upgrading holding tank on 9.2A?

[bugbitten]

Folks,

I bought an '80 9.2A last month and am slowly working it over in anticipation of its move of about 100 miles down the Chesapeake. One current issue is the head. It has a 5 gallon holding tank under the short settee, aft of the head closet. It's not connected to any pump-out line, so you have to disconnect it and carry it off the boat to empty it. Not a great situation.

I'd like to replace it with the largest tank I can fit, along with a proper macerating pump and discharge line to the deck.

Any suggestions on equipment that'll fit and do the job? Of course, the boat came with a well-aged, full tank. Nice introduction to S2 ownership, that!

John
Newport News, VA

 

[richard965]

My opinion, I would not go too large capacity....and pump out more often. In the heat of the Chesapeake summer no matter what disinfectant you use the stuff will "cook" and the smell will find a way out.

 

[woodster]

Folks,

I bought an '80 9.2A last month and am slowly working it over in anticipation of its move of about 100 miles down the Chesapeake. One current issue is the head. It has a 5 gallon holding tank under the short settee, aft of the head closet. It's not connected to any pump-out line, so you have to disconnect it and carry it off the boat to empty it. Not a great situation.

I'd like to replace it with the largest tank I can fit, along with a proper macerating pump and discharge line to the deck.

Any suggestions on equipment that'll fit and do the job? Of course, the boat came with a well-aged, full tank. Nice introduction to S2 ownership, that!

John
Newport News, VA

congratulations on your purchase....i have a 1979 modle 9.2A and it had no holding storage what so ever ....i am in the middle of a refit of this boat....and am installing a 20 gallon tank under the settee on the bulkhead next to the head wall ...it is going to be tight and the fittings will have to be on the port side of the tank as opposed to the top....intake fitting on the upper part of the side wall of the tank and the exaughst fitting on the lower side of the same wall or i can put it up to the top of the same wall only with a stand pipe mounted on the inside of the tank havent made up my mind about that part yet...the vent fitting i think will go on top by useing a street ell coming out and a hose barb in the ell to hose conection ...i will have a clean out port on top as well....... hope this helps.............

obtw did you purchase the boat from Capt Jeff.....just courious .......

regards

woody

 

[BobM]

Personally, I suggest you do your homework. There is a 1/1000 chance I will ever be in a location where I can legally discharge and when I will be on the boat long enough to fill the tank enough to require more than one or two pumpouts (I have 12 gal and it is perhaps good for a long weekend with two people if not used conservatively). My system is built for that 0.1% and it just makes the system smelly and overcomplicated. For where and how I use the boat, I will likely remove the macerator and all that extra plumbing leaving just a simple connection to the deck port. It isn't necessary to macerate to pump the boat out as the mobile and shore pumps are vacuum extractors and everything is pretty broken down anyway. After the pump is near done I just chase a few buckets of water down the toilet into the tank and have them remove that as well.

Think about it...bet you can't discharge anywhere in or near the bay.

 

[richard965]

Good point and many areas even having the plumbing in place will earn you a major fine.

 

[woodster]

if you are on land locked waters there is no need for a dump valve as i see it as you cant dump in thoses waters legeally......as for the size of my holding tank...i plan on spending a lot of time on my boat and would like to be able to not have to pump out more often tha once a week if possible ...hence the 20 gallon tank....based on 2 gallons a day that works out to 14 gallons a week equeling 3/4 full at pump out + or -....and that also leaves air space in the tank for what ever reason i am not sure at this time.....

regards

woody

 

[bugbitten]

obtw did you purchase the boat from Capt Jeff.....just courious .......

regards

woody[/quote]

Woody,

Capt. Jeff was indeed involved in the purchase (lending advice), and is involved in the refit. Are you two acquainted?

sorry to all for not replying sooner. I had expected an email letting me know something had been posted (I've now changed my notification prefs).

I had not done enough homework, as one respondent surmised, and didn't realize that the macerator was just for discharging overboard. I'm not intending to do that and intend to remove the y valve for that . I just want a larger tank (ten gallons or so would probably suffice) and a way to have it conveniently cleared without having to physically remove the tank.

Did I mention this is my first boat and thus there will be lots of newbie-type questions? I'll post a new query shortly looking for bimini help. My wife insists on some cockpit shade! (I've read some of the posts on that subject, but the guest, Houston Jim, seems the only one who's mentioned any dimensions.) But that's for another post!

John

 

[BobM]

Apologies if my post about doing your homework seemed to have some attitude associated with it, but I think that, given the legalities of discharging doing away with the extra plumbing in exchange for a few more gallons is a better solution for most of us with small coastal rather than blue water boats.

There is an added bonus that the best hoses for plumbing waste are also stiff and the toughest to make good connections with. So with less connections you system will be easier to keep stink free.

 

[woodster]

obtw did you purchase the boat from Capt Jeff.....just courious .......

regards

woody

Woody,

Capt. Jeff was indeed involved in the purchase (lending advice), and is involved in the refit. Are you two acquainted?


John[/quote]

not in person but via tellie......

regards

woody

 

[bugbitten]

Apologies if my post about doing your homework seemed to have some attitude associated with it, but I think that, given the legalities of discharging doing away with the extra plumbing in exchange for a few more gallons is a better solution for most of us with small coastal rather than blue water boats.

No apologies needed! I'm so needy in my newbie way that I can't afford to be thin skinned.

I've been shopping for tanks and haven't found much. My friend in Deal Island measured the cavity under the bench backing up to the head and he felt this were the size constraints:
11.25" wide by 12.5" high by 21" deep (this would require enlarging the opening under the seat to get the tank in).

I found a ten gallon, bare tank that would seem to suit (I have no idea how anyone is getting a twenty gallon tank in there).
http://plastic-mart.com/class.php?item=327
Hope the link works. They will cut any openings I need, and attach fittings as required, too.

It's 17.75 x 12.5 x 11 inches. I would think it's too tight in there to have any connections other than on the port end.

Any thoughts on whether this tank would work? Once I get the tank decided on, then I'm hoping to get advice on whatever is needed to run a discharge from it to the deck.

Thanks.

John

 

[woodster]

No apologies needed! I'm so needy in my newbie way that I can't afford to be thin skinned.

I've been shopping for tanks and haven't found much. My friend in Deal Island measured the cavity under the bench backing up to the head and he felt this were the size constraints:
11.25" wide by 12.5" high by 21" deep (this would require enlarging the opening under the seat to get the tank in).

I found a ten gallon, bare tank that would seem to suit (I have no idea how anyone is getting a twenty gallon tank in there).
http://plastic-mart.com/class.php?item=327
Hope the link works. They will cut any openings I need, and attach fittings as required, too.

It's 17.75 x 12.5 x 11 inches. I would think it's too tight in there to have any connections other than on the port end.

Any thoughts on whether this tank would work? Once I get the tank decided on, then I'm hoping to get advice on whatever is needed to run a discharge from it to the deck.

Thanks.

John

the reason i can put a 20 gal tank in is that i have the settee top removed and will be installing the tank befor the top goes bac on .....granted it will be tight a fit.......

if you have reservations about your tank fitting just make a card board mock up and see if it will go in there...it may help you see the over all picture of what you are doing as well....and help you with your fitting placement on the tank....

regards

woody

 

[bugbitten]

the reason i can put a 20 gal tank in is that i have the settee top removed and will be installing the tank befor the top goes bac on .....granted it will be tight a fit.......

if you have reservations about your tank fitting just make a card board mock up and see if it will go in there...it may help you see the over all picture of what you are doing as well....and help you with your fitting placement on the tank....

regards

woody

Thanks, Woody. My big issue is the boat is about 3 hours away, so I try to get a lot of projects lined up ahead of time for when I get up there. My next trip will be in about two weeks.

Was your 20 gallon tank something you already had on hand, or is it something I might be able to order myself? What are its dimensions? That 20 gallon capacity sure is appealing. Well, as long as you don't dwell on what it's 20 gallons of, I guess.

John

 

[woodster]

Thanks, Woody. My big issue is the boat is about 3 hours away, so I try to get a lot of projects lined up ahead of time for when I get up there. My next trip will be in about two weeks.

Was your 20 gallon tank something you already had on hand, or is it something I might be able to order myself? What are its dimensions? That 20 gallon capacity sure is appealing. Well, as long as you don't dwell on what it's 20 gallons of, I guess.

John

the tank is 12" HIGH 16" WIDE and 24"LONG whitch is the max i can put in that locker and all the fittings will have to be on the port end of the tank.....i bought the tank in Tampa at a salvage place.... the was new and un used with no fittings ...i am going to use left hand thread bulkhead fittings for tanks and put a clean out in the top......when installed it will be there and i will have no room for error so i will go very slow in putting it in ....

regards

woody

 

[bugbitten]

Capt. Jeff measured the waste tank area and he came up with much smaller max dimensions: 11 1/4 " width, & 12 1/2 " ht. length could be up to 21

The height is about the same, but I'm not sure how he got about 11 inches wide, vs. your 16. A wider tank is definitely easier to find.

Woody, does your current install have the discharge plumbing to the deck, or are you doing that, too? Mine has nothing exiting from the waste tank. It just goes in, then you haul it out and dump it. Are you putting any sort of pump on yours to evacuate it, or do most marinas have the equipment to just suck it out? I read the section in the West Marine catalog describing the various systems. That was a help.

John

 

[woodster]

Capt. Jeff measured the waste tank area and he came up with much smaller max dimensions: 11 1/4 " width, & 12 1/2 " ht. length could be up to 21

The height is about the same, but I'm not sure how he got about 11 inches wide, vs. your 16. A wider tank is definitely easier to find.

Woody, does your current install have the discharge plumbing to the deck, or are you doing that, too? Mine has nothing exiting from the waste tank. It just goes in, then you haul it out and dump it. Are you putting any sort of pump on yours to evacuate it, or do most marinas have the equipment to just suck it out? I read the section in the West Marine catalog describing the various systems. That was a help.

John

this is the area where i am putting the tank...on the section that is against the head bulkhead in the small part of the l shape......

i have a pump out deck fitting on the port side just below the head port hole...i am putting a through hull 1 1/2 " seacock back in the boat under the port settee at the end of the holding tank...as for pumping out you can put a manual pump in there to dump over board but it really isnt required as it will all run out when you open the seacock when you are in a ok to dump over baord zone(3 mile limit)...most marinas have a pumping station ....some charge and some dont but i am not sure it leagle to charge sence there is a no dumping law in then 3 mile limit .....you prolly had a porta pot.....

regards

woody

 

[bugbitten]

12 gallon tank dimensions?

(I have 12 gal and it is perhaps good for a long weekend with two people if not used conservatively).

Bob,

If you have a chance and are willing, would you please get me the dimensions of your 12 gallon tank. I do think that would be a fine size for our needs. I'm finding mostly 10 gallon and 14 gallon tanks listed. I'm not sure the 14 gallon ones will fit.

I will take that discharge connection out and will probably use the through-hull as a connection for a wash-down hose or some such.

John

 

[BobM]

no problem

I will measure it next week when I am back in town.

 

[bugbitten]

I did get the 10 gallon Trionic holding tank installed, along with a pump-out hose to a new waste deck fitting. I also put in a 5/8ths inch vent line with a Trionic odor filter. Unfortunately, all West Marine had at the time was potable water lines in 5/8ths, so I think I'm already getting odor permeation through that. I'll upgrade to a sanitary 5/8ths vent shortly.

Just to complicate things further, I'm now looking at a Raritan Purasan treatment unit, but I'm not sure where I'd put it! It's 13.5 inches tall, and that area under the settee is an inch short.

Any 9.2 owners put one of these in? I probably should start a new thread, but I'll see if I get any response here.

The mast finally went back up last week. I hope to actually be out on the water next week!

John