head trouble

[luvitt]

The head is one of the last things to finish on my boat project. I started a while back with installing a pump motor. I quit working on it after that, but after further inspection and tracing all the hoses, it appears thats all i needed.

Im on the hard, and I opened the "Y" valve to test things and flush some water overboard. It seems to work fine. however, for several minutes after i flush it, i hear kind of a hissing, gurgling noise that sounds like its coming from the holding tank. Since the y valve is open, why would i hear anything from the holding tank? It kinda makes me think its full, and getting ready to bust at the seams. so, i have quit messing with it. but i still dont understand why i would be getting any sound from it when im flushing overboard?

btw, there is no macerator installed in the system. just the pump at the head. I have a new macerator in the box, but it appears that one is not needed in this setup?

Thanks

 

[Tim R.]

Without knowing exactly how your hoses, valves and pump are plumbed I can only think of one thing. Check the tank vent.

 

[Weasel]

Don't know about the noise but we run a teaspoon of cornoil through every month. Head works like new, nice and smooth. ( We are also in fresh water)

 

[luvitt]

will do.

I have raw water-in for the head, out of the head to the pump, up a hose with a bend in it (vent at top of bend), down to the y valve, out the side of the boat or into the tank. a hose from the tank to the deck for pumpout, and a vent hose from the tank to outside the hull.

why would my vent be doing anything on the tank? there is the vent at the top of the hose that exits the head, but it is so far from the holding tank that Im sure the noise isnt coming from that. its coming from one of the three hoses connected to the tank.

damn tank cant be accessed at all, w/o ripping up the sole. 40 legend.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Brobins...

As you put "stuff" into the holding tank by pumping the head, it displaces air in the tank with the flush. The third, smaller hose on your tank is a vent hose to release that air. You don't want it escaping from the vent on the large hose's vented loop inside the boat!

Check the exit hardware for the vent hose. I have an occasional spider occupancy issue that blocks up the area under the vent cap used, making the problem readily apparent each time the head is flushed. If it doesn't have a screen in it (Hunter likes to use fuel tank vents for this, which have them), those damn eight leggers can get up to the vent loop and build a nest that blocks things up.

Taking the vent hose off the tank and giving it a shot of compressed air tends to blow the little SOB's out of there. Repeated shots of Raid on the outside tends to keep them from coming back.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Could be your plumbing is snafued and when you open the Y valve water comes IN. If it was my boat, I'd draw a diagram of how the plumbing works, to understand it myself, and to help us help you, even before asking.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Check the y-valve and the tank vent

You're right that there shouldn't be anything happening in the tank when the y-valve isn't open to the tank. If the hissing noise IS coming from the tank, the y-valve may be not be completely closed to the tank...in which case, it's quite possible that the hissing is coming from a tank vent that's very close to being totally blocked. The gurgling along with the hissing indicates that the tank may also be full.

That you can't access the tank without major surgery is a real problem...'cuz the two most likely places for a tank vent blockage are the vent thru-hull and the vent line connection to the tank. Clearing a blockage in the vent thru-hull is relatively easy: just scrape out the thru-hull with a screwdriver blade or whatever works. If there's a screen in the thru-hull, knock it out...screens cause more problems than they solve. But if there's also a blockage at the tank, it has to be cleared 'cuz the tank can't be pumped out unless the vent is clear...but unless a blast of compressed air can blow whatever's in out, I dunno how you're gonna do it if you can't get to it. Don't pump the toilet any more or attempt to pump out the tank until you're sure the vent IS clear...'cuz pumping a toilet against a blocked vent will pressurize the tank and will indeed cause it to burst at a seam, and a strong pumpout will pull a vacuum that can implode a tank.

About your toilet...you said you installed a pump motor on it? You also need to put a rebuild kit in the pump and make certain that it's always kept VERY well lubricated...'cuz when a motor pumps a manual toilet, it does it with a much faster and shorter pump stroke than pumping manually...which means the pump takes a little longer to prime, which can wear out seals and o-rings very quickly quickly if the pump isn't lubed enough to prevent friction. And you'll need to be very careful not to overload the toilet with solids or TP...'cuz faster shorter pumping can cause it to "choke" on flushes that slower more deliberate pumping can push through.

If your toilet is below waterline, a vented loop is needed is needed in the intake...it does NOT go in the intake line between the thru-hull and the pump...it has to be between the pump and the bowl, which requires replacing the short piece of hose the mfr used to connect 'em. It has to be at least 6-8" above waterline AT ANY ANGLE OF HEEL...which on most sailboats puts it about 3-4' above the toilet.

You might want to check out the link in my signature...it goes to a comprehensive "marine toilets and holding tanks 101" manual that will help you learn how to correctly install, operate and maintain your system to prevent 99% of problems...and prevention is always easier and cheaper than cure!

 

[jibes138]

Why would hunter permanently install a holding tank??

This doesn't sound logical given the potential problems and need for regular maintenance. You may want to call hunter or a hunter dealer and ask them. I know the dealer in Zebulon, NC and he is very helpful if you send him an e-mail. He has a full inventory of unter's in stock. peggy is right on with her advice and you need to buy everything she sells, her boat odor book, installation manual etc. Your direct overboatd set up is most likely illegal unless you are three miles at sea so don't get caught with your y-valve in that position. When I bought my boat the holding tank and all associated pumps and plumbing was removed and just a striaght overboard discharge was installed. I immediately put it all back together.
A simple alternative to pump outs or sailing offshore to discharge I've come up with. Set up your hose from your macerator so you can remove it from the discharge fitting of the through hull or install a y-valve. Then I use a 5 gallon fuel tank to pump out my head into a couple of those. I can take them home for disposal into the sewer system. Somewhat distasteful activity but no worse than a portable head, actually better because the waste is all ground up by the macerator. You have to know when to shut off the pump so it is good to be able to see the level in the portable tamk and to have the switch close by. A macerator draws about 18 amps so the switch needs to be sized accordingly. I find this easier than sailing to a pump out all the time. Just a suggestion for those that want to stay legal and be environmenatally friendly. Also I like to scuba dive to change zincs and clean the hull so I prefer not to swim in water with folks direct discharging overboard. :>)

 

[Dan Johnson]

Jibes...

if you're talking about Crazy Dave in NC, you can't get better help than from that guy...