Re-plumbing the Head
Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 7:03 pm
I was told that PCI is considering moving the holding tank location on the boat to one that is higher up. Personally, I don’t think this is all that great an idea. First of all, moving the tank would basically really kill off a lot of the usable storage space on the Telstar and leave a big empty, not very useful space down where the current tank is.
Also, one advantage of having the holding tank where it has been located in the existing boats is that it sort of acts as a collision buffer zone and effectively reinforces the forward part of the main hull. While it probably isn’t 100% water tight, it would probably help limit the inflow of water in a collision.
I still think the best setup for the head is the layout I’m using on the Pretty Gee, where the head is plumbed directly to the tank, and then tank’s pumpout line is plumbed to a diverter valve. The diverter valve either leads up to the deck pumpout fitting or down to a diaphragm pump and then to the seacock and through-hull that were previously used for the head to directly discharge through. This allows you to pump out the tank without the need for a pumpout boat or facility.
I’ve been asked why I installed the diverter valve. That’s basically to protect the diaphragm pump from the suction and reverse pressure that might occur if you accidentally left the seacock open and went to a pumpout station. If the vent hose was clogged, the water would try and rush back through the diaphragm pump and could damage it seriously. Besides, there was one used for the head discharge line, which isn’t needed there anymore with this setup, so why not re-use it.
Also, one advantage of having the holding tank where it has been located in the existing boats is that it sort of acts as a collision buffer zone and effectively reinforces the forward part of the main hull. While it probably isn’t 100% water tight, it would probably help limit the inflow of water in a collision.
I still think the best setup for the head is the layout I’m using on the Pretty Gee, where the head is plumbed directly to the tank, and then tank’s pumpout line is plumbed to a diverter valve. The diverter valve either leads up to the deck pumpout fitting or down to a diaphragm pump and then to the seacock and through-hull that were previously used for the head to directly discharge through. This allows you to pump out the tank without the need for a pumpout boat or facility.
I’ve been asked why I installed the diverter valve. That’s basically to protect the diaphragm pump from the suction and reverse pressure that might occur if you accidentally left the seacock open and went to a pumpout station. If the vent hose was clogged, the water would try and rush back through the diaphragm pump and could damage it seriously. Besides, there was one used for the head discharge line, which isn’t needed there anymore with this setup, so why not re-use it.