H-40 Plumbing 101
I've just recently purchased mine, too (August 1999). There wasn't much info with the boat, but here's what I've learned so far: Mine has two heads, each with its own holding tank. The forward tank is under the pointy end of the vee berth, and is about 20 gallon capacity. The deck pumpout is located in the anchor locker. Mine has the deck discharge hose connected to a pipe at the top of the tank, which is connected to an internal pickup tube, according to Hunter. (Wouldn't work without that part!) Mine also has a short hose connected at the bottom of this tank, with a pipe plug in the end of the hose. I guess this must be for a future installation of a macerator or other type of discharge pump. Both my heads have Y valves in line with the input side of the holding tank. These valves can be lined up to discharge the head into the holding tank or directly overboard. On my boat, there is only the deck discharge fitting (for each tank) to get stuff out of the holding tank. I plan to add another means, either a macerator or a "Whale" type manual pump. My aft holding tank is somewhere under the cabin sole, just inboard of the Nav station. There is a little door at the bottom of the Nav table that permits a glimpse of the hoses going into and out of this tank. But, the tank is completely invisible. I've been told it has a capacity of around 15 gallons. Mine has some sort of a leak problem. One of my winter jobs is to pull up a section of cabin sole to get at this tank and then decide what needs to be done with it. I suspect, but don't know yet, that these tanks are aluminum. Not the best news...plastic tanks are much more durable. Other than that, both my heads are manual Jabsco models, which are probably due for rebuild kits. As for the rest of the plumbing, I have a fresh water pressure pump located under the corner of the starboard settee, with a pressure accumulator tank. The water tank is under the big end of the vee berth, and is rumored to hold 135 gallons. There is a Seaward six gallon hot water tank, also under the starboard settee. (Hope I never have to get that out of there!) All the piping that I've been able to see so far is the gray PVC flexible type. Lastly, I keep the sink discharge valves closed when underway and when the boat is left unoccupied. This is especially important for the galley sink, as it has plastic piping between the two sink drains that has a tendency to work loose and leak. I plan to replace that, too, with something a bit more reliable. Till then, I keep the valves closed most of the time! That's what I've learned so far. So, what year is your H-40? And, where are you located? My e-mail is ropeyarn@olg.com, and I sail the Chesapeake Bay from Solomons, MD. Norm Overfield
