Y-VALVE

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MICHAEL MIELE

CAN SOMEONE TELL ME THE BEST WAY TO INSTALL A Y VALVE IN MY HUNTER 31 ???
 
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Peggie Hall/Head Mistress

Where do you want to put it?

Do you want to split the head discharge line to give you a choice between flushing the toilet directly overboard at sea beyond 3 miles? Or do you want to be able to dump the tank as well as pump it out? Btw...please turn off your caps lock. Typing in all caps online is SHOUTING.
 
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MICHAEL MIELE

y valve

yes i would like to be able to flush directly overboard when out at sea.....i have a bladder waste pump in order to dump the tank as you called it (peggie}.........as far as location i would like you or someone to tell me the easiest location to install..............thanks slam90
 
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Peggie Hall/Head Mistress

Y-valve should be readily accessible

so that it can easily be be switched between the tank and the thru-hull--for two reasons: legally it can only be open to the thru-hull while you're at sea beyond the "3 mile limit"...and for safety reasons it should always be kept kept closed to the sea except when the toilet is actually in use to prevent sea water from rising in the bowl and overflowing it. Therefore, right beside the toilet is the ideal location...but if that's not practical, under the sink vanity...wherever, it should be IN the head where it can be easily reached and the handle secured while in "no discharge" waters. You'll also need a vented loop at least 8-12" above the waterline at any angle of heel somewhere between the toilet and the through-hull...it can go between the y-valve and the thru-hull or immediately after the toilet--on the bulkhead behind it--which, since heeling can send the contents of even a half-full tank back toward the toilet--also prevents 'em from reaching the bowl.
 
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Michael O'

Y-not valve

My Hunter '31 came with a Y valve already installed from the factory. I never thought twice about it since we only pump to the holding tank. Direct discharge 3 miles offshore in the Great Lakes is still disgusting and illegal. Beware the Canadian patrols! If you cruise in Canadian waters, your boat can be boarded and searched for a Y valve. You'd better have it blocked or risk getting fined and/or having your boat impounded.
 
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MICHAEL MIELE

Michael O', Sandusky

dear michael.........check your homework....it is against the law for a factory to install a y valve in any boats other than international boats......meaning if you have a y valve in your boat it was put in by either you or another owner.....and as far as discusting when you flush at home where do you think that goes?????????? wake up call!!!!!!!!!
 
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Peggie Hall/Head Mistress

Oops, some corrections needed

3 miles offshore does NOT mean 3 miles from the nearest shore in a lake, including the Great Lakes...it means 3 miles out to sea from the nearest point on the whole North American continent, in international waters. There are no international waters in the Great Lakes...they're either Canadian or US waters. However, the Great Lakes are "no discharge"--meaning that not even treated waste can be discharged, only holding tanks can be used on both the US and Canadian sides. It is not against the law for a boat mfr to install a y-valve on ANY boat, whether it's going into US waters or not. If that were true, no boats could be delivered from the factory with macerators to dump tanks, because it's just as illegal to dump a tank inside the "3 mile limit" as it is to flush a toilet directly overboard. Yet most boats delivered into coastal waters do have macerators installed.
 
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Michael O'

Thanks Peggy

When it comes matters of the "head" you are the authority! It's not against the law to install a Y valve on boats. However, for 90% of the sailors out there (100% in the Great Lakes), it's just not legal to use them. As far as effluent from homes, the waste material is diverted to a sewage treatment facility where the EPA mandates a certain level of chemical "treatment" before it's released into the waters. It's NOT the same as dumping excrement from your boat into the lake or ocean. Although I don't want to get into what happens to many municipal treatment centers after a big storm overwhelms their capacity. That's material for a different thread.
 
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