Easier Decommissioning of Head & Sumps

[Jeff652]

Decommissioning of Head & Sink & Shower Drains Together 2009

This year I figured out a much easier way without having to detach ANY hoses

They key is to close the seacock and pump the antifreeze backwards into the bowl

First I'm sure you know know that under the sink in the head...
- When Y valve is connected up & to starboard, the sink drains
- When Y valve is connected up & to port, the shower sump drains
- Both are pumped upwards, through a strainer, to a line that connects to the inlet line from the seacock to the head.

1. I pumped out at the pump-out station and rinsed 3 times with water
2. I removed and cleaned the filter under the sink
3. I turned the Y valve to connect with the shower sump and poured antifreeze into the shower sump and turned on the sump pump until I saw that the pink antifreeze reached the bowl of the filter
4. I poured antifreeze into the bottom of the refrigerator, turned the Y valve to the refrigerator drain, and turned on the pump until I saw antifreeze go into the bowl of the filter and the out thru the seacock (I have a semi-transparent reinforced PVC hose that leads to the seacock)
5. I cleaned the filter again of junk that had drained from the refrigerator
6. I closed the seacock thus preventing any antifreeze from exiting through the seacock & therefor routing the antifreeze into the bowl of the head
7. I added antifreeze to the shower sump & turned the Y valve to the shower sump position.
8. I turned the lever of the head to the "Flush" or fill bowl position
9. I turned on the pump and simultaneously pumped the head to add antifreeze into the bowl; it came in readily (but did not come in when I pumped the head w/o the sump pump on probably because the line had air in and thus wasn't primed)
10. I turned the lever to "Dry Bowl" and flushed about half a gallon into the holding tank
11. Then I poured half a gallon directly into the head via the deck pump out hose
12. Then I opened the macerator seacock and turned on the pump until & a fair amount of holding tank antifreeze went through the lines

I hate having to take my wife's hair dryer to try to pry off the hoses and this eliminated all that and it was very easy. If you've already using this method... NEVER MIND.

 

[rpwillia]

You lost me at numbah 9

How is your head connected to your shower sump?

 

[valcour]

Re: You lost me at numbah 9

The stock plumbing had both the head seawater intake and shower sump outflow going to the same seacock.

 

[rpwillia]

Now I understand ...

I don't have that. My raw water intake for the head is behind a small door aft of the head next to the macerator thru hull. One of my gripes about my 310 is there are more thru hulls than really needed. Less is more simpler and more better.

 

[Jeff652]

Re: Now I understand ...

Sorry If I didn't make myself clear. In my 310 the shower sump empties out of the boat (retrograde sort of speak) via the same seacock used to bring the seawater into the boat (to flush the head). If you close the seacock, antifreeze pumped from the sump has nowhere to go except into the bowl and from there flushed into the holding tank.

This eliminates the need to take off the hose from the seacock. Ordinarily you would need to remove this hose to flush (suck) antifreeze through this line into the bowl of the head.

Jeff Wolfe

 

[valcour]

rpwillia,
My boat is a 2003 hull #218. The thru hull behind the access door in the head next to the macerator goes into a tee which leads to both the seawater intake for head, and the drain for the shower sump/fridge, just like Jeff describes. They might have changed the plumbing arrangement at some point.

dave

 

[rpwillia]

I have no tee that I know of

Where is the tee located? That does not seem to make a lot of sense to hook two thru hulls together. Per the 310 drawing from the manual they are not connected either. Let me know and I will have Erika look for it.

 

[valcour]

Re: I have no tee that I know of

Putting both together makes sense in that it is one less hole in the bottom. The Tee is located about two feet directly outboard and slightly foreword of the two thru hulls, attached to a block glued to the hull up close to the decking for the berth above. Looks like there was a change between 2002 and 2003, but I don't have my manual handy. Does your shower sump and galley sink drain share the same thru hull? Does your fridge have a drain line to bilge?

 

[rpwillia]

Here is what I have

Head sink has separate thru hull.
Galley sink has separate thru hull.
Shower sump and refrigerator share same thru hull right next to galley sink.
Head has separate thru hull for flushing water.
Macerator has separate thru hull.
Engine intake has separate thru hull.

Really way too many thru hulls.

 

[valcour]

Re: Here is what I have

Well they got rid of the one next to galley sink in '03. I have found that once in a while my galley sink drain will get clogged, so i'm not sure how the drains could be gathered into a sea chest to get rid of many more.

 

[Tom J]

My 2003 310 shares the raw water intake for the head with the drain for the shower/refrigerator. After a cruise, I like to fill the toilet bowl with fresh water and flush the fresh water through to the holding tank. Then, I fill the shower sump with fresh water and pump it out through the seacock, and then close the seacock right away. That way, you can eliminate that familiar smell we often get in a closed up boat. And, when you first flush the head with raw water, you don't get that sewer smell from any old salt water sitting in the hose.

 

[Jeff652]

I must admit, that when I first grasped what was going on I was a bit surprised. I don’t know if we all have the same configuration but I can see that Tom J’s is just like mine. It goes like this: Both my refrigerator sump and my shower sump lead to a common Y valve under the sink in the head. By turning the valve one way (and activating the sump pump), the refrigerator drains. Turning the Y to the other side (port) the shower drains. They both drain to a common hose located under the sink. This then leads immediately to a filter, and then to a common hose…. (hold that thought for now)…

Now we know that the bowl of the head receives its seawater from a seacock that leads directly to the bowl.

Here’s the tricky part. The aforementioned common hose from the filter (from the refrigerator and shower sump) connects via a “T” to the hose that feeds the head. This ‘T” connection is located about 6” from the seacock. So while flushing the head brings seawater water in, activating the shower or refrigerator sump sends gray water out of the very same seacock. So the same seacock brinks in seawater in and drains the sumps.

There is yet an additional separate seacock for the macerator but that’s a totally separate system that leads black water from the holding tank out of the boat.

Getting back to my original point, when decommissioning, if you close the seacock, and activate the sump pump, antifreeze is pumped from the sump (either refrigerator of shower) and has nowhere to go except into the bowl. From there it can be flushed into the holding tank. This simply eliminates the need the remove the hose from the seacock.

I hope this clarifies everything.
Jeff Wolfe
’05 310 Hull 297

 

[Tom J]

Yep, seems clear to me, Jeff. Although here in Florida, I haven't had to get into decommisioning. In a year or two, I will be leaving my boat on the hard in Massachusetts for the winter, and your procedure will come in very handy. Thanks.