waste holding tank on 1973 morgan out island 36'

[iluvteak]

I've decided its time for a holding tank system on my 1973 Morgan 36'. Aft head has a head with a built in 6 gallon tank that uses a circulating macerator gizmo. It directly discharges over or pumps out thru the deck of the boat. I will probably get rid of this head and just go with a manual head.

Any suggestions for the location of the tank ? I find it strange that the boat doesn't seem to have a holding tank area, was there not a tank put in these boats ? The engine room has the diesel fuel tank on one side and the water heater on the other, so there just isn't much room to work with in there. I am thinking putting the tank in the aft head somehow, perhaps cutting out some cabinetry to make room, but it seems like alot of work.

Is mounting the waste tank above the toilet, or at least the bottom of the tank at same elevation as the bottom of the head OK ? Or will this cause backup of waste into the head ?

Thanks ...

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

I'll be glad to help you spec out a system...

And the first thing I'd do is get rid of that recirculating nightmare! You're welcome to email me to discuss in more detail than is practical in a discussion forum....to do that, click on my name above the photo to the left of this post.

It was legal to discharge toilet waste overboard when your boat was built...the first marine sanitation laws went into effect 1-1-1980. What IS surprising is the fact no previous owner since has bothered to install a decent system. However, if the boat didn't spend much time in US waters, that could explain it.

As for where to put a tank...it should be within 6' of the toilet...which means that on a 36' boat, it may be necessary to install TWO tanks. But there are other options too...so let's not start cutting into cabinetry just yet.

Most tanks on sailboats are either at the same level or slightly above the toilet...so that's not a big deal provided the system is plumbed correctly.

Before you start this project, you might want to spend a little time reading the discussions in the HeadMistress forum here...you can learn a lot about how to do it right...the best choices in toilets, hoses, best sources for tanks etc. And I'm always glad to answer questions too, here or one-on-one.

 

[MJWarner]

I know they're not the same boat, but on my friends Morgan 382, the holding tank is in the keel. acess under the floorboards. She had to have the yard cut through and plumb it this year. There had been no way to get to it as it came from the factory.