Macerator pump out solutions and sink drain solutions

T

thataway

Active member
I have seen several "solutions" for the pumping out of sewage from the holding tank out of the thru hulls in the side of the Tom Cat and CD 25.

I have used 3/4" reinforced hose, which fits very snugly about 3/4" into the thru hull and makes a water tight seal. I have so far used a 6 foot piece of hose which will then go into a sewer fitting at a camp ground, or dump station. A smilar piece of hose can be used for the galley sink and shower sump, all channeled into a sewer fitting or RV sanitary tote. This will allow the boat to be used at a camp ground and sewage discharged without finding a marine pump out station. It also allows discharge in our home hoist into a sanitary tote (RV item) or even into the water at sea, without risk of sewage getting into the cockpit since the discharge fitting is above the gunnel.

Robin_and_kids_in_July_2007_hose_for_Tom_cat_021.jpg

Robin_and_kids_in_July_2007_hose_for_Tom_cat_022.jpg

Robin_and_kids_in_July_2007_hose_for_Tom_cat_023.jpg
 
I have never used a pumpout station. do you use the macerator to pump it out when you use the hose? Do you use the macerator when you use a pump out station?
 
Dave;
All I have ever had to do in our area was to have the marina 'pump out' the holding tank by making sure the cutoff valve under the deck was not in the 'side' discharge position. This allows the marina's pumpout equipment to literally suck the contents out of tank, like a big wet/dry vacuum pump. The marina has to have the correct size fittting for the top access 'pipe'.

It is illegal to discharge sewerage in the Ches. Bay, so a lot of the marinas do have this ability. We just have to make sure their equipment is working.

Just don't have this cutoff valve in the wrong direct if you boarded for a spot inspection within these waters.
 
David,
The marine pump out station uses a fitting thru the deck plate as Art noted. Many of use "camp" in our C Dories when on the road. There is the problem of both sewage, as well as sink and shower water. The normal RV, has both black water (sewage) and gray water (shower and sink) tanks, which dump thru a 3" hose into a sewer hook up at the camp site, or thru a dump station. The use of this 3/4" hose allows one to pump out the holding tank , or by gravity drain the sink into standard RV site sewer connections (we will be making a "Y" adaptor which will keep the entire system "sealed" as it goes into the RV sewer fitting).

Our waterfront home, where the boat is kept on a lift, is 16 miles from the nearest marina, which may or may not have a working pumpout. Most trips we don't go to the marina, and have to pump out at home. With this hose, we can pump into a closed bucket or tote, and dump the content into our RV sewer system. It is illegeal to pump untreated sewage into any of the waters inside of ocean waters 3 miles at sea. Many times in the past, we have had to go out the pass, for 3 miles to pump out sewage.
 
I've used a pumpout station a couple of times. The question I have about all this is whether -- assuming I am NOT going to pump overboard, but will pump out through the top fitting using a hand pump (as found at NPS facilities at Lake Powell) -- it assists the process to run the macerator prior to pumpout. I am operating on the assumption that the macerator grinds everything in the tank up to a slurry which might be easier to pump out. However, I don't know if (a) the macerator is even in the same plumbing as used when pumping out, and (b) whether using it makes any difference.

Thanks,
Warren
 
Warren,

That is not going to work in that the "Y" to the macerator is downline of the pumpout deck fitting. By the time the waste gets to the macerator, it is on the way out to the overboard discharge is my thinking.

The Valve has to be either one way or the other. If all you put into the holding tank is human waste and RV type toilet paper, there should be no need for maceration in order to pump out the tank.

It only takes a few seconds to empty that TomCat tank... about 9 gallons?

The pumpout hoses I have used at marinas have multiple-sized rubber fittings that seem to fit all common deck waste pumpout fittings

John
 
This might be a crappy topic but I did learn something :lol:
I didn't think about a 3/4" reinforced hose, which fits very snugly about 3/4" into the thru hull and makes a water tight seal. Thanks again
Dr. Bob.... You are just too :smiled
 
drjohn71a":3qc9m5sn said:
It only takes a few seconds to empty that TomCat tank... about 9 gallons?
Click to expand...

Brent (Discovery) helped me pump out at Powell for the very first time. It was a slow process, as it was a hand pump. and there was a lot of speculation as to whether there were "solids" :disgust which were impeding the process. I suspect that the particular pump we used was not working efficiently.

I wonder if using Bob's reinforced hose idea I could have used the macerator to pump into the porta-potti disposal sink?

Warren
 
Warren,

I was kind of thinking the same thing since some of the marinas we visit have hand pump carts. So far I've managed to avoid having to use them.

Our little town has a community RV dump site which is open year 'round and Dr.Bob's idea would be good for that location. Thanks, Dr.Bob for another excellent tip!

John
 
OK, so where do you buy a reinforced hose? Is this a "regular" hose with the fittings cut off?

What are they used for besides pumping out C-Dories? :wink

Warren
 
The tubing I used was the standard re-enforced hose in 3/4" diameter, available at West Marine. What I first used was in my "hose" scrap bin. These hoses are used for pressure water systems primarly. I have used them for bilge discharge, raw water wash down, head intake etc.

I had a nylon fitting I was going to cut and file to fit the discharge fitting--but when the hose fit so well, it solved the problem.

I have used a macerator identical to what is in the C Dory to macerate and pump sewage about 25 feet thru a 3/4" hose from my RV to a sewer fitting at a home before I had a specific RV sewer dump, as I have at my home currently. Based on this, I believe that the pump might push it to the porti potty dump station at Powell. In my use at home, I there was plenty of pressure to pump the sewage to a "RV septic tote" which was about even with the deck level on the lawn. The porti potty dumps are about 3 feet above the deck, probably 2 1/2 feet above the fitting. I agree, the hand operated pumps at Powell are very slow--and that operating the macerator would be of no help. Do not run the macerator pump when it is dry--it will burn up the impellor.

We put our toilet paper into garbage bags in the head. Although it will disolve (both RV type and any cheap TP) in water, it does leave a fair amount of cellulose on the tank sides and can eventually lead to build up in the tank. Thus the only item we are dealing with is human sewage in the head.
 
Back
Top