Head Questions from a Neophyte

[Michael]

Where to start, okay background. I just bought a Catalina 30 1983. It is my first cruising sailboat and my first with a marine head. It is a wet/dry hand pump deal which pumps into a holding tank with a macerator pump and pump out. To be quite honest I don't know a lot about it and I want to know everything about it. It seems to work ok, I mean you go, you add water and pump dry and it disappears. The problem of the day occured last Sunday coming back from Block Island RI. We had kind of a bumpy ride coming through the Race, blowing 20-25 wind against tide. Well anyway it was sloppy. During this one of my guests noticed that brown water was filling up the bowl I assume from the tank, and splashing on the floor. It was messy. They pumped the bowl dry but the water starting coming back again. What is the deal with that? I had the raw water through hull closed. I have been reading through the articles, lots of great information thanks for all your efforts. Is there a place I can find information on Marine Toilets "Best Practices" Do's and Don'ts? The other question I have is that I have noticed that on a starboard tack and in any kind of seaway at all the sink in the head fills with water and the sink in the galley as well. I have remedied this situation by closing the through hulls which I guess is good practice but is there another way to solve this. I would really appreciate any help.SincerelyMichael Abbot.

 

[Bernard]

Head Question

I don't know what brand of head you have, but I've experienced the same issue with a Groco model.Some people will suggest adding a looped section on the hose from the head to the holding tank. I think this would be a good addition, but in my case, I was not having this problem in the past.I spoke with a Groco Tech named Patrick this week and he suggested cleaning the joker valve with soap and water and making sure it is (the flap) in the vertical position when putting it back.

 

[John Visser]

Joker valve

I suspect a leaky joker valve. Peggy will know.On the sink filling, I have the same issue. Closing teh sink drain through hull is the best answer I can come up with. Make sure your shower sump, or anthing else like it, is through a vented loop, since this is below the water line.jv

 

[Dave Bousquet]

Head-aches

These are common issues. First, check out the head mistress forum on this site. It will answer most of your questions. My answers: most likely your holding tank is full. The head will backup even with the seacock closed. This is basically how I know my tank is full. You need to empty it right away. Being in RI i don't think you can discharge overboard, so you will have to pump it out. Whenever I have bought a used boat, one of the first things I do is buy a head maintenace kit from the manufacturer of the head. The kit contains replacements of parts that commonly wear out. Most owners do not perform maintence because its an awful job to do, so replacing the parts every few years is a good idea. Once you do this you should have few problems. Remember, even if you replace the parts, the head may still backup if the tank is full. As far as the sinks go, keep the seacocks closed while underway. Check the drain hoses from the sinks. If you can put a loop that extends above the waterline, you may be able to eliminate the problem.

 

[Jobee]

Same problem

Have the same problem with my head & sinks. I', glad that you asked this question. Now I at lest can try some of the suggestions that others have found. Hate having murky water ruin a good day's sailing. Thanks