Hunter 27 Holding Tank Hand Pump

[Nick Ascione]

I just pumped out and flushed my holding tank with fresh water at a pump out station. I also opened the holding tank cover and cleaned it out with a house spray. I wanted to manualy pump the water in the holding tank over board but after hand pumping for 1/2 hour the water was still in there. Any idea what could be wrong or how to operate this thing ?Thanks

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

How much water did you put in the tank?

A couple of things come to mind... The most obvious one: Did you remember to turn the y-valve and open the seacock after you had the tank pumped out? When you flushed out the tank, did you fill it and let it run out the vent? If you did, but didn't really flush out the vent, it may have gotten blocked during pumpout. Or, if you didn't leave but an inch or so of water in the tank, the level isn't gonna go any lower than the top of the discharge fitting, which is the point at which the pump starts to suck air.

 

[Nicholas Ascione]

Y-valve

you wrote : The most obvious one: Did you remember to turn the y-valve and open the seacock after you had the tank pumped out? I am guessing that the seacock is the hull fitting, but what is the y valve. I am not getting something here.Thanks,Nick

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

Y-valve may or may not be there

It may be just a tee or wye fitting. Whichever it is, it will in the tank pumpout line. A y-valve is just what the name implies: a y-shaped valve...one hose in, two hoses out, a handle that opens one side or the other. Get out your WM catalog--or any catalog...you'll find pictures of 'em. If it's just a tee or wye fitting, there won't be a handle...whatever's in the hose just follows the line of least resistance--either to the pumpout fitting on deck, or out the thru-hull. A seacock is the valve that opens and closes a thru-hull below the waterline. So...take a look at the tank and see what you've got. If there is a y-valve, and you haven't changed it since the tank was pumped out, you'll have to do that before you can pump the water in the tank overboard. And the seacock also has to be open, or it can get out of the boat.

 

[Harry Asbury]

Pump may be bad

I had the same problem about 6 months ago, but mine had been working before so I knew the set-up was good. Checked the pump and found the valves had gone bad. Would not seal closed and therefore no suction i.e. no discharge. Changed the pump and everything worked as before, only better.