Draining the water tank?

C

C-Duck

New member
Well - winter is just about here in AK and I made the mistake of filling up the water tank to the top on my 22' C-Dory cruiser a couple weeks back (only to never use any of the water!). We have been getting consistent frosts up here in Anchorage and now I need to drain the 20 or so gallons in there before I get a big chunk of ice. Any ideas or suggestions? I've spent about half an hour pumping the little rubber ball and have only drained about a third of it - definitely not the most efficient method. What does everybody else do?

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
Hi C-Duck,

I've used a tygon tube to siphon it out... works well. I wondered about if it would get all the water out... things were fine in the spring after many days of single digit temps.

Jim
 
My CD 22 had a "T" in the hose which went from the port side where the water tank is, to the starboard side (galley). The plug could be removed from the "T" and the water would drain out. This was very handy for cleaning and draining the tank.
 
I tried siphoning kits but it was just as bad as the foot pump (of course I purchased the cheapest which may have played a small part). I got a small hose that fit securely over the faucet and hooked up my hand bilge pump and it took about 10 minutes. I added RV antifreeze and used the foot pump until the antifreeze came out of the faucet. I hope this helps.
 
Has anyone ever tapped into the feed tube between the water tank and pump? Could one install a tee and side tube for draining the tank? Would that work?
 
I have Bob's old CD22 and yes, that T fitting on the inside of the cabin, under the rear door, works very conveniently to drain the water tank.

Just buy a T with a gasketed cap on the third (drain) end and bamn! you are set.

Jeff
 
Siphon the water out with a length of clear plastic hose. 3/8" inside diameter X 10' long will work. Slip the hose over the water spout, hang it out the side window and pump a few times to start the siphon.
 
Milehog":hqlhfa9q said:
Siphon the water out with a length of clear plastic hose. 3/8" inside diameter X 10' long will work. Slip the hose over the water spout, hang it out the side window and pump a few times to start the siphon.
Click to expand...

This method is exactly what the owner’s manual states, works great but don’t be in a hurry.
It helps if you attach a weight on the end of that clear poly hose so it stays on the ground.
After it drains stomp on the foot pump a few more times and you should be good.
I drain the tank after each use; helps keep the water from getting fowl.

Dang, spring is a long ways off.
 
Save yourself some foot pain .Go and put in a elec pump turn it on and drain away . Put in a T and put in a hose bib for the cockpit and have a fresh water shower also. Look at Duck photos have fun
 
jennykatz":1pq55v48 said:
Save yourself some foot pain .Go and put in a elec pump turn it on and drain away . Put in a T and put in a hose bib for the cockpit and have a fresh water shower also. Look at Duck photos have fun
Click to expand...

I did that two years ago. That is one of the best upgrades that you can do. If you do put an electric one in, once it is empty put a little RV antivfreeze in the tank and run it just enough to get it into the pump, otherwise it'll crack this winter for sure. It got cold here quickly this year in South Central.....Oh wait, did we ever even have summer? Happy winter......
 
The electric pump, t-fitting, and hose bib for a shower are all great ideas!

The only drawback is that you generally use quite a bit more water rinsing dishes, etc, with the electric pump than you would with a hand or foot pump.

My electric doesn't have a valve to regulate the amount of water flowing out of the sink tap. Perhaps adding a faucet fitting with a valve to control water volume would help conserve your fresh water.

Of course, a lot of this concern is determined by just how hard it is to replace the fresh water. If you can do it daily, no sweat. If you have to go for 4-5 or more days between refills, then conservation is a major issue.

Fresh water cruisers can pump lake/river water for the shower function, and adding a Sun Shower (black heating bag) will help with the temperature issue.

Lots of different problems and solutions for different situations.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
I personally will stay with the foot pump, saves water and keeps things simple.
If we lived somewhere with marinas were you could stay the night and plug into shore power like an RV park, yea maybe, but what fun would that be?
We transitioned from RVing in a nice 5th wheel to our little CD, and so doing went from hot and cold running water to a single cold spigot and foot pump.
At first the foot pump seemed arduous and inconvenient, but after 30 overnights on the hook this summer we wouldn’t have it any other way.

KISS
 
You can buy neat little attachements from Ace Hardware (and others) that fit on the end of the faucet and switch off the flow at the touch of a plastic lever. These are really good when you have an electric pump because you can control/restrict the flow without either turning the tap or switching off the pump. Saves a LOT of water when you are working in the sink.

BUT you have to remember to switch off the pump afterwards or you leave the system under pressure.

Careful which one you get. Some do not shut off 100% and some have cheapo plastic threads which quickly break.

Merv
 
I take the four screws out of the site tube and put the tube between the removable floor boards. It will drain the tank down to almost the bottom. Put in a 1/2 gallon of RV antifreeze and hit the pump a few times.
 
Picture of one of the two faucet "thingys" I tried has been added to the "Kingfisher" album Page #5. This one does not shut off fully (which reminds me to switch off the pump!) The other one had a longer (plastic) lever and shut off fully but had a plastic body which instantly stripped the threads so it has gone to faucet heaven.

Merv
 
I didn't explain fully when putting in water pump put in a faucet that you can open and close just like at home .The pump becomes pressurized only when needed . Also you put a T in and and put in a hose bib in the cockpit this way you have a shower or fresh water cleanup .
 
I think you will find that when you close the faucet, the pump will pressurize until the built-in pressure switch turns it off. The line remains pressurized.
When you open the faucet again, this drops the pressure and the pump starts to run again.

My point about switching the pump off at the breaker is to avoid leaving the line pressurized. I have read a number of reports indicating that this can lead to premature pump failure. Even if it does not, it make sense to me not to have a potential leak source under pressure when you do not need it.

A friend of mine has now (twice) pumped the contents of his water system into the bilge of his Hatteras. Joke is that he is actually a plumber! (not called Joe)

Merv
 
On my 22, I just unscrew the sight tube hose from the bulkhead and lay it outside the door and it will drain the tank into the cockpit where the bilge pump finishes the job.
Jerry
 
Haven't seen this so far... I feed clear plastic tubing through the water tank fill hole, then use my siphoning skills acquired as a teenager needing gas, suck the water into tube, thumb over the tube then quickly lower the end of the tube [boat is on trailer] take thumb off end of tube and let the water flow. When it won't siphon more I finish with the hand pump on the sink. Quick and easy.
 
Back
Top