Head backfilling underway?

Guts1236 · Jan 9, 2016

Here's some links for a rookie like me maybe someone might find them interesting.If you watch till the end of the video there will be other videos on the Joker valve and so on

http://www.ceshowroom.com/ProductDe...ZFdPqy-94kn6m_3v-iT52bK9iJp7JsfzwUaAh5g8P8HAQ

Jalepeno · Jan 9, 2016

I added a simple sealand tankwatch TW-1 high level switch with alarm light. ~200 wet pumps fills the 61L (16usg) holding tank and ~ 55 pump strokes on the Whale Urchin diaphragm pump empties it in a legal area (most places away from shore in CANADA).
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/seala...1bc5-c5abc2c6bb2&cm_sp=Onsite-Recs-_-MB-_-PDP

Guts1236 · Jan 11, 2016

I don't want to hijack this thread but I think this fits here. Has anybody tried one of these?

http://www.amazon.com/Luxe-MB110-No..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=1VHW6Y8972RGM9H94SP8

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Jan 11, 2016

Only one thing wrong with it for use with a marine toilet: it has to connect to the fresh water plumbing. In a household installation it would tee into the water line that feeds the flush water tank...but marine toilets don't have flush water tanks, the flush water feeds directly into the bowl. Toilets designed to use onboard fresh water have vacuum breakers and backflow preventers installed that protect the potable water supply from contamination from the toilet bowl...this bidet gizmo doesn't, making it as much of a no-no as a sea water toilet to connect the boat's fresh water system.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Jan 11, 2016

Fwiw, any tank monitor sender that goes inside the tank will become clogged with the animal fats in waste...requiring removal to clean it.

I'm not a fan of any tank monitor that only lets you know when it's full. How will know how close you're getting? "By counting pump strokes," you say. So what do you do if you have guests aboard who don't do that, or have to go a lot, filling up the tank in the middle of a day's cruise?

SeaLand developed the TW I for just one reason: CG regs require that all tanks be equipped with a means of alerting you when the tank is at least 3/4 full...which can be only one flush away from full in a small tank, but at least the legal requirement has been met. In actual practice, it really means that a lot of tanks are illegally dumped because owners aren't up anchor or break out of a raftup to go to shore for a pumpout.

So Patrick...you will be a LOT happier if you spend a few bucks more for the "solo" model of a system that cannot clog and actually lets you know whether your tank can last the day or you need a pumpout before leaving the marina...and doesn't require drilling any holes in your tank!

Parsons · Sep 14, 2016

druid said:
I only have one vent on mine (boat came that way) but high on the List of Priorities is a second vent for cross-flow ventilation - that worked SO well on my Catalina 36: thank you Peggy!
druid

I just love a good 'waste holding tank' discussion, as I too am a Peggy fan. Patrick, you will not be disappointed in Peggy's excellent book as it truly is the bible on $hit!
Druid - how did you route your second vent on your Catalina 36. I've searched both here and the Catalina 36 association pages, and can find no good advice on where and how that second one should be routed to get a different wind pattern from the first. For those not familiar, the head's in the middle of the boat, so no easy cross-wind is available.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Sep 14, 2016

patrickkidd said:
The backfilling started to happen even when not underway (scary) and I think this may have been because the intake hose for the tank was run a little low on the way to the head.

If the intake line is to blame, it's not backfilling, sea water OUTside the boat is seeking its own level INside the boat. The loop in the intake doesn't belong in the intake line between the thru-hull and the pump...it has to go between the pump and the bowl, and it needs to be at least 6-8" above waterline at ANY angle of heel....which on most sailboats puts it 2-3 FEET above the bowl (See photo). You CAN find room for it ...directly above the toilet...in a hanging locker behind the toilet ...you want to keep it as close to the toilet as possible...and you NEED to find room for it if you don't want your boat to sink because someone left the toilet in the "wet" mode when you closed up and went home.

patrickkidd said:
So we'll see what happens next time the tank is full...

When the tank can't hold any more, water will rise in the bowl and overflow it....and continue to overflow it unchecked until the boat goes down. It's one of the most common reasons why boats sink in their slips.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Sep 14, 2016

Parsons, you don't need "crosswind" venting on your boat to create the necessary aerobic conditions. If done right, it can be done with just one.

AXEL · Sep 15, 2016

FYI, I was just installing a charcoal filter right after the vent on the holding tank of my 2000 MKIII C30 last weekend. When I disconnected the vent hose I notice there was air pressure indicating the vent was blocked. I followed the vent hose to a deck stanchion. When I removed the hose I was surprised to see the hole that was drilled thru the mounting bolt was only about .060 (maybe). I used a piece of wire to clear it. It seems to me that that is a pretty small opening and definitely prone to clogging. I think next spring I will install a thru hull.