Deck Drain Cleaning?

[Slo Poke1]

Went out and had an issue with my deck Drains getting plugged and the deck flooding since my live well discharge kept fouling with bait scales and overflowing onto the deck. The well overflow screen broke last year and I replaced it with. SS wire mesh. Guess I need to open up the mesh a bit.

Anyone have an on-the-water deck drain cleaning method that works we'll?

[mustang190]

Use a strong leaf blower. Stick it up against the scuppers and let it rip. You won't believe the mess that blows out.

[RodWorks]

You sure it's not just water intrusion from the thru hulls? The overflowing well should spill into the splash well through the overflow. T & H Marine sells the plastic drain pipe strainer that broke.

Rabuds may be in your future.

[Slo Poke1]

My deck stays pretty dry with the 150 I'm running and since it was 8 inches deep, it was more than just backflow through the drains. I should have closed the live well lid to reduce the overflow to the deck, but I had it open to keep cleaning the scales off of the screen.

Thinking about rigging a pump to some tubing to flush it while on the water. I've intended to get another pump anyhow for an emergency bilge pump back-up.

[RodWorks]

Your V6 150 weighs the same as my 200. Having a Talon and T Top will be enough weight to cause water intrusion problems and/or slow draining. Remember your boat can't drain if the deck is below or level with the waterline.

Just shoot the water through them, with the hose, from the inside of the boat. Can't imagine there's anything that's getting them clogged during a day of fishing.

[SCFD rtrd.]

You got two different things going on. The mesh screen in the live-well will not allow scales to p***-thru. So, that needs to be replaced with the typical cap to allow scales to drain.

You deck drains are designed to drain just so much water. If you are spilling 500 or 800 gph on the deck, complicated with scales and maybe other debris, the water will not drain.

My opinion is that deck drains are "out of sight-out of mind". So, guys don't put enough emphasis on keeping the drains and back-flow valves clean. They need a good garden hose flushing after every trip and occasionally plug the discharge and fill the lines with Dawn dishwashing detergent and water. Let it sit overnight and flush the lines out.

[nicecast]

Use a strong leaf blower. Stick it up against the scuppers and let it rip. You won't believe the mess that blows out.

Interesting. You mean the screens on the deck?

[Slo Poke1]

I always flush them out, but hadn't thought about the soap bath. I will open up the mesh to allow scales to p*** in the live well. My main problem is with seagr*** plugging up the drains when cast netting bait.

[Florentine]

What size mesh are you using now? If it is anything like the plain woven wire mesh seen here: Belleville Wire Cloth - Woven Wire Mesh then you are going to need something that is at most 10 wires per inch.

If you go too fine, as you are experiencing, you will be clogged constantly because you are picking up and blocking every little particle that is making its way down the drain.

Ask for some samples from that place in Jersey if you want to take a look for yourself - but I wouldn't go tighter than the 10 x 10 woven wire mesh plain.

[mustang190]

Yep, the screens on the deck. Pour some water in them then use the blower and make sure the dog ain't standing behind the boat.