My own Private Waste Pump out Station

My macerator is part of the head, you have a choice of either overboard or to the holding tank. The only option for input is the toilet itself unless I'm missing something here.
Click to expand...

I was thinking of splicing into the line that goes overboard with the T. Maybe because it is located in the head it would be hard to access. On our 25 it is in the stern area and accessable from the hatch in the cockpit sole, so it wouldn't be hard to splice into.
Ron
 
Good topic,
Sounds like Boris has the right idea. If you have a macerator for pumping overboard you simply catch it when pumping and direct it into the sewer. Sounds like he uses a camper 3 inch sewer hose to do it. I think all Ranger tugs have a holding tank and a macerator for pumping over board. I know when you hit the switch it shoots out a few feet from the boat. Buying a regular pump out for on the boat would cost a bunch when a "T" in the line after the macerator would be the cheapest.
Capt D
 
Man, maybe I'm missing something here, but my macerator pump seems to be part of my head. Sure I have the diverter valve hosed into the outlet to go to the tank or overboard, but.......I don't see anywhere to Tee into the suction of this pump and even if I did, now I would need access to the bottom of the waste tank somehow and this is not available.

Inside the boat my waste tank has an inlet at the top of the tank where the waste goes in. Outside it has a small vent on the side of the boat (like a fuel tank vent) and a port for hooking up the vacuum hose for sucking the tank dry. (Notice not pumping it dry, but actually lifting it from the tank and sucking it out till dry)

If I'm missing something here, please educate me, my boat systems are all C-Dory factory original or options. It's a 2000 model.

A tee fitting only, to solve this, sounds too good to be true, but I'm interested.
 
captd":2kkhj5sp said:
Good topic,
Sounds like Boris has the right idea. If you have a macerator for pumping overboard you simply catch it when pumping and direct it into the sewer.
Click to expand...

I think this is where my confusion lies. I Don't have a macerator pump to pump my tank overboard.

The pump in my head only goes to one of two places and ONLY when you flush the head. Overboard or to the holding tank.

I currently have no option of pumping my waste tank overboard while offshore. But I can flush my head to open water if I want to valve it that way.

John
 
The pump in my head only goes to one of two places and ONLY when you flush the head. Overboard or to the holding tank.
Click to expand...

So that is where the difference lies. I can only flush my head into the holding tank. From the holding tank I have two options: pump overboard, or vacuumn out at an approved disposal facility. It sounds like you can only vacuumn out from your tank. What kind is it?
Ron
 
Ron, that is interesting I would have thought that the whole sewage situation would have got even more restrictive on newer boats, but obviously your 2005 can dump anywhere you want (legally or not)

I don't know the brand of the head right off, I'd have to dig thru my bag of manuals.

Still looking for that $150 pump out system :lol:
 
House_Bank.jpg

Picture borrowed from Hank on Sea Skipper. You can see the holding tank, the macerator pump and the open/shut valve. My thought would be a T after the valve with its own open/shut valve. A section of waste hose would lead from that overboard to a the septic tank. It doesn't sound like your system is anything like this though, so I guess its still back to the drawing board.
 
The problem with the Jabsco Macerator pump is that it has basically no suction head--it has to be at the bottom of the tank. We pumped our RV with a Jabsco macerator pump (on a adaptor I made) as it came out of the RV holding tank and thru 50 feet of 1" hose-. No problem with the septic tank and we did this for 9 years at one house and a year at the new house, until we got sewer. You are only putting 10 to 20 gallons of sewage into a 300 gallon+ septic tank--so there should bo no problem if the tank is functioning properly.

There are a lot of 110 volt lift stations available, which are designed for home use--a lot of my friends used them, because the beach house /cabana is down hill of the septic tank or sewer.

I didn't look up the cost of the Mako1--but there are a number of similar pumps. I have loaned out my Grainer catalogue--but I suspect someone on the list has one--and you will find diaphragm pumps with enough lift there at a reasonable price. The Dometic / Sealand is about $400 and it will work, but will be slow, in comparison to the 110 volt ones available.

If you are pumping from a boat at a dock or on a trialer thru the fitting you have to have the capacity to lift the sewage out of the tank. If you can fit a Jabsco or other macerator pump, to the bottom of the holding tank--either thru a hose or direct screw in connection, it will work fine. You can put a "Y" for overboard or to a fitting to the hose to the septic system.
 
You need to find the outlet for your holding tank and then install a Y valve. Put your macerator pump downstream of the Y valve and connect to a new thru hull. or if you never plan to dump sewage directly from the boat(off shore) just plumb the pump to a hose fitting and hook up only at your home dump station.

There are enzime holding tank treatments that work very well and they would not harm home septic systems. These are sold in West Marine stores. We used this treatment on our large trawler for several years, no problems. PS We never put TP in our holding tanks. Much easier to dump or pump.

Fred, Pat, and Mr. Grey(the cat)
 
The TomCat 24 seems to have a one of a kind sewage installation. The macerator pump is part of the toilet. The discharge can by either directed overboard or to the holding tank. The problem is that once in the holding tank, sewage can only be removed via the pump out suction line.

On our previous boat Cygnet, a TomCat 24, I made the option to pump the tank overboard. I installed a "Y" valve in the pump out line from the holding tank, and put in a Jabsco macerator pump. Then routed the discharge from the macerator back to the overboard line from the factory installation. It Tees in just downstream from the original factory "Y" valve.

IM000077.jpg

The photo shows the macerator and the "Y" valve in the pump out suction line. They were installed in the cabinet under the dinette seat.
 
drjohn71a

I made a stainless steel fitting that goes into the waste overboard through hull. It has a 90 degree fitting with a short piece of 1-1/4" hose on the end. I place this into a regular 3" RV type sewer hose . Then hook up to the RV dump as usual. The macerator empties the holding tank.

The process is similar to what Boris has already explained, except I can do it alone.
 
John: If you were looking for a more economical solution than the electric diaphragm pump, you could go to a manual pump like this one: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... /168/75/11

You can get non-collapsible hose for 3.50 a foot or so, and you should only need a few feet - say a 5 foot length for $17.50. Those manual diaphragm pumps also make a decent back up damage control pump, so it could do double duty, and you wouldn't have to fool with electrical connections. These things are supposed to self prime up to a 15 foot lift. I'm actually thinking of doing something like this myself. I don't have a macerator pump on my boat either, and once I have waste in the holding tank, a pump out station is the only way to get it out, so this would be a way of empting the tank either into a septic tank, an RV dump station, or into legal discharge waters.
 
Discovery":dizj59ce said:
The TomCat 24 seems to have a one of a kind sewage installation. The macerator pump is part of the toilet. The discharge can by either directed overboard or to the holding tank. The problem is that once in the holding tank, sewage can only be removed via the pump out suction line.

On our previous boat Cygnet, a TomCat 24, I made the option to pump the tank overboard. I installed a "Y" valve in the pump out line from the holding tank, and put in a Jabsco macerator pump. Then routed the discharge from the macerator back to the overboard line from the factory installation. It Tees in just downstream from the original factory "Y" valve.
Click to expand...

AH-HA

A solution. Thank you Discovery. You also helped me understand why most others don't seem to understand the system I'm dealing with. (I have a freak sanitation system.) This is valuable storage space I would prefer not to lose, but this appears to be the most economical solution.

Alviq interesting possible solution here, you would still need to buy the adapter to the waste connector on the boat, but this is worth looking further into. The thought of me trying to hand pump and hold the nozzle to the boat's pump out at the same time could be challenging.

Thanks
 
Back
Top