I have a new (to me) boat with a Sealand portapottie and a deck pump out fitting/vent and hoses. Right now the pottie is setup to be carried off and emptied, but I'm thinking about hooking up the hoses to take advantage of the free town pumpout boats/dock where I boat. The problem is I don't know where to start hooking this up and getting it wrong would be, um, unpleasant. I read the manual and it says that Sealand potties can be converted to be pumpable MSD instead of removable type; it doesn't provide much more info than that. Is this a simple matter of attaching the waste and vent lines? I also have no idea how pumpout boats/docks work in terms of proceedures, equipment. Is it basically a giant vacuum that sucks out the waste? Thanks, Brad
Pump out novice
- Thread starter Brad Arrington
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Yep...it's just that simple...
You already have the deck pumpout fitting...all you have to do is connect it to the fitting on the portapotty using a 1.5" hose. If there's also a vent thru-hull (if it's there, it'll most likely be near the head and looks like the vent thru-hulls for the water and fuel tanks), all you have to do is run a hose to it (5/8") and you're done...if there isn't vent thru-hull, you'll have to install one. That said...if the portapotty is only 2-3 gal model, I'm not sure it's worth the effort and expense to convert it...it doesn't weigh that much, and pumpout equipment may not always be available when you need it. If, otoh, it's a 5-6 gal model, I'd definitely convert it...50 lbs is a LOT to carry off a boat haul up the dock to dump. The footprints for both sizes are the same, though...the height is the only difference. So if yours is the smaller one, and the larger one wouldn't be too high for the location, consider upgrading the tank to the larger size...the SeaLand model number is 965-MSD. "Giant vacuum" isn't quite the term I'd use to describe a pumpout...but essentially that's what it is. The pumpout hose on the dock connects to the deck pumpout fitting and sucks the waste out. You might want to visit your marina pumpout to see how it works before you have to use it to empty the tank.
You already have the deck pumpout fitting...all you have to do is connect it to the fitting on the portapotty using a 1.5" hose. If there's also a vent thru-hull (if it's there, it'll most likely be near the head and looks like the vent thru-hulls for the water and fuel tanks), all you have to do is run a hose to it (5/8") and you're done...if there isn't vent thru-hull, you'll have to install one. That said...if the portapotty is only 2-3 gal model, I'm not sure it's worth the effort and expense to convert it...it doesn't weigh that much, and pumpout equipment may not always be available when you need it. If, otoh, it's a 5-6 gal model, I'd definitely convert it...50 lbs is a LOT to carry off a boat haul up the dock to dump. The footprints for both sizes are the same, though...the height is the only difference. So if yours is the smaller one, and the larger one wouldn't be too high for the location, consider upgrading the tank to the larger size...the SeaLand model number is 965-MSD. "Giant vacuum" isn't quite the term I'd use to describe a pumpout...but essentially that's what it is. The pumpout hose on the dock connects to the deck pumpout fitting and sucks the waste out. You might want to visit your marina pumpout to see how it works before you have to use it to empty the tank.
Thanks
Thanks Peggy. The boat already has the pumpout fitting, vent fitting, the hoses, and a hole through a bulkhead for everything to pass through. I guess now I would just need to hook up everything. I was afraid that I would need some aditional equipment to get the waste out of the tank. And yes, it is one of the smaller models. I'm thinking about it because it's kind of a pain to take it home to empty it. My marina doesn't like it when people empty their heads in their toilet - the cesspool has to pumped out that much sooner. My town has invested in two pumpout docks and two roving pump boats that are free to use, so I'm fairly confident it wouldn't be a problem. I think a taller model, while having extra capacity, would be too tall for my available space. Thanks, Brad
Thanks Peggy. The boat already has the pumpout fitting, vent fitting, the hoses, and a hole through a bulkhead for everything to pass through. I guess now I would just need to hook up everything. I was afraid that I would need some aditional equipment to get the waste out of the tank. And yes, it is one of the smaller models. I'm thinking about it because it's kind of a pain to take it home to empty it. My marina doesn't like it when people empty their heads in their toilet - the cesspool has to pumped out that much sooner. My town has invested in two pumpout docks and two roving pump boats that are free to use, so I'm fairly confident it wouldn't be a problem. I think a taller model, while having extra capacity, would be too tall for my available space. Thanks, Brad
A couple of tips...
Warm the hoses with a blow dryer to make them easier to put on the fittings. Don't use any sealant, just a little dishwashing liquid as a lubricant. Double clamp all the hose connections, putting the screws on opposite sides of the hose (or at least 90 degrees apart.
Warm the hoses with a blow dryer to make them easier to put on the fittings. Don't use any sealant, just a little dishwashing liquid as a lubricant. Double clamp all the hose connections, putting the screws on opposite sides of the hose (or at least 90 degrees apart.
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