waste tank plumbed wrong?

[broke4now]

Hi, all -i have my waste holding tank out and am running all new hose from the head and replacing a bad macerator pump.my question is about the original plumbing.it comes from the head to the lower SIDE of the tank to dump.the macerator is in line from a fitting in the TOP of the tank and then goes to the vac out on the side.there is no tube to go to the bottom of the tank.wouldnt it work better to pump the head to the top of the tank and let the vac/macerator take the bottom of the the tank?ive always had problems with it not emptying out all the way from the marine vac pump out (3-4inches left in).thanks in advance.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: waste tank plumbed wrong?

Are you sure there isn't a pick-up tube that goes down from the macerator hose on top of the tank? If it's plumbed into the top, there should be one that extends to approx 3"-4" from the bottom (there needs to be a little space for "solids" to get in the tube ).

You can replumb it, but the problem you will encounter is the "solids" getting into the tube from the lower side of the tank (to the macerator) and hardening until they completely clog the tube. Clean out is no fun after that.

When emptying your waste tank, a common practice is to vacuum discharge out everything you can, use a hose and reintroduce about 5-7 gallons of fresh water back down the discharge port, and re-empty the tank. This cleans out the waste chute and gets the remaining material that was left after the initial pump out.

Remember: don't chew your fingernails afterward.... :facepalm:

 

[kmarine]

Re: waste tank plumbed wrong?

my head empties into the top of the tank. ny clean out is on the lower side of the tank. I removed my macerator, they are not allowed inland anyway. I had my Yvalve freeze and leak into my tank so i tore it out with the macerator. I recomend bleeching the bilge when you are done to kill any residual germs.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: waste tank plumbed wrong?

D I Y can really stink sometimes.

If you have BIG turds. Make sure there are NO SHARP bends along the path.

The straight shot at the bottom sounds right for the really BIG ONES.

Also. It is easier to remove the big ones, if you let them sit several days, before a pump out. Been there & done that right after a holiday.....do it the following week.

Keeping that several inches of RIPE liquid is a good thing. Speeds up the breakdown of new stuff.

 

[broke4now]

Re: waste tank plumbed wrong?

fireman431-yes im sure there is not one,at least not now anyway.my plan is to put the macerator /vac hose in the bottom,whenever it is vac'ed out at the marina it should pump out all the way.then if i dont make it to the marina when i get home i will use the macerator and pump out at home.(i have a septic dump at home for my camper).this will always let me use fresh water at home to get a good clean out.i just didnt understand why it was run like it was,maybe it had a tube at one time.also on my macerator outlet i was not plumbing it to the outside of the boat but i would use a hose to fit on it at the time of pump out at home.thanks for replies,i think ill try the rerouting of the hoses and see what happens.thanks again!!!