the adventures of a girl, her dog, and two cats.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

all clogged up



So... I have to admit to a major F-up with my galley sink. I put coffee grounds down the sink every day and know others who do as well, and in two-and-a-half years this has never been a problem. But last week I cooked up some ground beef that was 80/20 instead of my usual super lean 94/6, and I decided I needed to drain off that grease. And it just didn't occur to me in the moment that putting that grease down the galley sink was a huge no-no. I saw it start hardening in the sink and tried to wipe it up but too much had already gone down the drain. Very rookie mistake... I was just too caught up in my cooking and not thinking things through.

A few days later... the sink drained more and more slowly and for the last three days it has been fully stopped. I have poured boiling water and plunged, to no avail. I tried one of the other tips from The Boat Galley, baking soda and vinegar, but it just foams up into the sink instead of down into the clog. I won't have any cash until Wednesday, but then I will try to pick up some Super Digest-It enzyme-based drain cleaner that will, fingers crossed, eat through the grease. (Normal household drain cleaner will eat right through the hoses aboard so that isn't an option.)  
 
The PVC to hose connection looks to be on the permanent side, so I think if I have to disconnect them to clear it, I will have to invest in new hose and PVC... more of a project than I really wanted to add to my plate right now. I scooped and turkey-bastered all the water in the two sinks into a bucket and then tried the baking soda and vinegar concoction again, but if that doesn't help, I'll have to keep doing dishes in the bathhouse sink this week. Not fun. 

Yep, living the dream...

7 comments:

  1. Sterilite 18-Qt Dishpan, White

    This is $2.88 at Walmart

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, now that the backlog has been knocked out I'm doing dishes in the fly in a bucket in the sink until I can get the magical enzyme potion later in the week. If dock water were on I could just do them in the cockpit like I sometimes do laundry. :)

      Delete
  2. How is the new job going? Getting through the training? What is the most enjoyable part?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The most enjoyable part is that I'm not there... it was a trainwreck so I got off the tracks.

      Delete
  3. Neither coffee grounds nor grease should go into the sink and into the Bay. Grounds are harmless but the combination is a job for Draino man, a caustic, not boating solution.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yep, lesson learned! But I know so many people who put coffee grounds down the drain without incident and even swear it's good fish food... ugh. But yep, lesson learned the hard way... hope I can get it cleared soon.

    ReplyDelete
  5. How are you doing as of late? Morning? Was thinking about you. I think you can officially say you survived another winter. Yippy!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading! Have you had a similar experience you'd like to share? Have a link to an interesting blog fellow readers and I might enjoy? Just want to say hello? Post your comments below. I'm a smart, resourceful girl doing things her own way, so I just ask that folks keep the unsolicited advice to themselves.