




Just go out to your storage room, take that Bilge Pump outta the pack and install it in yer boat ... ;) :-* :-* ...

[parishht]

Look ma, no bilge pump:

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g18/parishht/bailing-animated.gif

[macojoe]

Thats CB's Job!! ;) As long as he can pump that bike pump we will be fine!

The real problem is I put to big a gas tank in ther motor well, and there is no room???

[reelapeelin]

I know you can get a hose into your bilge...do remote pump...put pump where you DO have room and run intake hose w/strainer into bottom of bilge ... I'd be figurin' out SOME way to have a bilge-pump in the boat ;) ... don't wanna read about ya in the Cape Cod Daily Fish Wrapper ::) ...

[randlemanboater]

LOOKIE WHAT I FOUND!!!!!

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r222/randlemanboater/101_0254.jpg

Almost an exact copy of the original, except the screw in part is brass.

$1.29 for the elbow, $18.00 for the brass part.

[msbhammer]

Great find Randleman, and I cant believe you found them at True Value. Thats the only place I never bothered to check. Expect to see some install pics.
I still prefer the ball drain to prevent water from coming in.

[bradford]

You da man Randle! ;D

[randlemanboater]

Great find Randleman, and I cant believe you found them at True Value. Thats the only place I never bothered to check. Expect to see some install pics.
I still prefer the ball drain to prevent water from coming in.


The elbow was at True Value @ Holden Beach, the brass part was @ a plumbing supply place in Greensboro.

I have a theory on the install, I am going to cut the drain so that the elbow is what screws tight against the floor instead of having the nut, then elbow.

This should put the elbow outlet about 1" to 1.5"s higher. *Maybe that will be enough to stop the water from comming in as much. *

If that doesn't do it, I found a fitting during my search that would mount on the wall of the cockpit instead of the floor, I might try them this winter.

http://www.marineeast.com/a_sch/sch_det.asp?cid=05&pid=05_03

Using these you could run the drain into the splashwell, or out the back of the transom above the waterline.