Hi Peggy, I have two manual heads on a 1981 Morgan OI 41. Each has a rubber bladder type holding tank with a series of old frozen valves and pipes. They are the same. Each has the usual small intake hose and large discharge hose. There is a diaphragm (sp?) pump set up so it will empty the holding tank back through the same through hull that the head would pump out through if the valves are properly aligned. I want to install a Y valve for holding tank or through hull, and either use the diaphagm pump or add a macerator pump to empty the tank. We have a holding tank law coming into effect in here in BC in January, but very few pumpouts. Do I need a seperate through hull to empty the holding tank via a macerator or diaphragm pump? Do you have a diagram that shows a system like this? Any advice on how to do this? Are Y valves the way to go? Is a small diaphragm pump a resonable way to pump out a (maybe 15 gallon) holding tank? Many Thanks Fred
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To answer your questions...no. no, yes, yes...but.
If it were my boat, I'd replace the whole system--toilet, hoses, tanks and valves....'cuz it sounds like everything original, which means the toilet is worn out and so obsolete that no parts are still available for it...the hoses are either really ripe or so brittle they're about about break open...or both. You've already said the series of valves is frozen...and the bladders are 10 years older than the average bladder lifespan. You can replace everything one thing at a time as it fails--which means a LOT of duplicated labor effort...or you can tear it all out and do it right. Your choice. Whichever way you decide to go...no, you don't need a seaprate thru-hull to dump the tank...yes, you can install a y-valve that'll let you choose between direct overboard flush or flushing into the tank. Whether you go with a manual diphragm pump or a macerator pump is your choice...either will work equally well. Sorry, but I don't have any diagrams...in my experience, "one size fits all" diagrams, rarely fit one situation, much less all. But I'll be glad to help you spec out the system if you'd like to email me. I'm in all the owner directories.
If it were my boat, I'd replace the whole system--toilet, hoses, tanks and valves....'cuz it sounds like everything original, which means the toilet is worn out and so obsolete that no parts are still available for it...the hoses are either really ripe or so brittle they're about about break open...or both. You've already said the series of valves is frozen...and the bladders are 10 years older than the average bladder lifespan. You can replace everything one thing at a time as it fails--which means a LOT of duplicated labor effort...or you can tear it all out and do it right. Your choice. Whichever way you decide to go...no, you don't need a seaprate thru-hull to dump the tank...yes, you can install a y-valve that'll let you choose between direct overboard flush or flushing into the tank. Whether you go with a manual diphragm pump or a macerator pump is your choice...either will work equally well. Sorry, but I don't have any diagrams...in my experience, "one size fits all" diagrams, rarely fit one situation, much less all. But I'll be glad to help you spec out the system if you'd like to email me. I'm in all the owner directories.
Thanks
Thanks Peggy, Yes, I plan to get new toilets, hoses, and Y valves and through hulls. The bladder tanks look fairly fresh, so I'm holding (sorry) on to them for now. This boat was in the middle of a refit when the previous owner dropped the ball, so it's a mix of newer and older bits. New port lights, old stove, new cushions, etc. I'll just have to sketch out the flows. It ain't rocket science, but mistakes can be messy.
Thanks Peggy, Yes, I plan to get new toilets, hoses, and Y valves and through hulls. The bladder tanks look fairly fresh, so I'm holding (sorry) on to them for now. This boat was in the middle of a refit when the previous owner dropped the ball, so it's a mix of newer and older bits. New port lights, old stove, new cushions, etc. I'll just have to sketch out the flows. It ain't rocket science, but mistakes can be messy.
Type I
Are the type I systems such as Electro-scan or Hold and Treat legal in BC? On my last trip I searched for two days to find a pumpout. Found one in Ganges at the Coast Guard station but it was unmanned and was not set up for self service. Finally dumped the porta-potty overboard between Saltspring and Gabriola--as advised by some Canadian friends. If type I's are legal I would look hard at a Hold and Treat system if I lived in BC.
Are the type I systems such as Electro-scan or Hold and Treat legal in BC? On my last trip I searched for two days to find a pumpout. Found one in Ganges at the Coast Guard station but it was unmanned and was not set up for self service. Finally dumped the porta-potty overboard between Saltspring and Gabriola--as advised by some Canadian friends. If type I's are legal I would look hard at a Hold and Treat system if I lived in BC.
You're right, Fred...
It ain't rocket science, but mistakes can indeed be messy. And while there are a number of ways to make something work, with experience comes ways to do it that are easier to install and maintain than others...which is why I offered to help you spec it out.
It ain't rocket science, but mistakes can indeed be messy. And while there are a number of ways to make something work, with experience comes ways to do it that are easier to install and maintain than others...which is why I offered to help you spec it out.
I will run it past you before I install
Thanks Peggy, Once I have a flow chart, I'll send it to you for advice and comment. I would be grateful to profit from your experience.
Thanks Peggy, Once I have a flow chart, I'll send it to you for advice and comment. I would be grateful to profit from your experience.
Where to Dump
I think Nanaimo has a pump out now. Most of us have a Y valve and flush onto the water unless we're in a sheltered harbour like Pirate's Cove. Then we save up and deposit outside when we get to deeper water. I use a bucket with a toilet seat on it most of the time, so I'm not mixing any chemicals with my natural output. We put all toilet paper in the garbage or wood stove. It may be an old fashioned attitude, but I don't think the amount of sewage that boaters deposit in the salt chuck is doing any harm. I know that cattle on shore and seals contributed more coliform than boaters in the Puget Sound before the holding tank regulations.
I think Nanaimo has a pump out now. Most of us have a Y valve and flush onto the water unless we're in a sheltered harbour like Pirate's Cove. Then we save up and deposit outside when we get to deeper water. I use a bucket with a toilet seat on it most of the time, so I'm not mixing any chemicals with my natural output. We put all toilet paper in the garbage or wood stove. It may be an old fashioned attitude, but I don't think the amount of sewage that boaters deposit in the salt chuck is doing any harm. I know that cattle on shore and seals contributed more coliform than boaters in the Puget Sound before the holding tank regulations.
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