Water in well

[Islandboy1900]

Hi guys. A stupid question from a newbie Tattoo owner: how does the water that accumulates in the well in front of the motor drain? I see the hole in the bottom of the well, thought it was plugged, tried to clear it with no luck…
Like I said,stupid question..ughhh

[Jimmyt]

The motor well drains into a hose that tees into the sink drain line, then exits at the throgh hull in the transom.

Try a shop vac on the motor well hole while alternately plugging the sink drain and through hull. It's likely that the clog went in through the motor well drain.

If that won't clear it, you may have to pull the access panel at the aft end of the aft berth, and pull the drain line apart at the tee and clear it with a snake or something similar.

And welcome to the forum.

[Islandboy1900]

Thank you for the insight, my friend. I will follow your instruction.

[Russ]

Mine clogs constantly. As Jimmy stated, it shares the drain with the sink out the transom.

Mine is often cleared by blasting a hose in the hole in the well or in the transom where it exits.

[OverEasy]

Welcome to the Forum!

You can try a long plastic zip tie like we did on our Mac26X engine well drain….
When we first got our Mac debris must have settled into the plumbing and wouldn’t flush out. We didn’t want to push our luck by over pressurizing the drain line or connections (figuring they could be 20+year old originals) with an 80 psi garden hose.
So we snaked the long (about 24 inches) zip tie (we got it at HomeDepot while there for other stuff) pointy end first in from the bowl drain and then from the through hull openings and twisted it around about. After a couple tries the line cleared and the sludge/crud drained out.

Later when we got into the back of the boat through the berth we found that the line was rigged (probably from original) with a 90 degree elbow and a low “V” section in the vinyl tube that always retains water (and anything that wants to settle there ). So now cleared we make it a point to regularly flush the line when rinsing down to ensure the line stays clear.

One of these days we plan on replacing the line and fitting so the elbow and “V” are eliminated giving it a positive unkinked run.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards
Over Easy

[Islandboy1900]

All three of you have excellent suggestions. Mahalo nui!
I’m heading to her now and will test the suggestions out and let you know.

[Piddle and Futz]

Compressed air also works to clear out that clogged drain line, although I wouldn't recommend it. I ended up causing a small geyser in my galley sink that way. :-p

[dlandersson]

Ditto

[DaveC426913]

I do a couple of things:

1. Use a water hose to shoot some water into the outlet so it comes out of the inlet.
2. A piece of flexible wire may help too.
3. I put a sieve in the hole. That lets water run down the drain but not detritus. I used a square of "plastic canvas" from Michaels. I roll a five inch square piece into a tube and shove it into the hole. You want it to stick out of the hole by several inches, to maximize surface area.


Finally, something I'm surprised no one else mentioned:
That connection from motor well to outlet is flexible hose attached to (barbed?) fittings, and may have a 90 degree connector in it.
That is a possible source of water ingress, and it's practically invisible, unless you like crawling around back there.
Be very mindful that anything you do to clear the line does not dislodge or perforate the hose and connector.
Even if you are careful, the parts do get old and brittle and shrunken - and might leak anyway.
Make darned sure the hull under the connection is bone dry - and remains that way after any shenanigans.

[Islandboy1900]

Thanks Dave. I used a portable bilge pump and sucked up a ball bearing. After that it’s draining but awfully slow. I’ll try your suggestion to see if I can clear it any more. And mahalo nui to all for the great suggestions. I’ll post more “challenges” as they come up and solicit all of your amazing help!!