Head hoses - what are they for?

[Rick]

Hunter 31 newbie...Under the sink in the head are two hoses of different sizes. Each has a valve with a handle. The toilet instructions state to turn these closed when leaving the boat. Can anyone tell me their function? I don't know if one of these diverts the waste to the water and don't want to do the wrong thing.Thaks in advance.rickrah0218@hotmail.com

 

[Steve Dion]

raw water and waste discharge

Rick:The large hose is your discharge hose for direct overboard discharge. Depending on the previous owner. Your boat is setup to either pump directly into the hold tank OR pump directly overboard (that later being illegal unless you are outside the 3 mile limit). The smaller hose is for the raw water intake that is used to flush the head. You need to check out your plumbing and see how it is setup. You don't want to get caught discharging overboard.We had ours replumbed several years ago when we got rid of the stinky hose. If you look in the West Marine catalog they have an explaination on several methods. Ours ALWAYS pumps into the holding tank. I prefer this method just so there is no way that we can accidently discharge overboard.

 

[Tim McCarty]

Raw Water Intake Hose

Unless the raw water intake hose is looped ABOVE the waterline, it's always a good idea to close the Raw water seacock when not using the head. I have direct experience waking up to an inch of water in my boat because I left the seacock open.

 

[Steve Dion]

Mr. Newbie:

Forgot to mention and you did not say. Are the valves for the head seacocks/ball valves or gate valves. If the are gate valves you should get them changed as soon as you can afford it. Unlike our brethern in the north, you are probably in the water so it will cost you a pull plus the valves and labor, unless you do it yourself. There are two head valves, a head sink (probably above the water line), the galley sink, and the raw water intake.

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

They are your toilet's intake and discharge hoses

The valves where both hoses connect to the hull are called seacocks, and they open and close thru-hulls (holes in the hole) that are underwater. If you leave the valves open when you're away from your boat. The small hose is your toilet's flush water intake hose...the larger hose is the toilet's discharge hose. If you leave the valves open when you're away from the boat, water can overflow the toilet and and sink your boat.The small hose is the toilet's flush water intake hose. The larger hose is the toilet's discharge hose. If it goes straight from the toilet to the thru-hull, the toilet is flushing directly overboard, and yes--that's illegal. It must either go into a holding tank or go through a separate treatment device. I've attached a link that I think you'll find useful--"Marine Sanitation: Fact vs. Folklore" explains the laws, the equipment that's need to meet the legal requirements--and how it works--and answers more questions about marine sanitation systems that it ever occurs to most boat owners to ask. In addition to it, I suggest you read the articles in the Head Mistress forum Reference Library (on the forum homepage). There's a little duplication of the material in "...Fact vs. Folklore," but even that has been updated.