Forward head Sump

[Bud Cary]

Hi All

Before I disassemble a bunch of stuff, including the hot water heater, to find and follow the line, would anyone know where the output of the forward head sump pump goes to? 

Many thanks

Bud

S/V Pooh (J40 #82)

[Joseph Ruzzi]

Bud,  

I'm not on Spada right now, but IIRC, the forward head sump pump outlet goes through a vacuum-breaker in the forward head cabinet before exiting through a through-hull just above the waterline on the port side amidships.

Joe

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[Larry Romano]

Bud

J40 #67 the discharge hose is inside the cabinet in the forward head and exits as Joe stated.

Larry 

On May 23, 2026, at 3:16 PM, Joseph Ruzzi <jmru...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Todd Stevens]

On the j/42, it goes  to a “vent” fitting in the lavatory sink.  If you don’t see that, maybe it tees into the sink drain hose? The path from the sump is “interesting.” It goes through a molded-in tube under the main bulkhead to the first bay of the grid. From there a hose loops back through the port settee, then back through the bulkhead again with the other hoses, to the pump.  If that hose weren’t there, it would just drain into the main bilge sump without any pumping.  

Sent from my iPad

On May 23, 2026, at 11:47, Bud Cary <afca...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Bill Bowers]

On J42 #3 the 5/8” hose from the shower pan starts with a barbed ell which projects thru the pan wall as a male garden hose stem. The hose passes forward around the pan to the sump pump under the sink. 

I discovered there was trapped water under the shower pan as there was no port limber hole thru the main bulkhead and the massive aluminum mast step weldment forms a solid midline wall in the forward bilge. The male hose ell had no seal to the pan, just a wad of sillycone. 

I drilled a limber from the forward bay of the salon grid to release a gusher of trapped shower and mast water. 

The ells for both head pans have been upgraded by facing about 1/32” off a hardware store female hose repair barb to provide about 20% crush of an Oring against the pan wall when the flat gasket seals to the male stem. The female repair barb is a perfect mount for the hair strainer sock. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/566116F0-25E8-46C0-9093-CB23E163D20F%40me.com.

[Bill Bowers]

On Sat, May 23, 2026 at 8:14 PM Bill Bowers <wfb0...@gmail.com> wrote:

The leaking forward shower pan ell on J43 #3 caused some corrosion of the aluminum weldment flange to the bulkhead.  I did a sistering upgrade to the accessible starboard side under the fore cabin

floor. 

[Dennis Boyd]

Bill, 

I am very interested in this improvement, and I don't think Bill attempted this.    I have an hole that's been drilled in shower pan, but is appears to go no where.    Can you create a plan view of where you added the bracing?  Where was the corrison?   I am unclear from the photo.    Just where did you drill the addtional limber hole?

Was the hole just to provide a drain for the trapped water under the pan?   Or do you now drain from pan to bilge?    It sounds like from other post, it nice to be able to drain shower pan water, which may collect mast water, into bildge during winter, so it won't flood the teak in storage.

Dennis

Jaywalker 

J/42 #6

[Larry Romano]

Wait, I was wrong! I’ve been sick for 2.5 weeks and on antibiotics, my brain is not functioning!

The front shower tray drains aft to a tray that sits above the keel. The pump is located in that tray which pumps through a hose up into the port cabinets with a vent then down to a through hull fitting above the water line.

This is on J40 #67 which is a Dinette interior.

On May 24, 2026, at 10:32 AM, Dennis Boyd <dennis....@gmail.com> wrote:

Bill, 

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[Bud Cary]

Thanks everyone … I'll start under the sink and work my way back 

Our issue is we are in SW Fl without A/C on the boat so summer is our offseason even though the boat stays in the water. 

We will be away for a portion of this summer and given it's thunderstorm/hurricane season we need a solution to keep the forward sump dry (from rainwater coming down the mast) while also shutting down the boat electrical system while we're away

Bud

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[jmruzzi2]

Bud, 

I'm awaiting other responses, but my thought would be to rig up a separate standalone system: solar panel to small battery (like a garden tractor) to switch and pump.  I would think the Florida sun would keep the battery charged enough for the intermittent cycles of the pump.

Joe

Sent from my Galaxy

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[Todd Stevens]

Belated photo:

Never really thought about it before, but as previously mentioned, if that hose that leads back to the manual sump pump weren’t there, water coming down the mast would simply drain into the main bilge sump, where it would be removed by the automatic bilge pump.  Perhaps that hose should be disconnected for unattended storage? Or alternatively, the manual pump made into an automatic with some kind of compact float switch or the like? 

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[Dennis Boyd]

Todd, 

That is exactly what i am thinking.   Off season or unattended to protect the teak and holly sole from mast flooding the shower pan and over filling.    Having a means to route to bigle would not be a bad idea.

[Bud Cary]

Joe

Thanks for that and pretty much almost exactly what I was thinking!  Just have it drain into the sink. 

I have two portable solar panels currently attached to top of the bimini (all of which will be taken down while we're gone) so only concern is how to secure them to survive in event of a bad storm or hurricane

Bud

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[Fred Hawes]

Gentlemen,

My forward head sump pump pumps to the sink, as does the aft head sump pump, and that works OK unless the "float stopper" has corroded itself closed. The thing I am calling a "float stopper" is a 3 inch section of 5/8 stainless pipe with a hollow ball inside it, installed in the sink drain. Intended to prevent water from flowing IN. 

If this device receives no maintenance, the floating ball gets stuck, the sink ceases to drain. The sink is the only place for shower water to leave the boat, unless the overflowing sink eventually drains to the bilge.

Fred Hawes

J-46 Anona

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[Todd Stevens]

Hmm. Mine look like standard SeaDog tank vents. Don’t see anything like that.  

I do have chronic problems with sinks overflowing because the through-hull is actually very narrow at the outlet and frequently gets clogged with barnacles.  I have to hop overboard with a screwdriver and clear them out from time to time.  Have to keep an eye on that because my watermaker brine discharge is tee’d into the sink drain.  

That said, my lavatory sinks are plumbed backwards from the usual logic - the drains are only 3/4” through-hulls (more like 1/2" or less at the opening) which are more commonly used as intakes. 

On May 24, 2026, at 15:22, Fred Hawes <fred...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

Gentlemen,

My forward head sump pump pumps to the sink, as does the aft head sump pump, and that works OK unless the "float stopper" has corroded itself closed. The thing I am calling a "float stopper" is a 3 inch section of 5/8 stainless pipe with a hollow ball inside it, installed in the sink drain. Intended to prevent water from flowing IN. 

If this device receives no maintenance, the floating ball gets stuck, the sink ceases to drain. The sink is the only place for shower water to leave the boat, unless the overflowing sink eventually drains to the bilge.

Fred Hawes

J-46 Anona

On Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 04:55:49 PM PDT, Bill Bowers <wfb0...@gmail.com> wrote:

On J42 #3 the 5/8” hose from the shower pan starts with a barbed ell which projects thru the pan wall as a male garden hose stem. The hose passes forward around the pan to the sump pump under the sink. 

I discovered there was trapped water under the shower pan as there was no port limber hole thru the main bulkhead and the massive aluminum mast step weldment forms a solid midline wall in the forward bilge. The male hose ell had no seal to the pan, just a wad of sillycone. 

I drilled a limber from the forward bay of the salon grid to release a gusher of trapped shower and mast water. 

The ells for both head pans have been upgraded by facing about 1/32” off a hardware store female hose repair barb to provide about 20% crush of an Oring against the pan wall when the flat gasket seals to the male stem. The female repair barb is a perfect mount for the hair strainer sock. 

<IMG_0793.jpeg>

On Sat, May 23, 2026 at 6:27 PM 'Todd Stevens' via J/4X Owner's Group <j4x-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

On the j/42, it goes  to a “vent” fitting in the lavatory sink.  If you don’t see that, maybe it tees into the sink drain hose? The path from the sump is “interesting.” It goes through a molded-in tube under the main bulkhead to the first bay of the grid. From there a hose loops back through the port settee, then back through the bulkhead again with the other hoses, to the pump.  If that hose weren’t there, it would just drain into the main bilge sump without any pumping.  

Sent from my iPad

On May 23, 2026, at 11:47, Bud Cary <afca...@gmail.com> wrote:



Hi All

Before I disassemble a bunch of stuff, including the hot water heater, to find and follow the line, would anyone know where the output of the forward head sump pump goes to? 

Many thanks

Bud

S/V Pooh (J40 #82)

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<IMG_0793.jpeg>

[Bill Bowers]

Hi Dennis

Kept hitting Group wall trying to send Apple photos pics. 

Here is a Google Photos Album url of the repairs. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CUYpnfWU5AwCxRvb7

I would avoid dumping the shower water into the bilge. 

Best

Bill Bowers

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