Holding Tank overflow problem

[gmberkley]

hoping someone can assist here.........I will preface my question with the fact our sensor for the holding tank, (located on the port side wall of the bathroom, has four settings, empty, low, mid, full, or something to that effect, and it's never gone to "red" which is full. over the weekend the head got more use than normal, and I kept a good eye on the sensor, it went from empty, to low to "mid" and never hit full, (with the red light being lit), and sure enough the head was used and it wouldn't flush, the toilet was full as if it was clogged, therefore I went and bought a snake to relieve the clog. prior to using the snake, (I couldn't use a plunger as the bowl was too full), I called for a pump out to see if it would clear the clog, and when I unscrewed the cap to allow the system to be pumped, the sewage came out of the vent and the toilet was immediately cleared................so I have to assume the toilet wasn't clogged, and the tank was actually full, and the sensor didn't/doesn't work, when the tank did get pumped, the light on the sensor did not change to the empty position, it stayed on the "mid" and showing the tank at least half full as I type this.

hence my thoughts the sensor needs to be replaced, so my first question, do they make a sensor that is a bit more informative, such as a percentage of how full the tank is? and what kind of a challenge will I encounter replacing the sensor...........The current sensor indicator is useless as far as I'm concerned, because by the time you hit red, (which again, last year, being our first with the boat, has never happened,) it's too late, the horse has already flown the coup...........

second question, over the winter I replaced virtually every hose in the entire boat, including the vent line and new vent line cartridge, I assume I have to take it all apart, clean the line and install a new vent line cartridge.....??

thankfully only very little effluent came out of the vent, I'm guessing 4 oz. or so, but still not good.

any thoughts or suggestion are much appreciated. thanks

[JBrooks]

Do you have a Vacuflush toilet? I have one but my boat is the Albin 30FC. My holding tank is around 9 gallons and must be pumped out once a week. If your tank overflowed, it went up the vent tube as well. I would replace the cartridge and clean out the vent tubing if clogged. If mine tank goes to RED, it can't do one more flush because it's full. My tank goes to green after pump out. It usually goes to yellow on the first or second flush. The 3rd light is amber. Red is 100% full in my experience. I shut the system down when pumping out and open the pump out drain cover slowly. Have the deck hands clean out the holding tank with fresh water after the pump out. 2 or 3 times if necessary.

[gmberkley]

thanks JB, my third light is out on the panel, but at least now the other lights work, due to other issues with the boat, we haven't gone out in the last two weeks, and most likely won't be going out in the near future, but totally agree, pump out once a week whether we need it or not, look forward to pumping out again, (never thought I'd say that)

[Nancy]

Hi Gregg -- what kind of toilet do you have? Have you called the manufacturer to ask about the sensor indicator? Also, do you know what size the holding tank is? They can be pretty small on a 28TE...I recommend frequent pump-outs. I wouldn't rely on the sensor!

I highly recommend Peggie Hall's book, https://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Boat ... 1892399784, to learn about heads, holding tanks, waste lines, venting, and lots more.

[gmberkley]

Thanks Nancy, my brother Kevin is providing me information regarding the panel, the tank holds 10 gallons, I agree on pumpouts, they will be done every week, I found a pump out facility in New Bedford harbor, I can pump out whenever I want for free.............thanks for the book info......I'll will order that today. I feel once I'm done rebuilding/modifying/upgrading the Albin, (another 2 years at least), I should be getting another masters degree, this one from the Kevin Street School of Boat Management.

[gmberkley]

ordered the book, it will be delivered by Saturday, so I can read it on the boat, still trying to figure out why it won't start, it will be a nice break from diving into the engine playing diesel mechanic. thanks again, hope the AC filters worked out for you, mine has been going strong, 24/7 for the last two weeks. very happy with the filters.

[Nancy]

>>the Kevin Street School of Boat Management.<<
lol!

Yeah, 10 gal. is very small. We upgraded ours to 15 gal. Some people have been able to squeeze in even larger tanks..probably depends on what other equipment is sitting on that platform and exactly where it's located. A puzzle for sure.

With a 10-gal tank, I wouldn't worry too much about the indicator...I'd pretty much assume that it always needs pumping out after 3-5 days.

Enjoy the book...Peggie saved us from Vacuflush hell 23 years ago on our Trojan F-32. The previous owner very proudly told us how they saved $$ by using Pinesol as deodorizer. Of course it ate every rubber seal and component in the system. We replaced everything except the toilet itself. What a job. And then she coached me again 6 or 7 yrs ago when we ditched the godawful Jabsco toilet on the 28TE and installed the Raritan PHII.

[gmberkley]

Nancy,
what size boat did you have when you upgraded to a 15 gallon tank? I have the Albin 28 TE, 2005, flush deck, the space in that area doesn't look like it could accomodate a larger tank, but I wouldn't mind looking into it. getting pumped out is very time-consuming, and not easily accessible.

[Norseman]

A vent line cartridge/filter is not recommended by the Head Lady, the one who wrote the book.
A 10 gallon holding tank will always overflow: Been there, done that:
We installed an 18 gallon tank last year, much better.
(2001 Albin 28TE, Engine Box)
We have 1 sensor on the tank: It will shine a red light when the tank is 90% full.
The sensor glues on to the outside of the tank, easy.
Don't know where you boat, but if urine only, I may flush the tank even if less than 3 nm offshore.
If poo-poo we go to the free pump-out stations, then rinse the tank with soap and water and pump out again.

[Nancy]

Greg, the 15-gal tank went in our 1995 28TE.

[gmberkley]

ok thanks Nancy, I'll put it on my winter list of projects to investigate, and see if I have the room to install a 15 gallon, I assume it was worth the time and effort?

[Nancy]

Yes, totally worth it especially since we needed new hoses anyway. We also installed a vent to the holding tank. There are lots of old threads here about holding tanks. It was a good thing that we decided to do this project because we discovered in the process of taking out the old tank that the plywood platform beneath it was rotted. Talk about project creep!