I have a catalina 30 year 1976. the head holding tank is full. how do i drain the tank <ß do i have to use the pump at the head ? any help is appreciated. kurt
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First, trace your toilet and tank hoses
You need to know how your system is plumbed and make sure any y-valves in it are aimed the right direction. You should have a 1.5" (if the toilet is a Jabsco, it may only be 1") hose that goes from the toilet to an inlet fitting at or on the top of the tank... There SHOULD be another 1.5" hose coming off the tank at the bottom that goes to a deck pumpout fitting. That fitting will be identical or very similar to your water and fuel fill fittings and will have "waste" stamped into the flange. It will be on your side deck on the same side as the tank. There may or may not be a y-valve in the pumpout line...one side will go to the deck fitting, the other side to a pump and thru-hull to allow you dump the tank at sea--legal ONLY in open ocean at least 3 miles from the nearest point on the coast. I emphasized "should" because if you are in coastal waters, a previous owner may have chosen not to run a line to a deck pumpout, but only to the pump and thru-hull. That's rare, but not unheard of on older boats. There will be a smaller hose--the tank vent--coming off the tank at or on the top that goes to the hull (depending upon when the tank was installed, and whether it was installed by Catalina or a previous owner, it may go to a thru-hull near the toe rail or into a rail stanchion. Before attempting to pumpout or dump the tank it's absolutely necessary to make sure that vent line isn't blocked...check the thru-hull or slit in the stanchion to make sure it's open. Ok, now that you've found everything... The toilet pump has nothing to do with pumping out the tank...it only sends waste TO the tank. Make sure any y-valve is open to the deck pumpout fitting (the handle will line up parallet with the hose that's open)...take your boat the marina's pumpout station. The dock hand will be able to show you how to connect to the pumpout to your deck pumpout fitting. If there is no dock hand at your marina's pumpout, take a more experienced dock mate with you to show you how. I suggest you also check out the link below to learn how to operate and maintain your sanitation system properly. And that you also take the time to learn a little more about the other systems on your boat before using them again than you did about your sanitation system...'cuz not knowing can result in expensive repairs that shouldn't have been necessary.
You need to know how your system is plumbed and make sure any y-valves in it are aimed the right direction. You should have a 1.5" (if the toilet is a Jabsco, it may only be 1") hose that goes from the toilet to an inlet fitting at or on the top of the tank... There SHOULD be another 1.5" hose coming off the tank at the bottom that goes to a deck pumpout fitting. That fitting will be identical or very similar to your water and fuel fill fittings and will have "waste" stamped into the flange. It will be on your side deck on the same side as the tank. There may or may not be a y-valve in the pumpout line...one side will go to the deck fitting, the other side to a pump and thru-hull to allow you dump the tank at sea--legal ONLY in open ocean at least 3 miles from the nearest point on the coast. I emphasized "should" because if you are in coastal waters, a previous owner may have chosen not to run a line to a deck pumpout, but only to the pump and thru-hull. That's rare, but not unheard of on older boats. There will be a smaller hose--the tank vent--coming off the tank at or on the top that goes to the hull (depending upon when the tank was installed, and whether it was installed by Catalina or a previous owner, it may go to a thru-hull near the toe rail or into a rail stanchion. Before attempting to pumpout or dump the tank it's absolutely necessary to make sure that vent line isn't blocked...check the thru-hull or slit in the stanchion to make sure it's open. Ok, now that you've found everything... The toilet pump has nothing to do with pumping out the tank...it only sends waste TO the tank. Make sure any y-valve is open to the deck pumpout fitting (the handle will line up parallet with the hose that's open)...take your boat the marina's pumpout station. The dock hand will be able to show you how to connect to the pumpout to your deck pumpout fitting. If there is no dock hand at your marina's pumpout, take a more experienced dock mate with you to show you how. I suggest you also check out the link below to learn how to operate and maintain your sanitation system properly. And that you also take the time to learn a little more about the other systems on your boat before using them again than you did about your sanitation system...'cuz not knowing can result in expensive repairs that shouldn't have been necessary.
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