Will you pump out my head?

[Jotun]

I'm guessing the answer is no. Maybe then you can explain how to do this unpleasant task. I have no idea how and I need to do it. There is a deck pumpout hole....

[TrueBlue]

You need to look for a marina with a facility for doing this . . . should be identified as such:



Or:



This is not a task to be done without EPA approved devices . . . although I once heard of someone using a wet-vac, with disasterous results..

[sailingdog]

Oh, you meant the holding tank on your boat.

You have to either call a pumpout boat and have them come over to your marina or go to a dock with a pumpout station. They will have a hose that screws into the deck fitting on your boat—be aware that they have several adapters and only one will fit your boat's pumpout deck fitting properly. Then do the following:

1) Fill the head bowl with water.

2) Go on deck and remove the cap from the head pumpout deck fitting. Unlike the water cap, it won't be connected via a chain... so don't lose it.

3) Connect the hose to the deck fitting.

4) Flip the big handle on the hose.

That opens the valve at the front of the hose.... and vacuums the crap out of your holding tank.

You should see your head's bowl empty of water... this is the way you can tell it has emptied the holding tank completely, and acts to help rinse out the holding tank and hoses.

Once the water had been emptied out of the head's bowl—do the following:

1) Flip the big handle back

2) disconnect the hose from the deck fitting

3) Close the deck fitting opening.

You're done...

I hope that helps...

[bestfriend]

And here I was going to tell him to get a good seal with his lips.....

[Cruisingdad]

TB,

Grosse!!!!!

Jotun,

How long have you owed that boat? You still haven't done a pumpout? When the crap starts leaking out of the vent-tube... that is bad!! (HAHA).

In all seriousness, in case you do not know, you really never want your head to get too full. If that vent stack does get clogged up (because you overfilled the tank), the tank will not breathe and you will always have the worst smell down below you can imagine.

Steps to the daunting task:

1) Remove the cap. Make sure the valve at the head of the hose is closed (the pumout hose). Fit it with the proper fitting if eccessary (some pumpouts will have pvc extenders that fit nicely over the end of the PO hose).

2) Turn the unit on at the pump.

3) Open the valve at the PO hose. Watch the sightglass untill you see the flow sloshing/stopping. Turn off the valve.

4) Get a waterhose and fill the tank back up to about 1/3 - 1/2 full.

5) Repeat step 3 & 4 until you suck fairly clean waste.

6) Turn off the unit and replace cap.

7) Wash of the deck, then wash off your hands!!!

That is your steps!!

- CD

[Cruisingdad]

Oh yeah, Jotun, just 2 more thoughts:

1) To reserve capaity on your head, always anchor with a buddy boat and let the, uhh, urge, strike you everytime you are over at his boat.

2) It is protocol in Portugal to put the hose back down the hatch of Portugese race boats... at least the ones with booms. For those with broken booms, don't worry about it. THose poor boats are already mistreated and need all the care and love they can get. (smile).

- CD

[sailingdog]

The fill and rinse part is only really necessary if the waste has been sitting in the holding tank a while... which it sounds like may be the case here.

[sailingdog]

CD-

I thought the protocol was to fill the diesel tanks with water... to clean them out...

BTW, I thought BestFriend's comment was far grosser than TrueBlue's...

[TrueBlue]

Plus, you may first need to immerse the hose end into the waterway for a few seconds to prime the pump.

However, some marinas such as mine, which has been heavily fined by the head nazis in strictly enforced Narragansett Bay, don't allow boaters to use the pump-out equipment. Only "trained personnel" can use the pump-out - due to the possibility of discharging into the waterway.

[Cruisingdad]

SD,

Better water in the diesel tank than diesel in the water tank!!

- CD