Holding tank pump out

[jim.johnson3570]

Agree with MV Weebles as long as your vent is not clogged no problem

 

[woodlord]

Overboard pumping

In puget Sound it’s illegal to pump overboard also if stopped by USCG in puget Sound and your overboard pump out sea cock is not closed and a locked preventing it from being open you will get a ticket and lose some of your gold for the infraction

 

[Comodave]

In puget Sound it’s illegal to pump overboard also if stopped by USCG in puget Sound and your overboard pump out sea cock is not closed and a locked preventing it from being open you will get a ticket and lose some of your gold for the infraction

On our current boat, which has always been on the Great Lakes, I removed the macerator and discharge hose and plugged both ends of the old hose. The macerator and hose were in the way and useless since we are on the Great Lakes. But interestingly when I took the old hose out it had crap in it. But the boat had never been where it was legal to use the overboard discharge. Some people…

 

[Rufus]

Just between us kids, despite knowing the wisdom of routinely exercising them, have you never had a frozen thru-hull?

Peter

Yes. I converted our Great Lakes boat to "holding tank only" about 15years ago, closed the aft head over-board discharge valve and stopped cycling it. Two years ago I tried to open it and it wouldn't budge. It's in an impossible location, so disassembly was not an option. Tried pouring various solvents down from the top. PB blaster would weep out around the shaft bearings, but wasn't getting into the ball surfaces. After haul out in Fall 2021 I installed an expandable rubber bung from the bottom, then filled the valve with "PB Blaster plus lithium grease" and left it sit over the winter. Valve worked like a champ in the Spring.

 

[woodlord]

Great Idea

I learned a long time ago that you should open and close all thru hull sea cocks every few months to keep them working so if something happens hose break ect. You can close it and possibly avoid sinking

 

[HeadMistress]

GOLDEN DAWN wrote Your tank should be vented.


Not only "should" be vented, USCG regs REQUIRE that all waste holding tanks be vented to the outside of the boat. This was based on the assumption that the environment in a waste tank is anaeraobic and organic matter generates (among other things) methane which, although odorless, is flammable and may explain why boat builders use the same vent thru-hulls on waste tank vents that they use on fuel tank vents.


--Peggie

 

[RickyD]

I have a question regarding holding tank pump out.

When I go to use the pump out to empty my tank, the suction hose empties the tank and proceeds to suck water up through the ocean discharge and pumps sea water. I usually pump out at sea with my macerator and ocean discharge before going to my club because I like to fill my tank with fresh water. But last time I forgot and I have a partially filled tank.

Question. If I were to shut my ocean discharge, fill my holding tank with fresh water and then pump, would the pressure cause any problem to my jabsco head? Should I suction my holding tank on dry bowl or wet? Does it make any difference?

Give me your thoughts on this. What is the general consensus in pumping out the head, using cleaning products prior to pumping out, using fresh water flushes while pumping out, pumping out with the ocean discharge open or closed etc.

I believe here in California it is illegal to have the pump out through hull valves open. Seems to me I read somewhere that they were even supposed to be locked or tied off. I only have used them after pumping out at the dock, then flushing with fresh water, then filling with fresh water, then going out to sea and pumping overboard to be sure all of my lines were clear and empty.

 

[HeadMistress]

I believe here in California it is illegal to have the pump out through hull valves open. Seems to me I read somewhere that they were even supposed to be locked or tied off.

That's not only true in California...federal law: 33 CFR 159.7 "Requirements for vessel operators spells out in detail the accepted ways to "secure" a sanitation system while in any inland or coastal US waters inside the "3 mile limit." (Type 1 and 2 devices are USCG certified onboard treatment devices..e.g. ElectroScan, PuraSan etc., legal for use in all waters except those specifically designated "no discharge.") Type 3 devices are holding tank and other devices that receive and hold sewage ("human body waste and the waste from from toilets") but do not discharge it.



--Peggie

 

[grahamdouglass]

dealt with my holding tank

Removed my vent filter used straight hose
Pumped out my tank
mixed a mixture of Oxy clean, filled the tank part way and going to let it sit
for a while
No smell

 

[MVDarlin]

Black Water Pump Out

My neighbor imploded his tank at pump out. It required replacement, horrible job. Be sure your vent is clear when you pump out.

 

[Comodave]

My neighbor imploded his tank at pump out. It required replacement, horrible job. Be sure your vent is clear when you pump out.

What a terrible job. I put 2 1.5” vents in our current boat so that it would get lots of airflow and will never implode.