Preventing clogged Cockpit drains

Tip/Trick submitted by Rick Carter

I've had water freeze in PVC sanitation hose without failure. This is the flexible stuff we all use for various plumbing connections. This can happen if something gets stuck in the pipe like leaves or a bottle cap. The last item is pretty easy to get caught in the cockpit drain hoses. All you need is a careless guest onboard and you are bound to get one in the cockpit drain. Many years ago, I put a stainless pin across each cockpit drain in order to keep my kids legos from getting stuck down there. The pin is made from a long stainless machine screw with the head cut off. You heat the thing up with a torch while holding it with pliers. Once hot enough to melt the plactic fitting, you set it across the cockpit drain fitting, then douse it with water. It takes just 10 minutes or so to protect your cockpit drains from legos and bottle-caps.

I've also had water freeze in the plastic pressure water hoses Pearson used on the pressure water system for the 424. In the case of a sea-chest or manifold system such as is has been discussed, you're more or less forced to use something like PVC. The issue is to keep water from freezing in there.