Holding tank pump out- help

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MIDORI
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Holding tank pump out- help

Post by MIDORI »

OK so now we are in the islands. Nothing goes into the tank that we haven't eaten first. There appears to be something blocking the pick up inside the holding tank!! Lots of suction, nothing being picked up or pumped out.
Any sugggestions?
We use vinegar regularly, could there be a calcium build up that would uterly block the pick up? Could our travels have dislodged sheets of built up calcium?
Is there a stronger acid we could use to break down the build up without damaging the fittings etc?
Do I have to open the tank and manually reach in there to clean it out (ouch).

Thanks
Brian
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Re: Holding tank pump out- help

Post by Page 83 »

Check your air vent, then poke something bendy down the pumpout opening very carefully. Then try the pumpout again. Don't pour anything into the holding tank; it would be so diluted that you would have to use some high concentrations of something pretty nasty to have any effect, and you would kill all the nice bugs that convert solid waste to a pumpable consistancy. When you do get it pumped out, fill it half way with water and pump that out once or twice. No soap!

I can't find a link to the Head Lady; somebody got?
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Re: Holding tank pump out- help

Post by duetto »

hi,

we clogged the pipe between tank & macerator after we used west enzyme tank cleaner. it emulsyfied stuff to a oatmeal-like consistency and builtup at a 90 elbow. i would check for a jam at any sharp bend.

you can remove hose and use hose pressure to blow backwards.
john & diane cummings
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Re: Holding tank pump out- help

Post by Page 83 »

Google Peggy Hall and the "head Mistress". She wrote the book on this, and holds court at http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com ... y.php?f=31 a free forum for Hunter Sailboat Owners, well worth checking occasionally.
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thinwater
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It is also possible you do not have quite as much suction...

Post by thinwater »

as it seems.

Make certain that ALL of the loops in the pumpout hose are laid flat on the dock and that none are still hanging, coiled up. Each hanging loop acts as 2-3' of lift, and if there are 3-5 coils on the rack, you will have some suction, but not enough.

Also, you did not mention if you had tried back washing the lift tube with a water hose. If the tank is really full, keep your mouth shut and your face to one side. Either use an adapter or wrap a wet hand towel around the joint. It's only poop!
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Re: Holding tank pump out- help

Post by Loki »

It is certainly possible to completely clog the hoses. My previous boat (a Nonsuch 30) had been lived aboard (by others) for a number of its 10 years before we found the 1.5 inch lines narrowed to about .25 inches! I spent a day offshore pulling out all the hoses and whacking them with hammers to clear them out. Since then, I've always used vinegar every week and that seems to keep the deposits down.

BTW, the only quality issue I had with PDQ was with plumbing - almost everything on my boat seemed to be done by a novice with no guidance. It took a number of years to get everything shipshape - the final project was re-routing the head plumbing, eliminating more the half of the tubing.
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Re: Holding tank pump out- help

Post by Page 83 »

I replaced mine when the "concrete" marrowed the opening to 3/4". Peggy Hall says that it only takes five years for the head smell to permeate the hoses most commonly used.
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Re: Holding tank pump out- help

Post by Bargain Bill »

Thanks for the ideas. I went to a do-it-yourself pump out in Miami, and it pumped out very little - - enough to give us another day of use. Then i read the posts and took ALL the hose loops off the pump laid them on the dock and it worked like a charm.

Bill Carlson
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Re: Holding tank pump out- help

Post by thinwater »

Can you guess I made that mistake once too?

The pathetic thing is that I am a refinery engineer and have pointed that problem out to many , many plant guys... and then made the mistake myself anyway. Remembered on the 3rd token.
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