Uh oh! Clog at bottom of tank?

[Jack Betts]

On our 1981 h37, we've got a Wilcox-Crittendon Imperial Jr. toilet with a 15-gallon (nominally, anyway) holding tank next to the toilet. For years we had a y-valve and and Gusher-type pump so we could either pump overboard through a thru-hull, or up to the deck for pumpout. We wired the thru-hull shut years ago and have pumped out, but it has always taken a long time to get a thorough pumping out. Now we're getting nothing out, and I suspect the reason is a thick clog at the bottom of the tank. The air vent is clear. In trying to get at the problem this weekend, I removed the Gusher-type pump, the Y-valve and the extra hose that went to the thru-hull. That left us with a straight shot from the bottom of the tank to the deck-level pumpout, but we can get only a little waste out. The tank itself is full -- in fact, so full that if you were to pump any water through the toilet, the pressure forces liquid waste up the vent line and overboard. Seems obvious to me there's a big ugly clog at the bottom of the tank. My plan of action at this point is to take the hose from the toilet to the top of the tank, run in a smaller hose, and pump waste out and into a 5-gallon jug that I'll empy appropriately. Once I get all the liquid waste out, I can then cut the line about 6 inches from the exit at the bottom of the tank (can't yank it off the tank fitting because it appears to have been epoxied on at the bottom by a previous own) and go in with some sort of pooper scooper and remove the clog, or whatever it is. At least, this is my plan after trying everything else yesterday. Anyone have a better idea?Jack Betts

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

Let's get the tank as empty as possible first...

It won't be fun, but if you have access to the inside of the tank through an inspection port, a manual piston/cylinder dinghy bailer and a big bucket, that's prob'ly the easiest way to do it.If that idea either doesn't appeal to you, or won't work, plan B: disconnect the hose from the toilet to the tank, and run a 1" (you might be able to get a 1.25") hose into it, down into the contents...you'd need a neoprene "universal" pumpout nozzle, which you'd jam into the other end of the hose...and try pumping it out again. However, you do it, you're gonna have to find a way to get as much as you can out of the tank before you can deal with whatever is blocking the discharge fitting or has clogged the pumpout hose. If it IS sludge at the bottom, you could have prevented it--and can prevent it in the future--by rinsing your tank after pumping it by putting water down the pumpout fitting to stir up any sediment and pump it out before it can become sludge. About every 3rd to 5th pumpout is often enough.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Terrible problem.

Boy do I feel for you Jack. I just removed and threw away the bladder tank on my H37C yesterday. What a job! My own shower seat tank is long gone so I cannot imagine how you are going to get this cleaned out. Did you try plugging the vent and blowing the tank out from the inlet hose? A dinghy pump might work. Be careful to not use too much pressure, that tank might be pretty fragile. And put a bucket upside down over the pumpout port, don't want to blow it all over the new Island Packet.Did/does the outlet come into the starboard v-berth locker? Is that where your pump and Y-valve were located? If the hose comes off the bottom of the tank I would work from there. I would cut off the pumpout hose(higher than the top of the tank) and gradually work my way down to the bottom of the hose. Pump some out, cut off some more hose. Because I think when you get to the tank outlet you will need almost direct access to it. There must be something major there if the vent is clear and you can't suck it out.On my boat that bulkhead is gone, it is where they cut the old tank out. So I am not sure what you see from that side. Good luck and let us know.