Pumping out the Marine holding tank

[Daniel Cox]

I have a 1984 Catalina22 with a factory installed Marine toilet. The problem I have encountered concerns how to pump out the holding tank, with the pumpout access at the tip of the bow. The system has never been used and is currently filled with lake water which has apparently been seeping in through dried out seals. The lake on which I keep my boat no longer has a marina with a pump out station so that is not really an option at this time. I have tried several cheap alternatives to a diaphram pump, all of which have failed to live up to expectations. I am hoping to find a way to manually pump out the boat's holding tank into a portable waste removal tank through the existing system, any thoughts?

 

[B. Smith]

Holding tank cleanout

Check West Marine catalogue as I believe that they have a unit which pumps and stores the waste until it can be disposed of in an acceptable fashion.

 

[Steve Dion]

Manual Pumps

Daniel:If you look at the West Marine (EE) Catalog they have several surface mounted pumps (see pages 484-485 in the 2002 master catalog) that can be easily rigged up to perform this task. You can get a surface mounted pump and mount it on a piece of plywood or poly board. Then just get a couple of pieces of hose and some end fittings. If this is just lake water it does not make much difference where you pump it. I would pump it into a bucket and make sure that "it was never used".