Subject: Holding tank location
I bought a T-37 a while ago and have spent a
ton of time in the engine room looking for the holding tank. Can't find
it! I did find the macerator, one end of
which is not attached to anything but has a fitting
that looks like something locks into it.
I've followed the line from the head to aft of the engine, where it
disappears under the flooring.
Where is the holding tank
usually put on a T37? Why isn't the macerator attached to a through-hull (I
thought that the point was that you could pump the head overboard if far enough
out at sea)?
Any help would be appreciated (I'm not using
the head until I've got this figured out - I'm reduced to making the long walk
to the marina head).
Thanks, Dean July
2001
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Subject: Holding tank location
Is it common for T-37's to use the bilge
mounted 100 gallon SS tank as a diesel tank?
We have two tanks located aft (one in each
quarter), their combined capacity is approximately 80
gallons. Given I have this extra water capacity, I am tempted to remove the bow
fuel tank and convert the existing bilge 100 gallon water tank to a diesel
tank. Any thoughts?
Bill Moloney August
2001
________________________________________________________________________
Our holding
tank is under the port settee against the bulkhead between the main salon and
the head. It's a 26 gal SS tank.
Chuck Harris August
2001
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The holding tank on our Tayana 37 (
Depending upon the age of your boat, I
suggest that you replace all the hoses, as they often become clogged up with
calcium salts, which then causes it to be further plugged up with fecal wastes.
Make sure you buy only the type of hose that is intended for use with toilet
lines. It has to be smooth on the interior to avoid trapping things, and it has
to be made of a material that doesn't allow odors to leak through the wall of
the tubing.
This is all a stinky and rotten job, but in
the long run, will shorten your need to walk to community toilet at the top of
the docks in the middle of the night.
While you are at it, you should also learn
to rebuild the toilet itself, and triple check all your through-hulls for
intake of sea water and dumping of effluent.
regards, Harvey Karten August
2001
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Bill,
The "small holding tank just aft of the
mast..."may have been the one intended as a sump tank for the shower. The
reason the plumbing may "look dubious" is that it is designed to
carry minimal amounts of liquids related to showering and no solid waste. Is it
a unit with a 3/4 to 1 inch inlets and outlets? Does the top have a series of nuts
holding it down?
Perhaps some previous owner
tried "correct" a situation before they read the manual. I would take a flashlight and see if you can
find a series of 1.5 inch pipes just below the engine. Are there any large hoses
going there that can be traced forward to the head? Does one connect to a deck
fitting and another to a vent line?
Check the T-37 manual that is available from
the Bulletin Board. This is a manual
prepared by Ed Potter for owners' of T-37 boats.
Regards,
________________________________________________________________________
The tank can be repaired with MarineTex. Get some plastic corner protectors from a
wallpaper store and cut to the desired length. Mix the MarineTex and butter the
plastic angle. Press the buttered angle in the corners inside the tank and
cure. It would help if he can pressurize the tank to a few pounds while it is
curing. I have used this method and it
works well.
Tom Cagney November 2001
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The vent line diameter on the T37 is indeed
incredibly small. Holding tank gases are indeed serious.... and the small vent
line is probably the most significant reason for this production of 'toxics'.
Most modern 'potty specialists' recommend a
fully open 1-1/2" diameter vent to promote aerobic (air) fermentation of
the contents which lead to LESS STINK. You can now also purchase aerators
(similar to fish tank aerators) that will sparge the
required air into the 'mix'. I was in Fawcetts (famous boat Chandlery in
Rich Hampel October
2002
________________________________________________________________________
Sparging takes
place at the bottom of the tank.... to add air and to keep the 'stuff' moving
and to pump out/displace the CO2. In
that mode, there would be an absolute MINIMUM of odor. The demo unit I saw seemed to be extremely
small ... about 1/4 cfm (or less but it approximated
what you normally see bubbling up in a small to moderate fish tank), and could
probably be powered by a solar panel. Such a system REALLY makes sense.
In my old Pearson, I used a flexible Rubber
tank as a holding tank, and every time the boat would pound in waves, the bladder
would pump the most obnoxious odor (mercaptans and
other putrenes ?). My remedy was to add "Odorlos'
& leave the deck plate open/off - no more stink!
Rich Hampel October
2002
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A couple comments. I looked at your drawings. Nice. I might
suggest forgetting about the gray water tank.
Drain it overboard. Then I would
put the waste tank aft and keep it away from where I sleep. I assume you sleep
in the V-berth. Also be careful where
you put the hot water tank. It must be
below the engine reservoir tank. You
might consider adding a second reservoir/fill tank to get it up higher in the
boat. I think
Also check with these guys before you
decide on a tank. Maybe you have another
choice. Keep us posted. My tanks are getting old too. http://www.atlinc.com/index.html
Ray Slaninka January
2003
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A number of years ago, I used a company in
Ted Tomasek Kailani V-42 June 2003
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I recently pulled all of the hoses on China
Doll and replaced them. A major task in and of itself.
Several things made the job a little less difficult: #1, a good helper, #2 a heat
gun to make the new hoses more pliable, #3 KY Jelly, #4 a good fish tape to
help guide the hoses to unseeable passes thru
bulkheads, etc. The whole job took about 5 days at 12 -14 hours a day but that
also included the time to go to the hose store for the new pieces.
Be careful not to use the heat gun on the
KY Jelly as it could pose a fire hazard. Mostly take your time, think it thru
and know that it is doable.
Joseph Herlocker November 2003
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I replaced my head hoses, all of them. Oh
yes, I had the bilge tank out and decided to take advantage of the access,
which was the only reason I changed them. In addition to the hoses snaking
through the areas you described, they pass through "gussets" which
support the floor off of the hull. One of the hoses also had a support clamp
screwed to the floor from underneath which would have been an impossible task
if the tank were not removed. A lot of pulling and elbow
grease. It was not an easy task, but it is possible. The tank being out
also allows access to the holding tank under the engine.
Joe Sprouse Sojourn November 2003
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I am sure that one of you has experienced
the task of replacing the hose from the diverter valve to the waste holding
tank. On my boat, the hose enters the head compartment from the bilge passing
through the main bulkhead from under the dinette forward seat, makes an
immediate 90-degree turn to port and another immediate 90-degree turn up
through the sole under the sink locker in the head straight into the diverter
valve assy. Where the hose passes through the sole under the sink, they were
nice enough to include the wiring harness and then glassed over the whole mess.
I have managed to chisle out the glass so this hose
is loose but am unable to get the hose to move through the hole in the sole and
bulkhead as the turns are too great as it caused the hose to bind against the
sole and the bulkhead as well as the hull that it is preloaded against. The
access is incredibly poor so as to allow finger tip access only when squeezed
in through the floor board access in front of the head door and also accessed
from a cutout under the dinette forward seat. Has anyone performed this task?
Any ideas are greatly appreciated.
BJ Benson T-37
Nelle Bly
________________________________________________________________________
Also helpful if you
attach a messenger line to the hose as you remove it. It makes it much easier to snake the new hose
back in place.
________________________________________________________________________
The way I have always managed to get
"stuck" hoses free for removal is to put a big Stillson wrench on the
joint and give it about a 1/4 of a turn until all the adhesive stuff (both
intentional and residue from the hose contents over the years) breaks free. Once the seal has been broken it is usually
pretty easy to pull the hose off and on the hose barb. This works with black
hose but I’m not so sure I would try it with white sanitation hose which is
more flexible and probably easier to damage with the wrench.
If the hose is really loaded with scale (as
frequently results from urine of people on hormone replacement therapy), I have
found that the thick squirt-on toilet cleaner they sell at west marine works
very well. It dissolves the scale
quickly. Installing the white sanitation
hose requires some sort of heat (gun or boiling water) to soften the hose so it
can be forced on the barb.
John Lewis November 2003
________________________________________________________________________
A few drops of liquid soap detergent works
very well. A heat gun is helpful, but can burn the hose, and is difficult to
use in small spaces.
________________________________________________________________________
KY jelly
is water soluble and non-flammable.
Otherwise, my doctor would certainly not use it on my butt. Petroleum products should be kept away from
all hoses except fuel hoses. Greasing
hoses only makes them hard to grip when installing.
Joe Sprouse November 2003
________________________________________________________________________
A few drops of liquid soap detergent works
very well. A heat gun is helpful, but
can burn the hose, and is difficult to use in small spaces. Hey Sailors... When
I was replacing a few 1 1/2 inch waste lines on Prudence, of course I found it
almost impossible to "slip" the new hose on the new (or old) hose
barbs. Jeeeze, that's hard! Then, I remembered that
when mufflers shops need to join two sections of steel tubing then often
enlarge one end with a hydraulic tool. One quick trip to my local Harbor
Freight (read cheap tool store) and I found just such a manual tool. One end of
the new hose goes into the device. I crank a few turns on the screw mechanism
which enlarges the hose, then I quickly insert the new
hose on the barb. Give it a few minutes to shrink back down and then apply your
hose clamps. It's a cinch!
The tool is called a Tail Pipe Expander and can be
seen online at:
http://www.harborfreight.com/, type Tailpipe
expander into search block.
37353-0VGA
MEDIUM TAIL PIPE EXPANDER $14.99
John Kalpus Prudence Tayana 37
________________________________________________________________________
We just replaced the holding tank and head
hoses. All the hoses were the original, 22 years old. Jim cut the old ones off
with a knife and the appropriate language also using a large screw driver with
a hammer. It wasn't pretty but it worked
very well. When replacing the hoses we used my hair dryer,
not as fussy as a heat gun, and dish soap.
Everything was double clamped. It
took a weekend and just in time for the rains. We just had the pump out boat
come by and everything looked and smelled good.
Jane Helden-Baker Parcae V-42 November 2003
________________________________________________________________________
I did use the shields black odor free hose.
There was no issue of sliding over the hose barbs with no lubricant
involved. Bends very
nice to go around corners etc. I
used that white hose on a previous boat and it permeated in about a year. Check
out Practical Sailor and their ratings. It is a nasty and difficult job. Use
the best stuff you can get.
Joe Sprouse November 2003
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Personally, I always use a small saucepan
of boiling water; I just dip the end of the hose in for a minute or so and it
slides over the barb easily. I guess there is a danger if I spill scalding
water, but much better temperature control than a heat gun; I know that the
hose can handle 100 C so I can't be causing hidden damage that will bite me two
years from now. Rubbing bar soap on the barbs helps and is less messy than dish
soap. I haven't done the head lines yet but I replaced all the engine cooling
seawater hoses and the galley drains and this worked just fine.
Charlie Freeman s/v
Kamaloha T37
#542 November 2003
________________________________________________________________________
I've used white vinegar for years. It's critical to allow the stuff to remain in
the hose(s) for a period of time. I usually let it stay in there for 2 or 3
hours. Seems to keep
the odors under control.
That, and the new exhaust fan I recently installed in the
head...
Tad McDonald November 2003
________________________________________________________________________
I understand that regular use of a gallon
of white vinegar is supposed to reduce long-term buildup of calcium salts in
the hoses. While this makes good sense, is there any actual data showing that
this really works?
________________________________________________________________________
Jane,
Thanks, your reply helps a great deal. That's what I suspected...some flooring will
have to come out. We also have a CC and
the floor of the forward settee against the forward stateroom bulkhead is where
one bank of batteries are installed. They will first have to be removed and
hopefully the elbows coming out of the holding tank will be directly
underneath. Right now the hoses don't
leak or smell. However, the boat is 20
yrs old and the connections are looking a little crusty, so I might as well
plan on it. I will have to wrestle with
the hose a little more to find out if it is truly glassed in or as you found
... a tight fit. How did you find the integrity
of the elbow fittings into the tank? I
am concerned that when removing the hose, yanking or pulling on them might break them out of the tank.
The holding tank on this boat had not been
used for several years and when we put it into service, we accidentally
overfilled it. We did have odor! Installing a tank alarm took care of
that. The rest is just putting the whole
thing back together under the head sink ..i.e.,
macerator, wye valve, vent loop etc. We had a wye from
the bowl to the tank and a gate right below the deck fitting. Will probably keep them in
that configuration.
We have been using the better version of
white hose. Sealand, I believe.
Harbormaster Bill Murray Panhandle Yacht
Club
"Marissa" V-42 CC Blaine, WA
November 2003
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Hi Jon,
Our 1981 V-42 CC was advertised as having a
35-gallon holding tank which seems about right looking at it's V-shape spanning
the width of the cabin sole in that area and extending aft a good ways. The previous owner removed the aft head and
sink leaving only a large shower/wet locker.
However, he did leave the head hose leading forward to the holding tank
intact capping the end.
One of our projects this winter is
replacing all of the head/holding tank hose.
We have a Whale pump with cockpit access plate at the cockpit floor
which has two gate valves which allow you to pump from either the bilge or the
holding tank. Our Whale pump had a bad
leak when we tried to pump our bilge - thankfully we didn't try to pump our
holding tank with it at the time as it would've created a disaster in the
compartment above the engine.
________________________________________________________________________
Well, I have a question. Recently, my wife and I purchased a T-42
CC. I know there is a holding tank
forward adjacent to the forward head.
But is there one aft for the aft head?
Any problems with the head lines going forward getting
clogged? Any idea how large the forward
holding tank is?
Jon October 2004
________________________________________________________________________
You might consider looking at the sensors
from Wema which I have had very good luck with. They have a holding tank
version that has a float on a rod full of magnetic reed switches. The
float and rod are contained within a basket like arrangements to keep solids
from inhibiting the movement of the float.
Installing it would be difficult as it does
install in the top of the tank but once installed it does not stick up much at
all. It needs about an inch and a quarter hole
cut in the tank, several screw holes drilled around the main hole and then you
must get the apparatus itself into the hole. This last detail may require
that you use a short sensor that would not start indicating level until the
level gets near the top.
I have thought about getting a disk of
fiberglass material and drilling all the holes and mounting the wema sensor flanges. Then it would be possible to cut
a slightly large hole than is needed for the sensor in the top of the
tank. The disc with the sensor mounting stuff attached to it could then
be epoxied to the top of the tank. This way the tedious part of the
install could be done at home (on a work bench) and the only part of the
process you would need to do on the boat would be cutting the hole in the top
of the tank and gluing the thing in place.
This approach would not require cleaning
the tank out but you would have to be careful to catch the plug that results
from cutting the hole in the top. The plug would certainly be large
enough to block the end of the pumpout pipe. I think I have enough
room to get a sabre saw into the top of the tank. a
square hole would work and would let the attach a string to the part that might
fall into the tank before I cut the hole.
My boat has enough room to do this
installation but standing on my head in the bilge is not my idea of a Sunday
recreation so I’m trying to figure out alternatives.
I have used Wema gauges on my water and fuel
tanks on two boats now and have never had a problem with them. They are
among the least expensive option I have found.
Somewhere I saw a sensor that sticks on the
outside of the tank and senses level by either capacitance or ultrasonics. That would be a good solution from
the point of view of easy of installation but I wonder how such a device would
deal with bilge water.
The tank tender is expensive, relatively
easy to install and reasonably accurate. It requires that you actively
operate the sensor to see what the level is. As I understand it the tank
tender would not warn an untrained guest that he or she had better stop
flushing.
I have been thinking about a different
approach on my boat. I have a Lavac head that is emptied by a diaphragm
type
John Lewis November 2004
_______________________________________________________________________
I want to replace liquid level sensors on
original built-in fiberglass holding tank in rear keel of T37. I acquired the vessel and found
bottom sensor probes on main water tank had let go, probably due to
deterioration by oily bilge water. Worried that rubber
insulated sensors in keel holding tank may do same and want to replace
while water tank is out and I have easy access. Are new sensors available to
purchase and install for holding tank? If not, I could punch them out and glass
over the holes, but need to install a different type of sensor arrangement. Not
much room to add a top mount sensor due to
engine location and minimal space on top of tank. What have others done in this
area?
Kendall
Bailey
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Subject: Holding Tank Vent Line
The 'vent' on the TY37 is way toooooooo small. A
secondary / large vent line would promote aerobic fermentation which would
'vastly' decrease 'boat smell'. If there
was some way to install a small air injection system (like a fish tank) to the
holding tank to 'add air bubbles into that evil fermenting brew'
, I'm sure all that 'stink' would disappear.
All the sanitary hoses on my boat (head to the
holding tank) are now 'permeated' and need replacement; and, stink-proof
sanitary hose is super expensive. Wrap
a section of the sanitary hose with saran wrap, wait a few days, remove and
'whiff' the saran - if it stinks, the hose needs replacing.
I estimate that my holding tank only has
about 15 gallons capacity. Maybe that there are 'concretions' in the bottom.
Rich Hampel November 2004
________________________________________________________________________
I would like more info on the integrated holding
tank in my 1976 T37. What is the volume?
Are they generally of good integrity, or have there been problems with
permeation into the laminate walls? Do most owners use this tank, or
bypass to a newer tank installed elsewhere? The store-bought tank I
installed on my last boat stunk up the entire boat, even when brand new and
emptied promptly after a weekend's use. So we are in the habit of seeking
out shore side facilities wherever we anchor/moor.
Ian Jarman s/v Chaitanya 1976 Tayana 37 Ketch #61 November 2004
________________________________________________________________________
Ian: The T-37 holding tank is generally
reported to be 35 gallons. The only problem I've heard other owners mention is
access -- it's virtually impossible to get access to the tank unless you pull
the engine or hire a long-armed midget.
Regarding odor, I think you are always going to have to deal with some
level of sulfur smell unless you convert to a composting head as we did this
season. Some boat owners claim to be able to eliminate odors by providing a
high level of cross ventilation to their tanks, but I'm doubtful that such a
solution would work for the Tayana tank given the distance between the tank and
the vent fitting. I'd be glad to share information about our composting head if
you are interested. See www.sun-mar.com/ for general information.
________________________________________________________________________
Regis,
You listed many good tips. When I started
cleaning the interior of my 25+ year Tayana I took a hose right in with me and
cleaned the inside of the hull and was amazed at all the junk, dirt, and debris
that ended up in the bilge. I scrubbed every inch that I could reach with a
hospital grade disinfectant cleaner that works on gram - and gram + bacteria,
mold, etc. (Johnson Virex
256) and it helped out tremendously.
Subsequently, I removed the diesel fuel
tank from the bow and the fresh water tank in the bilge and still found saw
dust, old screws, bits of wood, coins, etc. that were lodged underneath. I have
literally touched every inch of the boat in cleaning it.
I removed all the old hoses, etc., and they
reeked of odor. I agree that the biggest contributor to odors is old fuel and
sanitation hoses. Once old hoses are replaced and the interior is really
cleaned and kept clean on a regular basis, odors should be minimal.
John Keefe CT37
No.63 ODYSSEA
________________________________________________________________________
Subject:
Holding tank smells
One of the big problems Jeanne and I had
the first year we owned Walk About was the all pervasive odor in the
hold from the sanitation hoses. These were the original black rubber
hoses dating from 1987 which looked just fine but when removed were found to be
soft, corroded, and in one short section packed solid with salt chips. The
replacement job looked formidable and we waited until Fall
to start it. We stripped out the old hoses but first tied messenger lines
to help haul the new hose through the routing under the sole. We used 70
feet of Sealand Odor-safe vinyl hose from Defender which we had to heat to
bend. A small (900W) heat gun made for shrink tubing worked great.
We rebuilt the midship
selector manifold with new bronze ball valves but replaced the similar
overboard/holding valve arrangement with a new plastic three-way valve with
lockout. For hose-to-adaptor sealant, we used 3M 4200 instead of the
original polysulfide. The hardest part of the whole job was to retie the
new hoses to the sole cross members with heavy duty cable ties. The
Taiwanese must have tiny arms to get in there. Now after three weekends
afloat and one pumpout, the job seems to be a success, the head pumps
effortlessly, the sewer odors are gone and now all we smell is a faint aroma of
diesel - directing us to yet another project…
Bob Kirbach Walk About (T37 #538 on
________________________________________________________________________
We have replaced the hoses some time ago.
The best system that we found was to disconnect one end, duct tape very well to
the end of the new one and alternately feed/pull new hose thru with other. The
areas that we had trouble in were under the port side where tayana had used a
plastic tie (I cut it) and the worst was from the deck pumpout to the tank
below the engine. I had to enlarge the hole in the lazarette locker "floor"
to accommodate new hose. We used the more expensive white vinyl, as I didn't
want to do this again.
Recently, the "clunk" thread was
us. It ended up being the damper plate between the engine and the transmission.
We had the engine pulled.
While it was out, I had noticed that the
stainless steel pickup tubes to our holding tank were corroding thru. I used a
drill and a rotary rasp to route out the top of the tank. This ended up being a
rectangular shaped cutout about 7" X 12" or so, to include the pickup,
vent and inlet stainless. We contacted McMaster and had stainless plate, elbow,
tee and pipe elbow, along with 3' of 1 1/2" SS tube sent to a friend
of mine that does fabrication.
We did find that the tubes were corroding
thru, not allowing a full seal on the 1 1/2" hoses. The original pickup
tube was 10" ABOVE the bottom of the tank...what a mess. The original vent
hose design is very small opening; I used a 3/4" SS pipe elbow and a barb
to pipe connection.
I
have many pics of the original, and can send if you wish. A lot of work, but
now absolutely NO smells!
Mark & Joan S/V Querencia T37 July 2005
________________________________________________________________________
Subject: Holding tank leak into bilge cavity
Just thought I'd pass this along regarding
the integral holding tank located under the engine.
I had my boat on the hard with the holding
tank empty and noticed a very small amount of water seepage in the bottom of
the bilge after I had sucked the bilge dry the day before using a wet/dry vac. I sucked it dry
again. The seepage reappeared. I did
this a number of times and the same thing happened. The water was not from any leaks due to rain,
etc. but was seeping up from the bottom of the bilge just ahead of the holding
tank. There were no cracks in the fiberglass or anything like that because I
was able to get down into the bilge as the water tank and engine were removed
so I was able to closely inspect the area. I then drilled a small shallow
depression into the floor of the bilge and found that the small depression I
made filled up with a foul liquid.
After thinking about it I decided to drill
a small hole into the encapsulated ballast area from outside the hull very low
and at the aft end of the enclosed cavity. As soon as I drilled through into
the cavity a gush of the foulest smelling liquid came pouring out. I'd say
about 5 gallons came out of the cavity and it could only have come from the
holding tank leaking into the ballast cavity.
Using a made up adapter I hooked up my
wet/dry vac and evacuated the cavity for many, many
hours and let it air out (hole was left open to the air) for many months while
I was working on my boat. In addition, I opened up the top of the holding tank
and let it dry out for a long time then filled it full of foam (2 part mix)
until it was completely filled up. I then glassed up the access hole in the top
of the tank and coated the entire outside of the tank with epoxy resin. I don't
like integral tanks and have elected to use a stand alone poly tank for the
holding tank.
I believe that over the years the holding
tank slowly leaked into the enclosed ballast area. Anyway, I thought I'd pass
this along in case anyone experiences the same thing.
Regards, John Keefe July 2005
________________________________________________________________________
I am very happy to be a proud owner of my
vessel. She is a 1982,
Okay, here is the story. I went to pump out my boat and nothing came
out. It appeared as though the pump out
pipe was laying in my bilge [Shocked], then I realized
the previous owner had replaced the black Iron Water Tank with a customized
100-gallon plastic one. I took a look at
the schematics of the original plumbing design and it appears as though the
holding tank was removed from the bilge and the water tank is now in its
place. Would any reasonable yacht
repairman do such an thing or am I just lost?
Romeo (?) January 2006
________________________________________________________________________
Subject: Holding tank
location and valves
The (original) holding tank is *under the
engine* and was 'molded-in' to the aft section of the keel cavity. The pump out deck plate is normally on the
port side deck adjacent to the side the cockpit. There is usually a ball valve
(mounted on the aft bulkhead in the 'lazarette/sail locker) ... on the pump out
hose and yours may be 'closed'. The vent
line to the holding tank is teeeeeeeeny and is easily
blocked (.... and should eventually be replaced with a much larger vent line).
Especially if the boat was used in salt
water, the contents of the holding tank may now be 'concrete'. The mixture of
salt water and urine makes - "carbonate rocks" ....
and will need to be 'pickled' with either acid
(dangerous) or a commercial boiler descaling compound
such as "Marsolve' or "Rydlyme"
to dissolve the 'rocks'. So, if your holding tank capacity is much less than
~15 gallons, be prepared to 'excavate'/de-scale. Why I mention the 'rocks' is that there may
be a possibility that the 'rocks' may have formed inside the lower section of
the pump-out hose inside the tank thus blocking it. You simply have to fresh water flush a
holding tank every other 'fill' or the 'rocks' can surely sometimes 'grow' to
immense size - depending on what the crew/you eat/drink.
Rich Hampel
January 2006
________________________________________________________________________
Before you make major changes of that
sort, I would first check the condition of all the hoses that converge onto the
top of the holding tank. We found that
most of the hose clamps were corroded, and at least one of the hoses was nearly
completely blocked. It takes a bit of
gymnastics to reach under and manipulate the hoses and clamps, but it is worth
it. Also check the venting line that runs to the port side of the hull from the
holding tank. Our tank seemed to fill very quickly. Turned out that the problem
was that the Zinc venting fitting was corroded and plugged, preventing me from
pumping out most of the contents. After disconnecting the vent line from the
fitting (temporarily) my holding tank volume instantly increased to about 15 or
20 gallons. I then replace the hull fitting with one made of stainless.
We also then added some enzyme stuff to break up the cred
that was precipitated at the bottom of the tank, and flushed through fresh
water about 6-8 times. Also added a gallon of vinegar to the head and
pumped it back to the holding tank to help break up some of the calcium
deposits.
regards,
________________________________________________________________________
Sounds like
you're ready to spend the big bucks on this (from Defender.com):
Odor-safe Hose
Item # : 502434
1-1/2", White
Manufacturer: SEALAND
Model Number: 306342871
Our Price: $7.99
I'm told the plain white hose is the
same thing for 1/3rd the price; I wasn't brave or cheap enough to try the cheap
stuff.
Roger February
2006
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Roger,
If they
still have some Odor-Safe in stock, it would be a couple of years old, minimum,
as that's how long Sealand hasn't had it.
They later marketed the best they could do, Odor-Safe Plus. Odor-Safe is, indeed, the good stuff. Odor-Safe Plus isn't. Much better than 148, but not the same as Odor-Safe or Aussiglobe (direct import from the maker in OZ). However, http://aussieglobe.com
will sell you the same stuff (not private labeled) at about $5 a foot.
Skip February 2006
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Subject: Cleaning out hoses in the head
John,
Use Marsolve (www.marsolve.com). It is the same stuff used to clean out
the carbonates from engine internals ..... the same stuff that forms in the hoses.
Uric acid mixed with seawater causes the carbonates to 'drop out' of solution
and form scale, just like heating sea water above 150 degrees F. Use it
in your head hoses then use what’s left over to descale
your heat exchanger and exhaust manifold. I don’t know the action/reaction on porcelain .... so you might either ask the formulator of the stuff or
quickly rinse with a bit of water. If you cant
find Marsolve, try Rydlyme
... both are biodegradable commercial boiler descalers.
Rich Hampel March 2006
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