We purchased a Hunter 28.5 May 06 and I cannot figure out the size of the holding tank. It seems to only hold a gallon or two, and this can't be right. Any thoughts? Thanks, Rick
Hunter 28.5 holding tank
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H28.5 Head Capacity
Although not a Hunter owner, I found an owner's website that quotes Hunter as saying that the tank capacity is 11 gallons. How are you determining that the tank is full? A blocked vent can cause an incomplete pump-out or excessive back pressure when using the head. Bill Coxe, O28/O40, New London, CT
Although not a Hunter owner, I found an owner's website that quotes Hunter as saying that the tank capacity is 11 gallons. How are you determining that the tank is full? A blocked vent can cause an incomplete pump-out or excessive back pressure when using the head. Bill Coxe, O28/O40, New London, CT
Tissue Disolver
Purchase a tissue disolver at a Marine or RV store and add it to the tank with a quart of vinegar(follow disolver instructions)let sit required time and aggitate by sailing / tacking bouncing thru wakes, etc. Then have the tank filled with water and pumped out. Re-fill with water and pump out again - you should see improvement in the capacity. Encourage the crew to use shore side facilities before and after sailing.
Purchase a tissue disolver at a Marine or RV store and add it to the tank with a quart of vinegar(follow disolver instructions)let sit required time and aggitate by sailing / tacking bouncing thru wakes, etc. Then have the tank filled with water and pumped out. Re-fill with water and pump out again - you should see improvement in the capacity. Encourage the crew to use shore side facilities before and after sailing.
Check your tank vent
A blocked vent can pressurize the tank, creating backpressure that prevents the toilet bowl contents from making it into the tank and preventing a pumpout from removing more than a gallon or two. 99% of tank vent blockages are at the thru-hull or the connection at the tank...the tank fitting and that end of the hose.
A blocked vent can pressurize the tank, creating backpressure that prevents the toilet bowl contents from making it into the tank and preventing a pumpout from removing more than a gallon or two. 99% of tank vent blockages are at the thru-hull or the connection at the tank...the tank fitting and that end of the hose.
Back flush the tank vent.
Rick: Just back flush the tank vent each and every time you pump out. Place the nozzle over the vent and flush it out throughly. I have done this ever since my '85 H'31 was new.
Rick: Just back flush the tank vent each and every time you pump out. Place the nozzle over the vent and flush it out throughly. I have done this ever since my '85 H'31 was new.
H28.5 Head Capacity
First and formost thanks all for your help. I don't really know what everyone means by "back pressure". I'm a real newby when it comes to these bigger boats. We use the head a few times and then we flush and it comes out the overflow hole on the side of the boat. The hole is well above the water line,so I know it's at least going to the holding tank. Also, if it does only hold 11 gallons we might just be pumping to much water in with each flush. Thanks for all the help. Rick
First and formost thanks all for your help. I don't really know what everyone means by "back pressure". I'm a real newby when it comes to these bigger boats. We use the head a few times and then we flush and it comes out the overflow hole on the side of the boat. The hole is well above the water line,so I know it's at least going to the holding tank. Also, if it does only hold 11 gallons we might just be pumping to much water in with each flush. Thanks for all the help. Rick
Tank vent
Where would I find the tank vent? Is this the hole on the side of the hull? I guess I need to find some sort of schematic of the onboard pluming.
Where would I find the tank vent? Is this the hole on the side of the hull? I guess I need to find some sort of schematic of the onboard pluming.
Theheff
If you are going to be at the lake this weekend, I will be glad to help show you and explain this...its quite easy once you see it. I keep my boat on "J" dock at Sunrise Cove Marina. E-mail me at sakruse@bellsouth.net if you can make it. I'll show you on my C30 and it should be similar on your Hunter 28.5.
If you are going to be at the lake this weekend, I will be glad to help show you and explain this...its quite easy once you see it. I keep my boat on "J" dock at Sunrise Cove Marina. E-mail me at sakruse@bellsouth.net if you can make it. I'll show you on my C30 and it should be similar on your Hunter 28.5.
That "overflow hole" is NOT an overflow hole...
That's the tank vent! And it should never be used as an overflow. However, the good news is, if waste is flowing out of it, it's not blocked...yet. But it soon will be if you keep flushing when the tank is full. You've suggested that tank only holds 11 gals....if that's true, two people will fill it up less than 2 days. Here's the math: The average flush is .6 gal. The average adult uses the toilet 5x/day. So each person continuously aboard will will put about 3 gallons/day into the tank...a couple will put 6 gal a day into the tank...a family of 4 will overflow it in just a day! I dunno how many are in your family, but you're on a no-discharge inland lake, so you don't have any choice but to flush into a tank. Methinks you either need to use the marina facilities a lot more, or replace the tank with a larger one. But you can't keep overflowing your tank out the vent...'cuz that'll block up the vent, resulting in problems you don't even want to think about! You're new to larger boats with plumbing systems...I think you'll find the link below VERY useful in learning how to use and maintain your sanitation system.
That's the tank vent! And it should never be used as an overflow. However, the good news is, if waste is flowing out of it, it's not blocked...yet. But it soon will be if you keep flushing when the tank is full. You've suggested that tank only holds 11 gals....if that's true, two people will fill it up less than 2 days. Here's the math: The average flush is .6 gal. The average adult uses the toilet 5x/day. So each person continuously aboard will will put about 3 gallons/day into the tank...a couple will put 6 gal a day into the tank...a family of 4 will overflow it in just a day! I dunno how many are in your family, but you're on a no-discharge inland lake, so you don't have any choice but to flush into a tank. Methinks you either need to use the marina facilities a lot more, or replace the tank with a larger one. But you can't keep overflowing your tank out the vent...'cuz that'll block up the vent, resulting in problems you don't even want to think about! You're new to larger boats with plumbing systems...I think you'll find the link below VERY useful in learning how to use and maintain your sanitation system.
For Thesheff and Peggy...
1. It is quite easy to let people pump too much raw water thru your head and into your holding tank -- filling it up prematurely. You should practice a few times so that you can empty the head with 2-3 strokes at most. Also, tell your guests that "if they haven't eaten something first, it doesn't go into the head." Keep a closed container, with a plastic bag liner, in your head for all the non-biological stuff that you can empty and dump, in the approapriate place, when you are back at the marina. 2. While Peggy is right about most things having to do with heads, I always disagree with her math regarding how frequently people use a head -- at least on my boat. People who need to "go" five times a day need to be taking that anti-gotta-go drug they advertise on TV. Or wear Depends. If that doesn't work, they get marooned on the nearest beach. Part of being a captain is training your crew, inter alia, on how and when to use the head. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it....
1. It is quite easy to let people pump too much raw water thru your head and into your holding tank -- filling it up prematurely. You should practice a few times so that you can empty the head with 2-3 strokes at most. Also, tell your guests that "if they haven't eaten something first, it doesn't go into the head." Keep a closed container, with a plastic bag liner, in your head for all the non-biological stuff that you can empty and dump, in the approapriate place, when you are back at the marina. 2. While Peggy is right about most things having to do with heads, I always disagree with her math regarding how frequently people use a head -- at least on my boat. People who need to "go" five times a day need to be taking that anti-gotta-go drug they advertise on TV. Or wear Depends. If that doesn't work, they get marooned on the nearest beach. Part of being a captain is training your crew, inter alia, on how and when to use the head. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it....
Pete, count the times you have to pee in 24 hours.
We're not talking about just during a day sail, but a full 24 hours...and 5 trips to the head in 24 hours isn't that many. Once when you get up in the morning...twice sometime during the day--once in the morning, once in the afternoon is typical...once or twice before you go to bed again. If you drink a lot of coffee, you could go more than 5x in a 24 hour period...if you aren't going at least 4x in a 24 hour period, you aren't drinking enough water. Just for fun, keep a "log" of your own trips to the head every day for a week...I think you'll be surprised by how many times you go. As for your advice to "learn how empty the head in just 2-3 strokes"...yes, you can empty the bowl in that few strokes, but that's not enough...quitting as soon as the bowl is empty leaves waste sitting in the head discharge line to permeate it, and can result in a clog. And as for conserving tank capacity by only flushing what you've eaten first...it's not TP that fills up a tank--although it can result in a clog if you leave it sitting in the head discharge line, it's flush water. So what YOU obviously need to learn is how to use the "dry" mode more instead of only to push the last of the water out of the bowl. Any manual toilet that's working anywhere near factory spec can move bowl contents up to 6' in the dry mode...so use "wet" only to wet the bowl ahead of use and to rinse the bowl and the head discharge line after use. Use "dry" to move the bowl contents to the tank.
We're not talking about just during a day sail, but a full 24 hours...and 5 trips to the head in 24 hours isn't that many. Once when you get up in the morning...twice sometime during the day--once in the morning, once in the afternoon is typical...once or twice before you go to bed again. If you drink a lot of coffee, you could go more than 5x in a 24 hour period...if you aren't going at least 4x in a 24 hour period, you aren't drinking enough water. Just for fun, keep a "log" of your own trips to the head every day for a week...I think you'll be surprised by how many times you go. As for your advice to "learn how empty the head in just 2-3 strokes"...yes, you can empty the bowl in that few strokes, but that's not enough...quitting as soon as the bowl is empty leaves waste sitting in the head discharge line to permeate it, and can result in a clog. And as for conserving tank capacity by only flushing what you've eaten first...it's not TP that fills up a tank--although it can result in a clog if you leave it sitting in the head discharge line, it's flush water. So what YOU obviously need to learn is how to use the "dry" mode more instead of only to push the last of the water out of the bowl. Any manual toilet that's working anywhere near factory spec can move bowl contents up to 6' in the dry mode...so use "wet" only to wet the bowl ahead of use and to rinse the bowl and the head discharge line after use. Use "dry" to move the bowl contents to the tank.
Peggy, Peggy, Peggy....
You are certainly a dear to allow EACH of your guests the use of your head five or more times per day on your boat. I assume you have a few 55 gal drums devoted to collecting and holding their "offerings...." *yks On my boat, the incontinent are parked on another continent until they learn the basics of self control....
You are certainly a dear to allow EACH of your guests the use of your head five or more times per day on your boat. I assume you have a few 55 gal drums devoted to collecting and holding their "offerings...." *yks On my boat, the incontinent are parked on another continent until they learn the basics of self control....
Pete, I persume that you were born with
a prostate gland. At some point in your life you will learn that the words you have used today will come back to haunt you. *yks I sometimes joke that women are much troubled in life up until about age fifty by their uterus and after age fifty men are troubled by their prostate so it sort of balances.
But as Peggy stated, if you aren't peeing at least four times a day you're not drinking enough water.
a prostate gland. At some point in your life you will learn that the words you have used today will come back to haunt you. *yks I sometimes joke that women are much troubled in life up until about age fifty by their uterus and after age fifty men are troubled by their prostate so it sort of balances.
But as Peggy stated, if you aren't peeing at least four times a day you're not drinking enough water.the ability to hold it
I'm tolerant of those who need to use the head on my boat as frequently as they want. Pumping out is a small price to pay for friends willing to sail with me. At the risk of getting totally off topic I ask that those with prostates pay attention to urination frequency. It can be a matter of life and death. nm
I'm tolerant of those who need to use the head on my boat as frequently as they want. Pumping out is a small price to pay for friends willing to sail with me. At the risk of getting totally off topic I ask that those with prostates pay attention to urination frequency. It can be a matter of life and death. nm
I certainly...
...have nothing against the peeing-impaired, or those who need to pee -- all day long, if that be the case. Boats being boats, and therefore not connected to sewer lines, the issue is where and how to store the product. Peggy's formulation would prevent many boats with modest holding tanks from cruising for more than a day or two's distance from the nearest pumpout. Now, some unnamed sailing friends of mine, who susbcribe to the Ghandi School -- which posits that the material in question is sterile, but who refrain from drinking the stuff -- tend to store it back in the water, where all the other wildlife stores it... This is getting far too scatological, even for me...
...have nothing against the peeing-impaired, or those who need to pee -- all day long, if that be the case. Boats being boats, and therefore not connected to sewer lines, the issue is where and how to store the product. Peggy's formulation would prevent many boats with modest holding tanks from cruising for more than a day or two's distance from the nearest pumpout. Now, some unnamed sailing friends of mine, who susbcribe to the Ghandi School -- which posits that the material in question is sterile, but who refrain from drinking the stuff -- tend to store it back in the water, where all the other wildlife stores it... This is getting far too scatological, even for me...
Pete, you have unwittingly nailed the main problem
with holding tanks. Most boats DO fill up their tanks in a day or two...one of main reasons why more tanks are illegally dumped than pumped out. 'Cuz when the tank is full, it has be emptied whether there's a pumpout within range or not. You also made the case for treatment (CG certifed Type I MSD) instead of holding. And fortunately you're in waters where the discharge of treated waste is legal.
with holding tanks. Most boats DO fill up their tanks in a day or two...one of main reasons why more tanks are illegally dumped than pumped out. 'Cuz when the tank is full, it has be emptied whether there's a pumpout within range or not. You also made the case for treatment (CG certifed Type I MSD) instead of holding. And fortunately you're in waters where the discharge of treated waste is legal.
How Far Out
How far out does one have to be to empty porta potty in ocean? Or is this illegal, period?
How far out does one have to be to empty porta potty in ocean? Or is this illegal, period?
12?
Ross, I was just doing a search and found that if you have a porta potty as I do, then its a 3 mile limit from shore before you can dump. I only ask in case of emergency in crossing over to Catalina Island. Other wise I empty contents at my marina in restroom. I just purhcased boat and it has a small holding tank. Not sure how many flushes, guess I will have to see. Thanks.
Ross, I was just doing a search and found that if you have a porta potty as I do, then its a 3 mile limit from shore before you can dump. I only ask in case of emergency in crossing over to Catalina Island. Other wise I empty contents at my marina in restroom. I just purhcased boat and it has a small holding tank. Not sure how many flushes, guess I will have to see. Thanks.
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