Peggy, if you overflow the tank any tricks to cleaning out the vent hose. I was thinking of putting running water up to the vent while pumping out, thinking the suction would pull through enough water to rinse it out. I would also think I should do this in short blasts so the tank walls would not collapse. (With a new boat still working on "do you think the tank is full yet" question.) Thanks in advance John
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We ALWAYS rinse the vent line.
John: We ALWAYS rinse the vent line every time we pump the head. Our pump out has a fresh water hose with a nozzle. He just put the nozzle up against the vent and blast away. We have never had any problems with the hose or the tank (but ours has never been plugged either). I would think that the water pressure will clear the blockage unless it is very hard. I which you could just let the water sit in the hose until it softens up and then try blasting it again. If this does not work, you may just consider replacing the vent hose.
John: We ALWAYS rinse the vent line every time we pump the head. Our pump out has a fresh water hose with a nozzle. He just put the nozzle up against the vent and blast away. We have never had any problems with the hose or the tank (but ours has never been plugged either). I would think that the water pressure will clear the blockage unless it is very hard. I which you could just let the water sit in the hose until it softens up and then try blasting it again. If this does not work, you may just consider replacing the vent hose.
Watch for back pressure.
John: We installed a 1" vent hose and it works great to run the fresh water hose into the vent while punping out. We use this to help rinse out the vent line and as well as the tank at punpout. However, be sure to have the pumpout running while rinsing. The tank and hose will take some water from hose pressure, but it will send it back out of the vent just as fast. The unexpected shower is not a plesant surprise.
RB
John: We installed a 1" vent hose and it works great to run the fresh water hose into the vent while punping out. We use this to help rinse out the vent line and as well as the tank at punpout. However, be sure to have the pumpout running while rinsing. The tank and hose will take some water from hose pressure, but it will send it back out of the vent just as fast. The unexpected shower is not a plesant surprise.
RBOr, there's another way...
After you've pumped out, fill the tank to overflowing with fresh water...put the hose (NOT the hose used to fill water tanks!) down the deck fitting...let the water run out the vent till it's clear, then pump out again. Also has the added advantage of stirring up any sludge on the bottom of the tank and flushing it out.
After you've pumped out, fill the tank to overflowing with fresh water...put the hose (NOT the hose used to fill water tanks!) down the deck fitting...let the water run out the vent till it's clear, then pump out again. Also has the added advantage of stirring up any sludge on the bottom of the tank and flushing it out.
Peggy, won't this back up to bowl?
Is there no danger of harming the joker valve with back pressure? And I guess you would have to remember to flush in case you pushed some crud back into the hose.
Is there no danger of harming the joker valve with back pressure? And I guess you would have to remember to flush in case you pushed some crud back into the hose.
What backpressure?
If you backflush the vent with a hose, you'd have to jam a hose into the thru-hull tightly enough to completely block it, then making sure the deck fitting is also closed, and force enough water into the tank to pressurize it BIG time in order to send anything back toward the head or put ANY pressure against the joker valve. If you flood the tank to overflowing with water through the pumpout fitting, it'll just run out the vent, unless there's something in the tank big enough to plug up the vent line. This is basic high school physics, folks.
If you backflush the vent with a hose, you'd have to jam a hose into the thru-hull tightly enough to completely block it, then making sure the deck fitting is also closed, and force enough water into the tank to pressurize it BIG time in order to send anything back toward the head or put ANY pressure against the joker valve. If you flood the tank to overflowing with water through the pumpout fitting, it'll just run out the vent, unless there's something in the tank big enough to plug up the vent line. This is basic high school physics, folks.
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