C-28 Shower Sump

[Subs]

Hi Everyone.

I've searched this topic and I think I have my answer but I wanted to double check. I have a new to me 2018 C-28 that I just picked up last week. I noticed the shower sump box is full presumably from HVAC condensation. The pump is not pumping it out. I dumped a water bottle in the drain to check. I am going to check the fuse to make sure that's not the culprit. While investigating, I noticed that the box is really hard to get to. Impossible almost. I'm not sure if its the same on every ones, but my sump box sits so close to the fiberglass floor (1/4" maybe) that it prevents the wood cover from sitting flush. I also noticed that the forward screw holding the box to the bilge is loose.

What are those screws sinking into? Just the hull or is that where the keel is (more fiberglass)? am I able to epoxy some stainless inserts into this area to make removal/service easier? Since my box is sitting so close to the floor, can I disconnect the hoses and unscrew it from the bilge to remove it and inspect it? We are hardly ever going to use the shower on the boat and I noticed Attwood makes a smaller sump box (4 1/2" tall vs 5 1/2" on the stock Rule) that would fix my issues all the way around (new equipment that can be easily accessed and a fitting floor piece). If anyone has any experience with that, let me know.

Thanks!

 

[Crazy Heart]

I have a 2016 C-28. I had not used the shower and as a result the sump became a bit stale. I removed it to give it a good cleaning. To do so I had to:
1. Remove the depth sounder sending unit from the cup that is glued to the hull.
2. Remove the hoses
3. Cut the electrical wires to the sump. I wired in a plug for easy future removal.
4. I had to cut away a small part if the fiberglass floor recessed lip that holds the lift out floor. I used a multi-tool to do that. I only cut about 1/2 of the lower lip in one spot to allow removal of the sump. This does not affect the support of the removable floor as it is still supported all the way around.
Future removal will now be easy, but I flush water through the sump on occasion to prevent the problem.
Feel free to contact me if you need more info or a photo.
Jerron Walker, Crazy Heart

 

[Subs]

Thanks Jerron. I thought it may be something like that. I found that the fuse for the pump wasn't installed in the block and I found that the previous owner probably pulled it because the pump wouldn't shut off. At least they stashed the fuse in the electrical space behind the dash. I still have to take the whole box out of the bilge so rather than replacing just the float switch, I'm going to replace the whole box with the smaller Attwood unit that has a clip on lid.

My floor section doesn't sit flush to the floor but I think I can fix this with a planer that I have in my shop by removing a few mils of wood from the plywood base.

Thanks!

 

[S@LTD]

We had the same issue and our customer service rep did the same thing as Crazy Heart e.g. trim half of the edge to get the box out. At the time the boat was only a few months old. Good thing he did too as I had a second pump go out and I am now able to take the lid off and replace it.