Ski locker not draining

[sgrider24]

The ski locker on my deckboat is not draining properly and it is just holding water. There must be something clogging it up (probably one of my kids fruit snacks or something). My regular drain for the rest of the boat and bilge are all working properly. I am a newer boat owner and I am not sure what all is safe to pour down the drain (bleach/Drano, etc). I have tried poking a coat hanger in there to try and unclog it , but that didn't work. I don't own an air compresseor to blow air in there, but I might could find someone to let me borrow one. I thought of using a water hose with pressure, but I didn't want to make it worse. Are there any tricks to getting this unclogged?

 

[britisher]

Re: Ski locker not draining

Not sure how wide the drain hole is in your ski locker, but the hose pipe sealed up in to the hole and then turned on in SHORT BURSTS may shift what's in there. I have used that method for clearing out the drain channel on my house ac, which can get blocked up with crud. Another suggestion might be to buy some plastic irrigation pipe from HD/Lowes which is flexible and you may be able to push that down the drainage pipe and push whatever is stuck in there out the other end. Personally I'd try the hosepipe method first.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Ski locker not draining

Drain snake. Hard to tell how far it goes to the end. Do you know where it empties? If so you might come in from that end.

 

[sgrider24]

Re: Ski locker not draining

Is bleach or draino a big no-no?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Ski locker not draining

No not household plumbing drain cleaner. What kind of a boat? Got any pix of the boat?

The ski locker drain may drain into the bilge at the back of the boat. The year, make & model of the boat will help ID where it might drain too, as WOG suggested earlier, and attempt to unplug it from the back.

There are often drain plugs installed in the outlet of the ski locker drain into the bilge. Keeps water in the bilge from going into the ski locker. Once you're off the water, have the bow high, pull that bilge plug just like the drain plug that should be on the back of the boat.

 

[zool]

Re: Ski locker not draining

Not sure what kind of hoses your drain has, but if its the accordian pool hose type, they can get brittle with age and you may crack it, I know some of mine crumbled in hand as i removed them. See if it drains over the side, with a thru hull, and spray water up into it do maybe dislodge the clog.

 

[dswi]

Re: Ski locker not draining

Compressed air??

 

[sgrider24]

Re: Ski locker not draining

It is a 2008 Starcraft Limited Deckboat. I am not able to access (that I know of) anywhere other than the actual ski locker and the drain hole in it. Everything else is underneath where I can not get to.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Ski locker not draining

In that case I would suspect it's designed to drain to the bilge and the longer Drain Snake would still be my method of attack. Possibly one with the twist handle...