The photos are of what I assume to be the dip tube to feed in thru the deck fitting to enable me to utilize the pump out station. I am assuming there is not an installed dip tube in the tank. Are there any updates or improvements I should make in order to pump out and flush prior to replacing the macerator pump?
Pumping out Hunter 380 Waste Tank - Macerator pump failed.
- Thread starter dchipley
- Start date
There is a hose from the deck fitting to the top of the waste tank but I don't know that there is an internal tube to the bottom of the waste tank.
The macerator should pump over board from the macerator on the side of waste tank to a thru hull
overboard make sure thru hull is open and switch should be on main breaker panel
overboard make sure thru hull is open and switch should be on main breaker panel
I have never seen a holding tank without a dip tube installed.
I have never seen a hose that you put into the deck pump-out that is required to pump the holding tank.
Have you ever pumped out from the deck fitting using a regular pump out station?
Different model boat, but ours has two choices to empty the holding tank. A deck pump out fitting that connects to a tube that extends to the bottom of the holding tank that allows the tank contents to be evacuated. Ours also has an overboard macerator pump that connects to the same tube for evacuating the tank contents overboard. These two sources use the same tube via a wye fitting. I suspect your boat is set up the same way. If your macerator pump stopped working, it may need replacing. Or perhaps some maintenance. Our 1991 macerator pump still works, but if at some point it stops, I will remove it and see if I can identify the cause. These are pretty simply devices; a motor and an impeller. Once removed, connect it to a 12v source and see what happens. Trouble shoot it from there.
Thank-you - We have never pumped out through the deck fitting at the pump out station so we will try through the deck fitting. Worst case we will have to feed in the hose through the tortured connection to the top of the waste tank. There was a sale on macerator pumps so at that time I purchased a spare, then I will rebuild the old one as the motor still runs.
Thank-you - we are going to try the pump out. Worst case no dip tube and I have to insert this hose that looks like it was used in the waste tank. I have a spare macerator pump so I will replace and then rebuild. When we purchased the boat 12 years ago there was damage due to freezing so I had to rebuild the pump and replace the hoses from the tank to the suction and the discharge. there was no damage to the waste tank, luckily. I had to repair damage to the swim platform shower at that time as well. Since then I have always winterized and ensured there was some rv antifreeze in the waste tank come winter
Thank-you - There is no wye valve on our boat just a top connection to the deck and a bottom connection to the pump. We are going to go to the pump out station and then I'm replacing the macerator pump. Had to replace the hoses around the macerator 12 years ago when we purchased our boat so I think i can endure that space again.
Once to get the pump out issue resolved, adding antifreeze to that tank is unnecessary. Just pump out the tank, drain the hose and pump and whatever residual stuff remains will have sufficient room to expand and not damage anything.
A couple of thoughts,,
1) As others have said, if you have a hose from the tank to a deck pumpout fitting, you should be good. Not having a tube to the bottom of the tank would render the pumpout useless. Unless of course, the hose runs to a fitting at the bottom of the tank (as mine does)…then no dip tube needed.
2) I have a little hose and fitting similar to your photo that I use for winterizing my potable water system. I disconnect a water hose from the water tank, connect the short hose to the water hose to lengthen it and stick the end in a jug of AF…and turn on the pump and open the faucets…that way, I am not putting AF in my water tanks. I wonder if your is used for something similar, given it is sitting amongst a bunch empty bottles of AF…
Good luck with the pump out.
Greg
1) As others have said, if you have a hose from the tank to a deck pumpout fitting, you should be good. Not having a tube to the bottom of the tank would render the pumpout useless. Unless of course, the hose runs to a fitting at the bottom of the tank (as mine does)…then no dip tube needed.
2) I have a little hose and fitting similar to your photo that I use for winterizing my potable water system. I disconnect a water hose from the water tank, connect the short hose to the water hose to lengthen it and stick the end in a jug of AF…and turn on the pump and open the faucets…that way, I am not putting AF in my water tanks. I wonder if your is used for something similar, given it is sitting amongst a bunch empty bottles of AF…
Good luck with the pump out.
Greg
No wye valve here either. The purpose of the wye fitting setup is to allow the pump out hose and macerator hose to use the same holding tank draw tube, which I'm sure yours has one, too. It's the only way it will work as the pump out hose connects to a fitting at the top of the tank.
Regarding your macerator pump. What happens when you turn it on? Does it run, but not pump or not run?
Funny story
When I bought my Hunter 40.5, it didn’t take long to fill the single holding tank with 2 heads, and 2 kids.
No guage on the tank. You knew it was full when the vent overflowed. Yuk.
Went to pump it out. Ran the pump out, and in about 10 seconds, it stopped pulling “stuff”
I knew that there was no way that the tank was emptied that quick
Put a hose into the deck fitting, and it overflowed (another Yuk), in 10 seconds.
Tried pumping out again. No luck
Called Hunter. They said, are you sure the pump out is working???
I went to another pump out. Same story.
Had to pull the tank. That was scary, as it was full.
Turns out, the goof that welded in the dip tube didn’t read the drawings correctly, and instead of welding it facing down, it went horizontal .
So, it literally pumped out the top 3 inches of the tank
Hunter scrambled to get another tank, and shipped it up to Toronto.
So,,, tanks are supposed to have the tube going to the bottom. Mine was a “special version”
Interesting yucky story. Unclear whether that is the PO's issue, but something seems awry. Other than a clogged vent, which is another story, our deck and macerator pump out have worked almost flawlessly over these many years. Keeping the system as clean as possible after each cruise seems to have helped. Some day the macerator pump will give up the ghost. The PO says the old pump runs, but why replace it until one finds out why it will not remove the tank contents. Strange. Maybe he does have a special version, as you say.
It seems the system worked fine in the earlier years, but then the freeze he refers to messed things up. Ours is a pretty simple system and as long as the vent line is clear, it works. When we purchased our boat in 2002, unknown to us was a clogged vent line scupper. Wrote a story about it way back then, but the system has worked ever since we solved that problem.
If the diptube was/is metal, urine will eat holes in it, putting an end to pumpout when the level reaches the highest hole and/or will eat all the way through it, causing the rest of the tube to fall off, also putting an end to pumpout at the bottom of what's left of the tube.
This is a common issue in boats built in the '70s and '80s...most of which also had metal tanks that urine gradually turns into colanders. In the early '90s, most builders began to realize that metal was a bad choice for sewage holding and switched to plastic tanks and PVC diptubes, but a few--and also owners who prefer to make their own fiberglass tanks-- still continued to use steel diptubes even in plastic tanks .
--Peggie
@dchipley this the hold tank for the H376, but should be close to yours.
Note the only large exit is from the tank bottom. Entry from side and tank vent on top.
Jim...
