holding tank discharge?

[special k]

need help with my discharge pump. while at sea yesterday my holding tank was full (toilet could not take any more water) so i tried to pump out.
opened the seacock and turned on the switch marked macerator at the panel. it seems my pump is not the macerator style i was used to from past boats. i believe this is called a t-pump. anyway it doesn't seem to pump out. pump makes a rythemic ticking/pumping sound and i can feel pulsing at the hose/seacock. the pump housing has a transparent section that shows very little liquid sloshing in it.

am i missing something or is this a very slow pump? 2002 28te with vacu-flush

[Pitou]

I thought I would start here ..... Wondering if you had the 2 valves necessary for overboard discharge positioned correctly?

In order to pump the tank overboard using the macerator both valves in the bilge must be set to overboard. The 1st is a Y valve that comes from the holding tank to a Y that goes overboard/macerator or pumpout. This valve must have the handle positioned inboard (indicating travel of effluent goes to the macerator). If the handle is outboard this indicates effluent travels to the pumpout on deck. The second is a straight ball valve in the bilge going overboard. This ball valve handles effluent coming from the macerator or from the direct overboard Y valve inside the cabinet in the head. The Y valve in the head goes directly to the overboard valve when facing outboard and to the holding tank when the handle faces inboard.

I hope this helps. If not, we're on to macerator pumps and or clogs ... Let me say ... I have become to intmate with the head and it's plumbing as one time a lady friend disposed of contraband through the head. Not fun.

[special k]

i will look for the directional y-valve. my seacock is already in the open position, i thought that was all i needed to do. if there is a y-valve necessary for either pump-out or overboard discharge i haven't found it. don't believe i have the option of direct overboard from the toilet.
didn't see any such valves in the manuals that i have.
previous owner could only say he thought the discharge pump was very slow. the existence of a directional valve seems more likely to me, however it wasn't readily available or visable. i'll look more carefully but i am neither small nor flexable so i hope i can reach it if i find it!

[Pitou]

i will look for the directional y-valve. my seacock is already in the open position, i thought that was all i needed to do. if there is a y-valve necessary for either pump-out or overboard discharge i haven't found it. don't believe i have the option of direct overboard from the toilet.
didn't see any such valves in the manuals that i have.
previous owner could only say he thought the discharge pump was very slow. the existence of a directional valve seems more likely to me, however it wasn't readily available or visable. i'll look more carefully but i am neither small nor flexable so i hope i can reach it if i find it!

The Y valve coming from the holding tank is difficult to reach. The only way I can reach mine is to remove the deck panel beneath the footrest at the helm. I just leave the screws out of my panel.

2 (Small).JPG

The Jabsco Y valve may have a blue handle or it could be white.

If equiped for direct overboard discharge, the other Y valve in the head will be located wayyyyyyyyy up to the left / outboard in the cabinet beneath the sink.

[special k]

thank-you!
very helpful and informative. as a newbie albin owner i will be calling on this site often.

cheers! mick

2002 28te 315 yanmar

[special k]

as it turns out, my boat has no y-valve in the discharge system. just seems the t-pump is slower than what i expected.
so all is good.
thanks......mick

[loubennett]

I am going through the same problem only mine is not pumping at all. It sounds like you have the same arrangement as me with the Vacuflush VHT-12. This is the one where the vacuum is pulled on the entire holding tank. The overboard discharge pump is the Sealand T series. The pump has two duck bill valves, one in the inlet and one on the outlet. These are the check valves that make the bellows pump work. If they leak in the reverse direction pump performance will be reduced sometimes to zero. They are easily replaced and cost between $10 and $12 each. If that does not speed up the pump, the bellows may be damaged. This is a more expensive repair - $90 to $100 for the bellows. You should get two duck bill valves. If yours are weak or damaged the pump will eventually stop pumping at all, so at least have them ready for a quick repair. Also keep in mind that Sealand says never run the pump with the overboard seacock closed. It will damage the duck bill valves. The duck bill valves in this pump and in th e vacuum system are regular maintenance items. Over time they become stiff and don't seal properly. It's hard to say how often they should be replaced. Depends on use and environment, but having spares on hand can get you running again quickly. I'm waiting for some so I can hopefully get my pump running properly. I'm not sure why since I can't use it on the bay anyway. I just don't like something not working on the boat.

[RicM]

If you have someone press down the foot pedal on the toilet while you run the pump the tank will clear faster. Remember the the Vacu-flush is a closed system. You have to replace the effluent in the tank with air from somewhere. I always open the toilet valve when we pump out as well. Also be sure the Vacuum generater is turned off. If not you have 2 pumps trying to suck air & liquid from the same tank. This can damage the "duck bill" valves that let air be pumped out and not allow it back in. Vacu-flushs are a bit tempermental, but worth it once you get the hang of it.

[loubennett]

RicM makes two excellent points that I had to learn through trial and error. The manual on this system and information on the Sealand website is quite deficient on emptying the holding tank. If you are alone doing a pumpout as I often am, you can prop the toilet ball valve open with a stick or something during discharge. It only has to be open enough to allow air through. Just don't drop the stick down the toilet. It might take considerable effort to retrieve it.

[special k]

ok, now i am sure that my overboard discharge does not work.
i have no y-valve and my thru-hull is open. will check it out during winter layup. my first thought is the sealand t-pump needs replacing. it makes noise an acts like it wants to pump, just dosen't empty the tank. i will look at other pumps also, considering macerator type.
any suggestions? will also replace duckbill valves as my system dosen't hold vacuum very long. are duck valves available at marine supply stores?

sure was a surprise to have the holding tank full with guests onboard. thought it was empty since when i was offshore i let the t-pump run for 30 minutes and did have the flush valve "cracked"

[RicM]

The existing pump is a diaphram type and can be rebuilt inexpensively. If the motor turns but it doesn't pump it's either blocked or the diaphram is leaking. Usually incomplete winterization causes a failure of the diapham. Last winter was colder, longer than usual. My water heater was destroyed although I used the same procedure I had used the last 2 winters to store. Sometime moving parts just wear out! Why not just pump out? I have only dumped my tank twice in 3 years, and only in an emergency. It's a rather yucky thing to do to the ocean and your fellow boaters even where it IS legal.

[special k]

sounds like could be diaphram. motor makes ticking rythmic sound as opposed to turning sound. with only a 10 gallon holding tank, full tank emergencies can happen often plus i prefer everything in working order as i am frequently in legal discharge areas. may be the winterization issue you suggest as the vessel has only 300 hours and previously used as a runabout in narragansett bay.
for the rebuild kit and duck valves does sealand have a web site for parts or do i use westmarine or other distributor?

ric,thanks for the reply, saw your boat in great salt pond that very windy labor day sunday.....very pretty!

[RicM]

Thanks for the kind words, we love our boat. Very few things in life have delivered the hours of fun and pleasure that Time After Time has over these 3 seasons. Now with a new season in FL this year we are looking forward to even more.

[special k]

more thoughts on my overboard discharge. if it is a diaphram pump how is the waste macerated?
if no grinding device exists then no wonder blockage occurs. i will consider simply re-building the diaphram pump if i can understand how the waste and paper are broken down. all effluent is simply pumped through the 1-1/4" hose without mechanical grinding?
i realize this is a $hittty subject but something i need to address.

cheers!........mick

[RicM]

What was Elvis's last word.....CORN?
I don't know what you've been eating, but if it's too big to fit though a one and half inch pipe you might want to think about a vegetarian diet....
I'm not an expert, but the reason I believe they use a diaphram pump is because it doesn't block the path of travel and will eject anything, including things ungrindable, in a flow of liquid, whether dissolved or not. A macerator is fine if you can GUARANTEE that nothing insoluable will ever get in the bowl. In any case there are advantages of both types of pumps and you can pick whats best for you. As this topic seems to be taking up a lot of concern for you it might be helpful to meet the "Head Mistress". She is the fountain of on line knowledge for all things head related. To save you the porn soaked google search try this link:
http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/f ... y.php?f=31