sinking feeling

[Admiral.snelson]

I have just installed my galley. I have put the sink into the countertop and now all I have to do is conect my waste water pipe. The only issue is, the outlet hole is too high. I have measured from the waterline and it is 12" high. How low can I go with a new hole? I need it to be about 8" is that ok? or should i consider installing a pump.

 

If the general consesus is that I should put another hole in the boat, anyone have any tips.

 

Thanks

 

Chris

[Guest]

Ed as misread the OP.

Edited May 16, 2013 by The Dog House

[Rebotco]

I have just installed my galley. I have put the sink into the countertop and now all I have to do is conect my waste water pipe. The only issue is, the outlet hole is too high. I have measured from the waterline and it is 12" high. How low can I go with a new hole? I need it to be about 8" is that ok? or should i consider installing a pump.

 

If the general consesus is that I should put another hole in the boat, anyone have any tips.

 

Thanks

 

Chris

 

 

I believe any hole into the boat has to be a minimum of 10" (250 mm for the youngsters!) above the waterline.

[alan_fincher]

I believe any hole into the boat has to be a minimum of 10" (250 mm for the youngsters!) above the waterline.

Depends what you mean by "has to be"!

 

Possibly it is a requirement on new boats, (RCD??), but certainly there is nothing that mandates it for older ones, many of which have outlets far closer to the waterline than this, (ours included!).

 

It's not something I can get wound up about for a sink outlet, because for anything to go wrong.....

 

(1) The boat already has to have sunk far enough for the outlet to be underwater, (unlikely)

 

AND

 

EITHER (2a) the outlet needs to have been sheared off to leave a hole (unlikely again!) OR (2b) any drain pipe needs to have detached itself from the inside (unlikely again!).

 

The prospect of two of these things combining at the same time to produce a problem leaves me to concede I'm probably at least as worried by being struck by lightening!

[RLWP]

I'm probably at least as worried by being struck by lightening!

 

Is Cath planning to put you on a diet?

 

Richard

[Admiral.snelson]

so what height would be good? and...any tips on doing it?

[Nightwatch]

Alan

 

Are you earthed?

 

Martyn

[RLWP]

so what height would be good? and...any tips on doing it?

 

Are you using a trap under the sink? Many boats don't (there are no drains to smell) and so use an elbow under the sink. This can save an inch or two

 

Richard

[Guest]

Are you using a trap under the sink? Many boats don't (there are no drains to smell) and so use an elbow under the sink. This can save an inch or two

 

Richard

This is how I got around it. By not using a trap (not needed anyway) I was able to keep to the suggested 10 inch above waterline. I can't swear to it, but I think this once came within the Boat Safety thing (the rules of which have been diluted over the years.)

[jelunga]

Depends what you mean by "has to be"!

 

Possibly it is a requirement on new boats, (RCD??), but certainly there is nothing that mandates it for older ones, many of which have outlets far closer to the waterline than this, (ours included!).

 

It's not something I can get wound up about for a sink outlet, because for anything to go wrong.....

 

(1) The boat already has to have sunk far enough for the outlet to be underwater, (unlikely)

 

AND

 

EITHER (2a) the outlet needs to have been sheared off to leave a hole (unlikely again!) OR (2b) any drain pipe needs to have detached itself from the inside (unlikely again!).

 

The prospect of two of these things combining at the same time to produce a problem leaves me to concede I'm probably at least as worried by being struck by lightening!

J thought it was a BSS requirement

[dor]

I'm pretty sure the 10" is an RCD requirement rather than a BSC thing.

 

The way I got round it - advised by my RCD surveyor, is to connect the skin fitting to sink outlet with marine grade hose with double SS jubilee clips. This then effectively makes the top of the sink the height of the opening.

[Alastair]

As they suggested but avoid using that corrugated flexible black plastic pipe. Gunk accumulates in the corrugations and smells.

[Ray]

My BSS surveyor is happy with my sink outlet hole at about 4ins above the waterline provided that the waste is fastened to the drain on the sink with Jubilee clips or similar and that any other means of water leaving the sink is 10ins above the water line

[Chalky]

I used the plastic pipe and jubilee clip approach however I used a skin fitting with a sea cock attached to it so I can shut off the drain if there's a problem - not that there has ever been.

[Ex- Member]

Another thing worth considering as well is actual height of kitchen worktops, ours are about 3 inches higher than a standard kitchen which makes for us standing and food prep and washing up less stressful on our backs, and of course the sink ends up higher also.

[ditchcrawler]

I think it is a BSC requirement for hire boats to have 10" freeboard

[AndrewIC]

You can get a very flat traps for sinks. Google for "Wirquin extra flat sink waste" or "Hopy D90 sink waste". I used the latter plus some ingenuity and an extra BSP to hose elbow.

[David Mack]

I think it is a BSC requirement for hire boats to have 10" freeboard

 

Yes. My recollection is that the original BSS, which still applies to hire boats, required a minimum freeboard of 250mm, but that this requirement was taken out when the BSS for private boats was simplified. But I also recall that the original BSS documentation made clear that the 250mm was to be measured to the point at which water could flow out, not necessarily the actual hole in the hull side. So providing you have a suitably robust pipe connecting the skin fitting to the sink, you can actually measure it to the top of the sink bowl.

[Admiral.snelson]

oooh thanks Andrew, that looks great.

[boots]

When we has our boat surveyed it was noted that the sink drain was below 250mm but the surveyor was ok with it as there is a sea cock fitted

[Starcoaster]

When I had my survey, the surveyor also said that outlets need to be 10" above the waterline, and my exhaust pipe outlet had to be moved prior to purchase as a result.

I am not sure if this is a survey/insurance thing or a BSS thing, but it does seem to be some kind of "thing."

[alan_fincher]

When I had my survey, the surveyor also said that outlets need to be 10" above the waterline, and my exhaust pipe outlet had to be moved prior to purchase as a result.

I am not sure if this is a survey/insurance thing or a BSS thing, but it does seem to be some kind of "thing."

With an old boat, privately owned, I think it is just a surveyor justifying their fee thing.

 

I'm more concerned about exhaust pipes near the water line, (ours is), but can't get worked up about sink and shower outlets, if otherwise done sensibly.

[Alastair]

With an old boat, privately owned, I think it is just a surveyor justifying their fee thing.

 

I'm more concerned about exhaust pipes near the water line, (ours is), but can't get worked up about sink and shower outlets, if otherwise done sensibly.

I was replacing the muffler on the narrowboat a couple of weeks ago when a GRP cruiser came past, going far too fast.

 

Bloody amazing how much water poured in and for how long. I was scrunched under the after deck doing up bolts on the exhaust skin-fitting flange so it ended up all over me.

 

You can be sure I did those bolts up well. No wonder the old exhaust rotted out (and no wonder sea-boats have swan-necks on the exhaust).

[Scholar Gypsy]

Another reminder of the same effect. NB Gort near Margaretness, just downstream of Woolwich.

 

Photo from Herbie's blog. This was caused by an easterly wind over an ebbing tide, not passing boats!

Edited May 26, 2013 by Scholar Gypsy

[larkshall]

I was replacing the muffler on the narrowboat a couple of weeks ago when a GRP cruiser came past, going far too fast.

 

Bloody amazing how much water poured in and for how long. I was scrunched under the after deck doing up bolts on the exhaust skin-fitting flange so it ended up all over me.

 

You can be sure I did those bolts up well. No wonder the old exhaust rotted out (and no wonder sea-boats have swan-necks on the exhaust).

Yes and in many cases non-return flaps to prevent sudden inrushes of water via waves of boat motion.