HEADACHE

[trimix]

I have a 1999 Grady white Islander and the head has a holding tank monitor my problem is does this holding tank pump overboard or get pumped out at a pumping station?
Also, the manual says the pump-out will be on the starboard side of the walk-around deck. that is my other headache the only opening with a cap says WATER is it possible that's how Grady White marks the pump-out or is this another water tank for the shower side.

 

[glacierbaze]

Can you not see any of the plumbing? If you have a pumpout, you will have an overboard discharge switch on the dash, and a macerator pump, to a seacock through hull. . Dockside pump out is by suction from the dockside equipment.

 

[seasick]

The manual says that if you have an electric toilet, the pumpout fitting is located on the starboard walkaround . If you have a manual toilet, apparently the pumpout is located on the port side walkaround

 

[Hookup1]

I have a 268 Islander and have earned my Phd in MSD (Marine Sanitation Device)s. Also an expert on the CPU (Crap Processing Unit pump). All kidding aside its the worst job in boating when you have a full tank and can't empty it. I have been there too many times.

The fresh water fill is on the side of the companion seat base between the helm seat. The pump out is on the starboard side on the walk around roughly about where the helm seat is. They probably lost the waste cap and replaced it with another one.

The macerator pump is inside the tank accessible thru the opening behind the head. Terrible design having the whole pump inside with all the black water. When it works its great. When it doesn't it's well - A crappy job!

Overboard pump pumps out thru a thru hull under the bottom step. Remove screws under vinyl flooring and lift step cover off. One is water in and the other is crap out.

 

[wahoo33417]

Since your head is obviously working, I presumes the sea water inlet seacock is open. Very close to that sea cock should be a second sea cock with a yellow label on it marked "overboard pump-out" or something to the effect. The handle to that sea cock may not be attached. You'll need to find the handle and open that sea cock before you can use the dash switch for overboard pump-out. Close this seacock after you're done pumping.

Personally, as a retired marine biologist, that seacock has never and will never be used to pump sewage overboard from my boat, even where legally allowed - in this country.

If you choose to use a marina pump-out, you don't need to do too much. You'll have to open a cover, likely on one of starboard walkway. The marina attendant should hook up the suction hose and leave you with an empty holding tank. That waste then get's more properly treated and perhaps even put to a secondary use after advanced treatment.

This would be a good time, with a known empty tank, to calibrate the light panel to "empty".

Rob

 

[seasick]

Many combo systems ( overboard discharge or pump out) have a Y valve that selects which mode will be active. The two methods share the same discharge port on the holding tank. If the Y valve is left in the Overboard position, you can not pump out, the path is blocked by the valve. The opposite is also true , if Y valve left in the pump out position, you can not discharge over board. The regulation in my state ( I think they may be EPA and not just local regs) is that the overboard discharge has to be disabled so that an unintended overboard discharge can not occur. That means that either the valve has to be rigged to not allow it to go to the overboard position or the MSD system itself has a way to disable discharge. Suitable methods are locks on the valve, a tie wrap on the valve, a key switch to disable the discharge pump ( The key can not be left in the switch!) or a similar method.

 

[glacierbaze]

"Personally, as a retired marine biologist, that seacock has never and will never be used to pump sewage overboard from my boat, even where legally allowed - in this country."


Okay, Rob. Let's say that you are having a day on the beach with the family, riding the waves, and swimming neck deep in the surf. SUDDENLY, that old retired man's bladder says, "I gotta go!" Do you pee in the ocean, or hike 200 yards over the hot sand, and asphalt, to the Port-O-Let? I only ask because urine is the only thing in my holding tank.
An interesting interpretation of the Rule is, that you can pee overboard just about anywhere, but if you go in a bucket, or similar, that bucket becomes a MSD, and you can't dump it overboard inside 3 miles.

 

[Halfhitch]

Personally, as a retired marine biologist, that seacock has never and will never be used to pump sewage overboard from my boat, even where legally allowed - in this country.

Since you are a marine biologist and all, then I am sure your ears perk up when you hear every rainy season when some public sewage treatment plant somewhere gets overwhelmed with storm water or have an equipment or infrastructure problem and the operators have to dump millions and millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the ocean or gulf. In one event like that, even a small one, the volume amounts to far more sewage in the saltwater in that one event than all the recreational boaters combined dumping their little holding tanks for years to come. Go easy on the "I am the great one because I don't pee in the ocean" rhetoric because it's just a bunch of bunk. You being a marine biologist an all, you no doubt know that one manatee craps more than 50 people every day but yet all the marine biologists think they are wonderful. How does that compute?

 

[wahoo33417]

Since you are a marine biologist and all, then I am sure your ears perk up when you hear every rainy season when some public sewage treatment plant somewhere gets overwhelmed with storm water or have an equipment or infrastructure problem and the operators have to dump millions and millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the ocean or gulf. In one event like that, even a small one, the volume amounts to far more sewage in the saltwater in that one event than all the recreational boaters combined dumping their little holding tanks for years to come. Go easy on the "I am the great one because I don't pee in the ocean" rhetoric because it's just a bunch of bunk. You being a marine biologist an all, you no doubt know that one manatee craps more than 50 people every day but yet all the marine biologists think they are wonderful. How does that compute?

Well said Halfhitch. I'll come down off my high horse. Your perspective is, of course, accurate.

Rob

 

[seasick]

"Personally, as a retired marine biologist, that seacock has never and will never be used to pump sewage overboard from my boat, even where legally allowed - in this country."


Okay, Rob. Let's say that you are having a day on the beach with the family, riding the waves, and swimming neck deep in the surf. SUDDENLY, that old retired man's bladder says, "I gotta go!" Do you pee in the ocean, or hike 200 yards over the hot sand, and asphalt, to the Port-O-Let? I only ask because urine is the only thing in my holding tank.
An interesting interpretation of the Rule is, that you can pee overboard just about anywhere, but if you go in a bucket, or similar, that bucket becomes a MSD, and you can't dump it overboard inside 3 miles.

That's true about using a bucket.
One humorous statistic about peeing overboard is that a decent percentage of Man Overboard events occur when peeing over the gunnel

 

[wahoo33417]

That's true about using a bucket.
One humorous statistic about peeing overboard is that a decent percentage of Man Overboard events occur when peeing over the gunnel

Now that damn High Horse is peeing on ME! . I deserved the bath.

 

[Hookup1]

I have a 1999 Grady white Islander and the head has a holding tank monitor my problem is does this holding tank pump overboard or get pumped out at a pumping station?
Also, the manual says the pump-out will be on the starboard side of the walk-around deck. that is my other headache the only opening with a cap says WATER is it possible that's how Grady White marks the pump-out or is this another water tank for the shower side.

TRIMIX - Save the Planet advise aside did you get your question answered?