Proper Holding Tank Venting

[dunsterj]

Peggie,
I just received your book, thanks for the excellent reference material.
The previous owner of my boat created a trap in the holding tank vent piping.
I can only suppose that they may have thought this would prevent water from entering the tank through our hull mounted vent. Garnering the vast amount of information on this site and in your book, I conclude that this prevents air from adequately reaching the tank. The vent is above the waterline and I believe above the bow wake but the elevation rise is gradual. If I remove the trap, will a gradual rise from the tank to thru-hull result in adequate ventilation.
A diagram of our current configuration is attached.
Thank you
Jason

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Trap not only blocks air...

It traps water or waste, creating a blockage that can pressurize the system.

So you need to remove it...but whether just doing that will improve the ventilation to your tank enough to create an aerobic environment depends on several other factors...length of the vent line, diameter, vent thru-hull location...

But it's definitely a start i the right direction!