Winter Plumbing

[Rich B]

I have a Beneteau 331 with factory installed head. I want to make some upgrades during the winter to make my pumpout life easier. Currently there is an intake line attached to seacock.(we sail in the ocean). There is a y valve that allows waste to go to the tank to out to sea. the discharge line goes from the bottom of the tank to the deck. I thinking about installing a pump out. I thought about cutting the discharge line, installing a y-valve to a discharge pump the to a y at the current discharge. I also thougt about doing away entirely with the current y valve arrangement, running all discharge to tank, then using the seacock and pump.Not sure which makes the most sense. My plan has more plumbing but seems most versatal. Plan b ie easiest.Also, I'd like to use fresh water from the system rather than seawater for flush..other than back flow preventor are thier any problems with this approach?

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

Let's start with the fresh water flush question

There is no safe way to connect a manual marine toilet to the onboard fresh water system. If there were, every toilet mfr would have had it on the market years ago. Only toilets that are designed to use pressurized water can be connected to the fresh wate system. However, there is a way to solve the odor problems caused by stagnant sea water trapped in the head intake...read the article "Intake Odor Cure" in the Head Mistress forum Reference Library (right side of the forum home page).I got lost in your description of the plumbing and the changes you want to make. I THINK you currently have a y-valve between the toilet and the tank that lets you choose between flushing directly overboard at sea, or to the tank when inside 3 miles. If so, keep that one.As for what I'd recommend to pump or dump your tank: you have line coming out of the tank at the bottom that currently goes somewhere (I got lost in that one too)... What you want is that line with a y-valve in it near the tank...one side coming out of the y-valve goes to the deck pumpout fitting, the other side goes to a pump (manual or electric macerator), then up and over a vented loop and to a below-waterline through-hull.

 

[Rich B]

Thanks

You did understand the setup and I understand your response. However,how about if I install another fresh water tank that replaces the intake seacock.

 

[Guest]

You could install a separate water tank

to supply flush water to the toilet, but people who've done it find it more of a PITA than it's worth. The extra tank takes up additional storage space....it would have to be about as big as your holding tank unless you want to run out of flush water during a long weekend (otoh, your holding tank may not be big enough to last a long weekend either, unless you spehd most of it at sea beyond 3 miles). Intake sea water odor problems are caused by water left to stagnate...the "Intake Odor Cure" described in the article is the cheapest, easiest way to prevent it...and it DOES work.Or you could just install an electric macerating toilet designed to use pressurized water. The AH consumption is much lower than you may think, and the price is about the same as a manual toilet a separate tank for flush water. Check out the Raritan Sea Era, which is available as either a complete toilet or a conversion kit...with either a sea water pump or a fresh water solenoid.