Hi: I'm new so please forgive me if I goof up! We just bought a Catalina 250 WK (2001). Our third boat in 25 years and we have become quite sophisticated with this one having graduated from no head- to porta potty-to a marine head. We're in over our "head" already trying to figure the contraption out. There is an intake valve in the center of the hull midship, which I think we've mastered. There is a dry and a wet stting at the head (?). The discharge from the head seems to go to a wye "y" valve at the tank near the rear. We are a bit unsure of proper protocol and technique for system use.Thats where we loose it. I can't tell what the y valve at the tank does or where it leads as the compartment at the stern is so tight. I know there is a macerator pump and a through the hull discharge (valve is so tight it will not likely ever move) near the rear floor of the hull and a pump out access near the transom. I can't figure out what to use when and in what order- nor can i follow the flow of pipes sue to the tight quarters ( macerator before pumping tank or just pump the tank out)???? The jabsco manuals for the marine head and macerator explain ops for the devices but not the system. If I could get pointed to a site that makes sense system and how it works I'd appreciate it before we do something wrong and make a huge mess. I've seen several sites but none seem to match up specifically with this model of boat. Not much help in the literature that we got with the boat. Thanks Joe
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Here's what you SHOULD have in your waters
The flush water intake hose for the is 3/4" ID (inner diameter)...one end should be connected to a below waterline thru-hull, the other end to back of the toilet pump. There's another short piece of 3/4" hose from the pump to the back of the bowl (If the toilet is below the boat's waterline, there should be a vented loop between the pump and the bowl, but we'll deal with that issue after you've learned how to use the toilet...so don't worry about that or what a vented loop does for now). The "wet/dry" lever at the top of the pump controls incoming flush water only...it moves a little "gate" inside the pump that blocks incoming flush water in the "dry" mode, or unblocks it to let flush water come in when in the "wet" mode. The pump moves bowl contents out equally well in either mode. The hose coming off the bottom of the pump is toilet discharge hose. On every toilet BUT Jabsco, this hose 1.5" ID...on a Jabsco it can be either 1" or 1.5". This line should go directly to the inlet fitting on the tank, which will be at--or on--the top of the tank. A smaller 5/8" hose that's on or at the top of the tank is the tank vent line. On just about every boat BUT Catalina, the vent line goes to an above waterline thru-hull fitting that's most likely near the toe rail...Catalina runs it into a rail stanchion (look for a slit in the aft side of a stanchion at the bottom). The tank pumpout line is a 1.5" line that should be at the bottom of the tank...it's most likely the one that has the y-valve in it--one side coming out goes to the deck pumpout fitting, the other side goes the macerator pump and a thru-hull/seacock that should be below the waterline. The macerator and y-valve will have come out, and the seacock handle removed. It's illegal to dump a tank in ANY inland waters, so you can't use the macerator...in GA, it's illegal even to have a y-valve, macerator or manual overboard discharge pump, or any plumbing connecting the tank--or any toilet--to a thru-hull. The system has to be plumbed for pumpout only. Now...how to USE the toilet: Open the flush water intake seacock (It should remain closed at all times when no one is aboard). You COULD just flail away pumping the toilet in the wet mode all the time...but that's gonna fill up your holding tank VERY fast. This way conserves flush water: Ahead of use, pump the toilet in the wet mode a couple of times to wet bowl (Marine toilets aren't designed to hold water, so you'll add with a cup ahead of solid waste)...switch to dry. Use the toilet, then pump enough times IN THE DRY MODE to move the bowl contents all the way to the tank...you'll have to figure out how many that is based on the distance. Switch to wet, pump 3 or 4 more times to rinse the bowl...switch back to dry to pump the rinse water all the way the way through. Keep an eye on how full you tank is getting so you don't overflow it! Catalina's tanks are polyethylene--and excellent quality--but for some reason they specify black...so you can't see how much is in the tank by just looking at it. So if there is no gauge, I strongly advise you to install one. Meanwhile, here's how to estimate how long it should last: the average adult uses the toilet 5x/day...average flush volume: .5 gal. So if you're aboard the whole weekend, that's about 2.5 gal/day/person (best to estimate 3/person to be on the safe side). So if you have a 10 gal tank, it'll just about last two people through a 2 day weekend. You'll also want to make sure your tank vent doesn't become blocked...which that d'd slit in the rail stanchion makes VERY common. Stop pumping the toilet immediately if you start to feel backpressure...stop pumpout immediately if it stops pulling waste out of the tank after only about a gal. That's the short course summary for "marine potty 101." You might want to check out the link below for the complete course "textbook."
The flush water intake hose for the is 3/4" ID (inner diameter)...one end should be connected to a below waterline thru-hull, the other end to back of the toilet pump. There's another short piece of 3/4" hose from the pump to the back of the bowl (If the toilet is below the boat's waterline, there should be a vented loop between the pump and the bowl, but we'll deal with that issue after you've learned how to use the toilet...so don't worry about that or what a vented loop does for now). The "wet/dry" lever at the top of the pump controls incoming flush water only...it moves a little "gate" inside the pump that blocks incoming flush water in the "dry" mode, or unblocks it to let flush water come in when in the "wet" mode. The pump moves bowl contents out equally well in either mode. The hose coming off the bottom of the pump is toilet discharge hose. On every toilet BUT Jabsco, this hose 1.5" ID...on a Jabsco it can be either 1" or 1.5". This line should go directly to the inlet fitting on the tank, which will be at--or on--the top of the tank. A smaller 5/8" hose that's on or at the top of the tank is the tank vent line. On just about every boat BUT Catalina, the vent line goes to an above waterline thru-hull fitting that's most likely near the toe rail...Catalina runs it into a rail stanchion (look for a slit in the aft side of a stanchion at the bottom). The tank pumpout line is a 1.5" line that should be at the bottom of the tank...it's most likely the one that has the y-valve in it--one side coming out goes to the deck pumpout fitting, the other side goes the macerator pump and a thru-hull/seacock that should be below the waterline. The macerator and y-valve will have come out, and the seacock handle removed. It's illegal to dump a tank in ANY inland waters, so you can't use the macerator...in GA, it's illegal even to have a y-valve, macerator or manual overboard discharge pump, or any plumbing connecting the tank--or any toilet--to a thru-hull. The system has to be plumbed for pumpout only. Now...how to USE the toilet: Open the flush water intake seacock (It should remain closed at all times when no one is aboard). You COULD just flail away pumping the toilet in the wet mode all the time...but that's gonna fill up your holding tank VERY fast. This way conserves flush water: Ahead of use, pump the toilet in the wet mode a couple of times to wet bowl (Marine toilets aren't designed to hold water, so you'll add with a cup ahead of solid waste)...switch to dry. Use the toilet, then pump enough times IN THE DRY MODE to move the bowl contents all the way to the tank...you'll have to figure out how many that is based on the distance. Switch to wet, pump 3 or 4 more times to rinse the bowl...switch back to dry to pump the rinse water all the way the way through. Keep an eye on how full you tank is getting so you don't overflow it! Catalina's tanks are polyethylene--and excellent quality--but for some reason they specify black...so you can't see how much is in the tank by just looking at it. So if there is no gauge, I strongly advise you to install one. Meanwhile, here's how to estimate how long it should last: the average adult uses the toilet 5x/day...average flush volume: .5 gal. So if you're aboard the whole weekend, that's about 2.5 gal/day/person (best to estimate 3/person to be on the safe side). So if you have a 10 gal tank, it'll just about last two people through a 2 day weekend. You'll also want to make sure your tank vent doesn't become blocked...which that d'd slit in the rail stanchion makes VERY common. Stop pumping the toilet immediately if you start to feel backpressure...stop pumpout immediately if it stops pulling waste out of the tank after only about a gal. That's the short course summary for "marine potty 101." You might want to check out the link below for the complete course "textbook."
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