Big switch on the bulkhead in the head

[Quench]

I've seen this in a few ads, so I know ours isn't the only one with this big heavy duty white switch that's below the cubby but close to the hull. Can someone please tell me what it does? I've searched all over and can't find an answer to this question. 1995 28TE.

[Nancy]

Got a photo? Our '95 didn't have this.

[gmberkley]

a photo would be very helpful, the only "big switch" I can think of right now is the main breaker switch, mine is mounted on the port side, on the bulkhead separating the fuel tank from the engine compartment.

[Quench]

I pulled this photo from a listing on YachtWorld, so I know we're not the only boat with this mystery switch (circled in red).

Albin 28 head.jpg

[Nancy]

No label, no nothing? Can't see it very well in the photo. Snap a pic next time you're on board?
Does your boat have a macerator pump? Where's the switch?

[gmberkley]

I can't tell what it may be from the pic, but in that same location on my boat, is my indicator lights for the the holding tank.

[Quench]

No label, no nothing? Can't see it very well in the photo. Snap a pic next time you're on board?
Does your boat have a macerator pump? Where's the switch?

No label. We do have a macerator, but unsure if it works. And there isn't a switch anywhere else that I'm aware of. But that's an interesting idea. There's a breaker for it on the main panel above the quarter berth, but I don't think that we've flipped it on yet. I'll try that next time we're down there.

Where is the switch for it usually located?

[Nancy]

I'm not an expert on macerators as we can't use them here, and we always disable them. But the only switch I've ever seen is on the electrical panel.

Maybe it's an eject button.

[jrhess3]

I believe that switch pumps out the water in the shower drain.

[Quench]

I believe that switch pumps out the water in the shower drain.

Interesting - there isn't a shower sump at the moment. It's been plumbed into the bilge. But there is a shower pump breaker. Both of these ideas seem plausible. The macerator is the only one that we can test at the moment.

[Patrickgoggin]

I have a switch on the cabinet below that switch that turns on the electric head.

[Quench]

Manual head on ours. I suppose that it could have been electric at some point.

I'm still surprised that nobody else has this switch and knows definitively what it does.

[Sisu22]

For me, it is the macerator. Not sure if that is factory-original.

[Quench]

Tested this weekend. The macerator appears to be wired directly from the cabin breaker panel, which seems a bit weird. Seems like there should be a switch somewhere in that circuit. Regardless, the mystery switch isn't connected to that circuit. Maybe it was at some point and was bypassed. I haven't had time to get that deep into the bilge to see what's going on from the back of that switch.

[Jkraft]

It’s normal for the macerator switch on the control panel to turn it on and off. It was that way on the 28 and my 31