waste tank question

[paul b]

I just bought a 1999 310, the waste holding tank was empty and i filled it with fresh water to flush the system. I asked the marina if i could drain the tank using the discharge pump. I got half the tank empty but it quit draining. Is the hull cap to be open or closed to help with the flow, or any thing else i should be doing. Thanks

 

[Victor23952]

Some ideas

If you have a simple Y connection between your macerator and the deck fitting then the deck cap must be on when running the macerator. Otherwise it will draw air from the deck instead of waste from the tank. If you have a Y valve, then this does not matter. The handle on a Y valve usually points to the hose that is blocked off.The other possibility is that the drain pipe in the tank is clogged (not as empty as you thought). Easiest way to unclog it is to force air or water back into the tank through the deck fitting. Then leave some water in the tank and hope that the rocking of the boat dissolves the problem. I had the same problem when I bought my boat which had been unused for many months.

 

[paul b]

thanks

thanks, so many things to learn as a new sailorpaul

 

[Peggie Hall/HeadMistress]

Check the tank vent

If it's clogged the pumpout or macerator will pull a vacuum as soon as whatever air is the tank is exhausted, preventing any more from being pumped out. The two most common locations for clogged tank vents are the vent thru-hull and the vent line connection on the tank. If both are clear, look for a kink in the vent line.