Iterations of head plumbing Y valve upgrade.

[DesertAlbin736]

Issue: In some cases & in some no-discharge cruising grounds the ability of Y diverter valves to be locked in the deck pumpout position (as opposed to lining up to drain a holding tank overboard) is required & sometimes subject to inspection by authorities.

Problem: Old Y valve did not have that provision to padlock or seal (in addition to being stiff & difficult to operate)

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Solution: Replace old valve with Raritan Tru-Disign Manual Aquavalve (TM) lockable Y valve.

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Note the valve labeling implies the Y valve is between the toilet discharge and the holding tank with ability to divert sewage directly overboard & bypass the holding tank. In this instance all toilet effluent goes into the holding tank first. Then the options are to pump the holding tank out to land based sewage systems or drain the tank overboard, never from the toilet directly overboard.

Of course no matter how simple a job is does not mean it's exempt from Murphy's Law. First & foremost the overboard through hull is close to the aft wall of the head compartment where the outlet from the holding tank is. The Raritan valve body is larger than the old valve, and so it was a challenge to figure a way to make it fit, not least of which was allowing room for the valve handle to swing without hitting the wall. As such, it took several head scratching iterations to figure out how to make it work, including trying various arrangements of 90 & 120 degree fittings.

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Finally settling on the option which did away with the soft black rubber radiator hose elbow, using only 1 1/2 inch marine grade white sewer house & hard nylon elbows, double clamping each connection from the through hull to the Y valve. Now the Y valve is also securely attached to a wood block which in turn is attached to the floor so there will be no movement or stress on the hose connections, and we have an easily turned operating lever that clearly indicates how the flow is lined up & with a lockable tang.


And it wasn't just the valve, but also took the opportunity to pull & flush the holding tank, paint the supporting boards & the bilge underneath, & while the tank was out install a new throttle cable.

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[TorreyWP]

Nicely done, neat and tidy.

As we all know; any "simple job" on a boat always has the potential to go sideways in a hurry.

I like the valve design. For my discharge arrangement I installed T fitting at the bottom of the holding tank. The T intersects with the line into the tank and T's off to my macerator. I installed a new thru hull and flanged ball valve, this unit has the ability to have the handle zip tied in the closed position. This has been acceptable thru several Coast Guard boarding safety checks on inland lakes. I have also herd it is also acceptable to close the valve and remove the handle.

Looks great!

[coolchange]

Lucky you! My y valve is way more $%^&up as it resides low on the heads stern bulkhead..but on the side in the engine compartment..kinda jammed in by the batteries, water heater and holding tank etc etc.
I plan to wait till Cirque de Soleil comes to town and then try to hire one of the smaller contortionists. Wish me luck