How do I empty the holding tank on my 1994 Hunter 29.5

[breakr]

Hello,

I just had a delivery crew sail my new to me 1994 Hunter 29.5 to me in Roatan Honduras from Key West. Obviously the holding tank is full and the cabin stinks. The crew could not find the holding tank or Y valve. I have been looking for about a week and can't find it. The owner's manual says the holding tank is in the aft starboard cockpit locker. All that I see in that locker is the battery charger, the inverter, the battery selector switch, the fuel gauge, and the batteries. The head and the waste access cap are starboard in the cabin and aft of the cockpit respectively. The manual doesn't even tell me if there is a Y valve or where it is. We do not have pump out facilities here. Please help.

 

[Steve Dion]

Is there a macerator switch on the electrical panel? If there is, then you may have a thru hull valve in one of the compartments on the stern. I am not sure about your configuration, but this is a common place for the discharge valve. If you have this setup, you will need to open the valve and turn on the macerator switch.

If this is NOT your setup, you will probably have some sort of manual pump.

The exception to this may be if this boat was from a fresh water location with no-discharge regulations. In this case they may have removed the discharge valve and your only option would be to pump it out.

 

[Andy1237]

Think outside the cockpit! The valve is in the very aft (as in outside the cockpit, built as part of the swim platform). Starboard side.

 

[Sailm8]

Starboard compartment on the swim platform. The pumpout fitting is on the hull in the same location as the diesel filler but starboard side.

 

[breakr]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply.

 

[Benny]

I'm surprised that an experienced delivery crew could not locate a macerator or a manual pump leading to a through the hull to empty the holding tank. It could be that the boat was not equiped for overboard discharge and your only option is to pump out through a deck filler. It would be strange for a 1995 model but anything is possible.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Something is puzzling me...

A full holding tank--especially a tank that's located not only outside the cabin, but in the aft end of cockpit--should not create odor in the cabin. Out the vent as waste overflows through it maybe (till the vent clogs)...in the transom locker where the tank is supposed to be....but not in the cabin. Which leads to me to wonder if:

a) there is no tank...the toilet has been flushing into the bilge...or
b) a plumbing connection has let go because a y-valve was closed or the tank vent was blocked, spilling waste is in the bilge.

Unless permeated hoses are the source of the odor in the cabin, you may have more problems than you know. Permeated hoses are problem enough though, 'cuz the only cure is new hoses...but at least you wouldn't have a bilge full of sewage to clean up..

 

[Andy1237]

Maybe the delivery crew stunk! And/or that and they left a crew member stuffed in a locker!