I am new to inboard motors ( diesel ) and larger class boats. I added some anti freeze to my toilet the other day hoping I might figure out where the heck it leads to. I own a Hunter 27 '77. Could some one tell me where the heck my storage tank is. Could someone tell me a little about my toilet and how it works ( other than flush the lever thingie ). The manufacturer label is vaguely visible , so I cannot research to find info. on it. Thanks, Wayne
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Under the V-Berth
is the holding tank. You should also find two through the hull valves, a small one for the water intake and a large one to dump the tank. The large discharge hose should be attached to a manual pump. The toilet itself should have a metal lever for wet flush or dry flush, you may open the intake valve and set to wet flush and you will bring water into the bowl when you flush with the pump handle. (Having a limited capacity in the holding tank you do not want to fill it with water so the valve allows you to control the amount of water needed to clean the bowl) You may flush without bringing water into the bowl by setting to dry flush and operating the pump. Your toilet sits below the water line and if you leave your intake valve open and the seals in the toilet are not sealing properly the water will start to rise in the bowl and overflow which could cause the boat to sink. Check for such a situation both in the wet and dry flush positions. I always leave the water intake through the hull valve shut when the boat is unattended. You should also find a deck fitting for pumping out the holding tank at a station. Some boats do not come equiped for in water discharge and you may not find a large through the hull or hand pump. It is unlawful to discharge waste into the water within 3 miles of coastal area so it is recommended you utilize pump out facilities. Set a small trash can in the area to dispose of toilet paper and other waste. The rule is do not flush anything down a marine toilet that you have not eaten first. Teach everyone that comes on board how to use the toilet and emphasyze the afore mentioned rule. Peggy the Headmaster publishes a book which includes all you would want to know about marine heads and it would be an excellent idea to get a copy. Hope this gets you started.
is the holding tank. You should also find two through the hull valves, a small one for the water intake and a large one to dump the tank. The large discharge hose should be attached to a manual pump. The toilet itself should have a metal lever for wet flush or dry flush, you may open the intake valve and set to wet flush and you will bring water into the bowl when you flush with the pump handle. (Having a limited capacity in the holding tank you do not want to fill it with water so the valve allows you to control the amount of water needed to clean the bowl) You may flush without bringing water into the bowl by setting to dry flush and operating the pump. Your toilet sits below the water line and if you leave your intake valve open and the seals in the toilet are not sealing properly the water will start to rise in the bowl and overflow which could cause the boat to sink. Check for such a situation both in the wet and dry flush positions. I always leave the water intake through the hull valve shut when the boat is unattended. You should also find a deck fitting for pumping out the holding tank at a station. Some boats do not come equiped for in water discharge and you may not find a large through the hull or hand pump. It is unlawful to discharge waste into the water within 3 miles of coastal area so it is recommended you utilize pump out facilities. Set a small trash can in the area to dispose of toilet paper and other waste. The rule is do not flush anything down a marine toilet that you have not eaten first. Teach everyone that comes on board how to use the toilet and emphasyze the afore mentioned rule. Peggy the Headmaster publishes a book which includes all you would want to know about marine heads and it would be an excellent idea to get a copy. Hope this gets you started.
Time to raise some hatches and explore your boat.
Trace all your plumbing--and check all the hose clamps while you're at it too...find all your breakers and what's connected to each one...flip switches and find out what they turn on and off. 'Cuz if something starts smoking or you see water rising in the cabin, that's not the time START looking for seacocks, valves and breakers. Btw...antifreeze should only be flushed down the toilet as part of winterizing...and then it should ONLY be the non-toxic potable antifreeze, never automotive. As for how your toilet works, what make/model is it? However, all manual marine toilets work pretty much the same way: there's a lever on the top of the pump that switches the toilet from the "wet" or "flush" mode to the "dry" mode. Pumping the toilet in the "wet" mode simultaneously pulls in flush water and pushes bowl contents out...pumping in the "dry" mode empties the bowl and blocks incoming flush water. The toilet should always be left in the dry mode except when the toilet is in use. If the toilet doesn't bring in any flsuh water in the wet mode, make sure the intake thru-hull seacock is open (find it!). It--and all other seacocks--should always be closed when no one is aboard. If it's open, we need to find out what's wrong. You'll have to find your holding tank for yourself...'cuz your boat is old enough that the tank was added by a previous owners...which means it could be anywhere. That's an over-simplication, but enough to get you started. If I know the make of your toilet, I can give you a link to the mfr's site where you should be able to get detailed instructions. Meanwhile, you might want to check out the link below to learn how to maintain your toilet and tank.
Trace all your plumbing--and check all the hose clamps while you're at it too...find all your breakers and what's connected to each one...flip switches and find out what they turn on and off. 'Cuz if something starts smoking or you see water rising in the cabin, that's not the time START looking for seacocks, valves and breakers. Btw...antifreeze should only be flushed down the toilet as part of winterizing...and then it should ONLY be the non-toxic potable antifreeze, never automotive. As for how your toilet works, what make/model is it? However, all manual marine toilets work pretty much the same way: there's a lever on the top of the pump that switches the toilet from the "wet" or "flush" mode to the "dry" mode. Pumping the toilet in the "wet" mode simultaneously pulls in flush water and pushes bowl contents out...pumping in the "dry" mode empties the bowl and blocks incoming flush water. The toilet should always be left in the dry mode except when the toilet is in use. If the toilet doesn't bring in any flsuh water in the wet mode, make sure the intake thru-hull seacock is open (find it!). It--and all other seacocks--should always be closed when no one is aboard. If it's open, we need to find out what's wrong. You'll have to find your holding tank for yourself...'cuz your boat is old enough that the tank was added by a previous owners...which means it could be anywhere. That's an over-simplication, but enough to get you started. If I know the make of your toilet, I can give you a link to the mfr's site where you should be able to get detailed instructions. Meanwhile, you might want to check out the link below to learn how to maintain your toilet and tank.
don't do that!
Wayne, there's a good chance you just pumped antifreeze directly into Lake Ontario. Many boats, especially older boats such as yours, contain a gizmo called a "Y-valve" that determines whether affluent is pumped into a holding tank or directly overboard. The only way to determine whether your boat has a Y-valve is to trace the sanitation line leading away from the head. This is not the sort of job you hire other people to do; you need to understand your boat's systems lest you endanger either the environment, the crew, or the vessel itself. One of two things happened when you pumped anti-freeze through the head: it went overboard or it went into the holding tank. Either way, you've thrown a delicate system out of balance.
Wayne, there's a good chance you just pumped antifreeze directly into Lake Ontario. Many boats, especially older boats such as yours, contain a gizmo called a "Y-valve" that determines whether affluent is pumped into a holding tank or directly overboard. The only way to determine whether your boat has a Y-valve is to trace the sanitation line leading away from the head. This is not the sort of job you hire other people to do; you need to understand your boat's systems lest you endanger either the environment, the crew, or the vessel itself. One of two things happened when you pumped anti-freeze through the head: it went overboard or it went into the holding tank. Either way, you've thrown a delicate system out of balance.
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