1974 F36 Pumpout problems

Vitaliy · Post by **Vitaliy** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:27 am

i hit a little snag yest, for the first time since i owned the boat i decided to flush the sceptic system for the winter and pump it out (using an electric pump for such purpose provided by the dock) however regardless to any of my efforts i just cant seem to get anything to come out of the tank using the waste outlet on the STBD side of the boat... i was thinking that there is a Y Gate that was stoping the fluid from rising from the tank but upon trasing it i found that i was unable to fit beetween the fuel tanks to see exactly where the line was heading so that theory proved wrong and i honestly dont think it would be placed there.... i found two Y Gates that are placed as follows, the aft head has a removable panal behind it and a Y Gate and the FWD head has one right underneath it as soon as the stairs are removed to acces the AC unit.... thats the only two i can find, am i missing somehting here?

P.S. i know that the line isnt cloged as you can hear the fluid and deffinately smell it while attempting to pump out its just that nothing makes its way up.

Any help is apreciated, thanks in advance

akwalker · Post by **akwalker** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:41 am

I would make sure the vent is clear to the holding tank. The pumpout needs to draw a vacuum in order to work, and the make up air needs to be drawn into the tank from the vent line. I'll bet its clogged.

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 6:29 am

the proplem could be with the pump out pump on the dock also .

rmatt · Post by **rmatt** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 7:56 am

Check the hose from the deck to the tank for holes/cracks and hose loose at the clamping area. All it takes is a pinhole to not obtain a vacuum to draw out the waste.
Bob

Stripermann2 · Post by **Stripermann2** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 8:00 am

prowlersfish wrote:the proplem could be with the pump out pump on the dock also .

Yeah...especially if it's anything like the pump-out at our marina.

Vitaliy · Post by **Vitaliy** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 9:23 am

Thanks for the suggestions guys and i forgot to specify that this is a TRI Cabin

i know for sure that the pump isnt the problem simply due to the fact that it was used that same day to pump out my other boat and worked perfectly fine

the problem with tracing the leaks is that the tank is located on the port side right behind two fuel tanks and no mater how hard i try to squeeze in there im just not going to fit and taking the generator out and removing the fuel tanks to get down tere is deffinately not on my aggenda.... i can barely see the exhaust hose from the tank itself, im going to go check the connection from the tank to the pumpout hole as it might be the thing that is cracked and thankfully it is located in a fairly good spot behind one of the wall cabinets.... hopefully that will fix the problem... still have no clue what the Y-Gates are for for each of the heads as they run behind the fuel tanks and i just cant see anything back there... horible location as the floors cant even be removed to take a look at it back there

Thanks for the help thou ill keep you guys updated...

Commissionpoint · Post by **Commissionpoint** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:23 am

Y gates are most likely black water tank vs. overboard discharge. You could flush some non-toxic antifreeze when you have it on the hard and move the valve positions to confirm this.

Seahawk93 · Post by **Seahawk93** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 12:56 pm

I had similar issue, after much diagnosis we determined the y valve wasn't allowing the vacuum to be created. We found a cut-off at the overboard discharge outlet and closed it.

Find that leak and it should work. Patience is key. I made many trips to the pumpout station before we found it.

alexander38 · Post by **alexander38** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 5:17 am

Commissionpoint wrote:Y gates are most likely black water tank vs. overboard discharge. You could flush some non-toxic antifreeze when you have it on the hard and move the valve positions to confirm this.

this should be checked you may have an empty tank, you may have been putting black water over the side all along. and the sound you 're hearing seems to confirm it.

rbcool · Post by **rbcool** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 10:12 am

On my first big boat, when it was time for the first pumpout, I went to the EXTREMLY busy fuel pier to do it. Nothing happened and many boaters were getting upset. After 30 mins of trial and error I found the correct combination of Y valve settings to work. Then 2 weeks later the CG boarded me and found the valves and tried to write me up with a fine. They let me go with a warning after I wrapped an entire roll of Duct Tape around the Y valves to keep them in correct positions. Soon after, I replaced all lines and got rid of the overboard discharge system.
If it's not your Y valves I've seen waste hoses that collapse under suction, but rare.

Ron

Vitaliy · Post by **Vitaliy** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 9:21 am

After some trial and effort with the valves i did manage to crawl around and see the tank, there doesnt seem to be any leaks into the bildge and after a few tests i did find that the waste was going into the tanks instead of overboard however there is an overfill discharge there that i can manualy open.... im going to try to duct tape some of the fittings to get a better seal and try again today, i would have tried earlier but my marina doesnt do pumpouts on weekends

Vitaliy · Post by **Vitaliy** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 5:23 pm

ok so im having issues trying to figure out, if any one knows of a good mechanic that can possibly take a look at this for me that would be great...

i found one but he charges 120 per hour and in my opinion that's a bit to much so if anyone is in the Norfolk area with decent prices i would highly appreciate to know of a number or if anyone would want to contact me my number is 718-710-0963

got a pic of the tank... finally got a hole open to get to it...

ready123 · Post by **ready123** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 5:41 pm

I would expect to see 3 hose connections to the holding tank....
Inlet, breather and outlet which is usually off the bottom.
The size of the visible one looks to me like the breather... my outlet is at least 1 3/4" bore!

I think you need to do some more looking before spending money.....
can you trace the pumpout hose back from your deck fitting?

Stripermann2 · Post by **Stripermann2** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 5:51 pm

ready123 wrote:I would expect to see 3 hose connections to the holding tank....
Inlet, breather and outlet which is usually off the bottom.
The size of the visible one looks to me like the breather... my outlet is at least 1 3/4" bore!

I think you need to do some more looking before spending money.....
can you trace the pumpout hose back from your deck fitting?

I just saw that too. Seems too small for the vent line!

Vitaliy · Post by **Vitaliy** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 6:05 pm

yes that is the vent line and yes i can see the hose connection to the pump out port... the problem is that i cant get to it... that's what the issue is... there are two fuel tanks that are right next to the waste tank and i cant get under there, also there isnt a single other access point to get behind there..... i just dont know what else to do, my knowledge of this isnt the best...

ready123 wrote:I would expect to see 3 hose connections to the holding tank....
Inlet, breather and outlet which is usually off the bottom.
The size of the visible one looks to me like the breather... my outlet is at least 1 3/4" bore!

I think you need to do some more looking before spending money.....
can you trace the pumpout hose back from your deck fitting?