I'm replacing most of the head components on my new to me '81 Bayfield 32. Some background. The existing setup was a 6 yo Raritan PHII (which I'll rebuild and keep) feeding a 15 gal holding tank under the v-berth. The holding tank feeds the pump-out hose. There was a single 5/8" vent hose to a fuel vent type through hull fitting up under the bow. There was no facility for overboard discharge and there were no vented loops anywhere. Both the rim of the head and the holding tank are below the waterline. The pump-out hose is original to the boat and appears to have slipped off the deck pump-out fitting at some point resulting in an odor issue. The head to tank hose appears to have been replaced when the head was replaced and is cheap spa hose. The tank was leaking or had leaked in the past around the fill and discharge fittings. Both fittings had silicone sealant smeared around them. This was mostly ineffective. The fill fitting also had 8 stainless steel sheet metal screws fastening the leaking inlet fitting to the tank. This repair not only introduced 8 more leaks, but one of the screws split the top surface of the tank leaving a 3" crack. The tank was never really fastened to anything. There was a small plywood bulkhead tabbed to the hull which prevented the tank from moving aft and basically kept it in place, but if the tank was empty, it could bounce around a bit. I think this may have contributed to the failure of the tank's fittings.
My plan... I have your book and per your recommendations there and my own ideas I'm planning the following:
1) Replace the tank. It's shaped to match / fit the bow and I see no Ronco tank on their site that is a direct replacement. It's a tight fit through the opening to remove / install so an alternative tank would result in a smaller tank, and I think 15 gal is as small as I want to go. I'm planning on having a custom tank made from welded polypropylene. The fittings need to remain on the rear side as there is only 3" clearance above the tank. I may be able to specify an internal dip-tube for the pump-out fitting. This would at least keep the pump-out hose empty until the tank was mostly full. I also plan to tab a plywood shelf under the tank to provide something to strap the tank down to. I plan to use a simple ratchet strap for this.
2) Replace all hoses. Trident 102 for sanitation and 148 for supply / vents.
3) Vents-- I'll have 2 x 3/4" vents. One on each side of the boat. New straight thru fittings thru the hull. I'd prefer larger, but the location of the thru-hulls prevent it.
4) Supply to head-- A tee in the lavatory drain and a Y-valve in the supply hose to the head will permit selective normal flushing with saltwater or with the lavatory thru-hull closed and Y-valve switched, an end of weekend freshwater/vinegar flush.
5) Vented loops-- one between the pump and bowl and another between the head outlet and the tank.
Now for my questions:
1) Are there any holes in my plan so far?
2) I'd like to add an option for overboard discharge. The only place I can have a vented loop is where I'm planning to put it, between the head and the tank. This is due to restrictions on where hoses can go and the water-line. This suggests that the only overboard discharge option is via Y-valve on the head to tank hose for direct overboard discharge. However, I was thinking that if I instead put a Y-valve on the tank's pump-out line to a manual pump-out and thru-hull, even if I forgot to close the manual pump-out thru-hull, the worst thing that could happen is the holding tank fills with sea water. The vented loop from the head to the tank would prevent a siphon to the bowl. Is this a reasonable setup and if it is, would it be preferable to the admittedly simpler straight overboard discharge via Y-valve from the head to tank.
3) I'm guessing that the pump-out hose slipped off the deck pump-out fitting at some point. There was no hose clamp and the area smells. This is being a real challenge to clean as it's between the hull and liner in the head and whatever leaked out found its way down the hull behind and below the liner and into the bilge. There is an access panel, but much of this area is inaccessible for cleaning with detergent. We tried dumping a bucket of detergent/water down through this space and then rinsing with a garden hose, but to no avail. Past experience with the leaked residue under the v-berth suggests a scrubbing is needed, but we can't get in there. Pure Ayre worked great under the v-berth, but that area had been thoroughly scrubbed with detergent and water first. Any suggestions?
Thanks for your help.
-Tom
My plan... I have your book and per your recommendations there and my own ideas I'm planning the following:
1) Replace the tank. It's shaped to match / fit the bow and I see no Ronco tank on their site that is a direct replacement. It's a tight fit through the opening to remove / install so an alternative tank would result in a smaller tank, and I think 15 gal is as small as I want to go. I'm planning on having a custom tank made from welded polypropylene. The fittings need to remain on the rear side as there is only 3" clearance above the tank. I may be able to specify an internal dip-tube for the pump-out fitting. This would at least keep the pump-out hose empty until the tank was mostly full. I also plan to tab a plywood shelf under the tank to provide something to strap the tank down to. I plan to use a simple ratchet strap for this.
2) Replace all hoses. Trident 102 for sanitation and 148 for supply / vents.
3) Vents-- I'll have 2 x 3/4" vents. One on each side of the boat. New straight thru fittings thru the hull. I'd prefer larger, but the location of the thru-hulls prevent it.
4) Supply to head-- A tee in the lavatory drain and a Y-valve in the supply hose to the head will permit selective normal flushing with saltwater or with the lavatory thru-hull closed and Y-valve switched, an end of weekend freshwater/vinegar flush.
5) Vented loops-- one between the pump and bowl and another between the head outlet and the tank.
Now for my questions:
1) Are there any holes in my plan so far?
2) I'd like to add an option for overboard discharge. The only place I can have a vented loop is where I'm planning to put it, between the head and the tank. This is due to restrictions on where hoses can go and the water-line. This suggests that the only overboard discharge option is via Y-valve on the head to tank hose for direct overboard discharge. However, I was thinking that if I instead put a Y-valve on the tank's pump-out line to a manual pump-out and thru-hull, even if I forgot to close the manual pump-out thru-hull, the worst thing that could happen is the holding tank fills with sea water. The vented loop from the head to the tank would prevent a siphon to the bowl. Is this a reasonable setup and if it is, would it be preferable to the admittedly simpler straight overboard discharge via Y-valve from the head to tank.
3) I'm guessing that the pump-out hose slipped off the deck pump-out fitting at some point. There was no hose clamp and the area smells. This is being a real challenge to clean as it's between the hull and liner in the head and whatever leaked out found its way down the hull behind and below the liner and into the bilge. There is an access panel, but much of this area is inaccessible for cleaning with detergent. We tried dumping a bucket of detergent/water down through this space and then rinsing with a garden hose, but to no avail. Past experience with the leaked residue under the v-berth suggests a scrubbing is needed, but we can't get in there. Pure Ayre worked great under the v-berth, but that area had been thoroughly scrubbed with detergent and water first. Any suggestions?
Thanks for your help.
-Tom
