Holding tank will not pump out

If it's making all the right noises it's going to be the impeller, IMHO, worth a strip down and then recondition using the Jabsco kit, (it's about 40 quid from memory), then you will have a spare....

Have you turned the priming screw?
 
OK that all makes sense - there was fluid in the big (incompetently installed) U bend and that killed your pump impeller.

No need to empty tank. Just put the new pump in then use that to pump out the tank. HOWEVER, if you have no isolation valves either side of the pump and/or depending on the height of the pump relative to the tank top you are going to have a horrible job - gushing tank contents yuk. Scuse the smugness but I always specify the pump mounted ABOVE the top of the tank!) .

You could, as soon as the gush starts, insert an isolation valve then you'll never have this problem again. I guess clamping the pipe will slow down the gushing.

Bon chance!
 
jfm said:
OK that all makes sense - there was fluid in the big (incompetently installed) U bend and that killed your pump impeller.

No need to empty tank. Just put the new pump in then use that to pump out the tank. HOWEVER, if you have no isolation valves either side of the pump and/or depending on the height of the pump relative to the tank top you are going to have a horrible job - gushing tank contents yuk. Scuse the smugness but I always specify the pump mounted ABOVE the top of the tank!) .

You could, as soon as the gush starts, insert an isolation valve then you'll never have this problem again. I guess clamping the pipe will slow down the gushing.

Bon chance!
Click to expand...

Good point! I was assuming that gravity would be on OP's side.
Bin bags and masking tape could be the order of the day if not...
 
Nigelpickin said:
If it's making all the right noises it's going to be the impeller, IMHO, worth a strip down and then recondition using the Jabsco kit, (it's about 40 quid from memory), then you will have a spare....

Have you turned the priming screw?
Click to expand...

I will get the kit and make up a spare Nigel good idea. I guess Im going to sound stupid now but what/where is the priming screw? I thought it was self priming.
Thanks
Neil
 
Nigelpickin said:
Bin bags and masking tape could be the order of the day if not...
Click to expand...
Rather you than me Nigel!

Bridgeman, we do not know your plumbing architecture and are now just speculating. Does the pump out pipe exit the top of the tank? Is there enough length of pipe twixt tank and pump that you can unscrew the pump from its mount, lift it above the top of the tank, and THEN undo the pipe? If you can deal with all this, you'll get very little spillage at all but it depends entirely on your set up
 
jfm said:
OK that all makes sense - there was fluid in the big (incompetently installed) U bend and that killed your pump impeller.

No need to empty tank. Just put the new pump in then use that to pump out the tank. HOWEVER, if you have no isolation valves either side of the pump and/or depending on the height of the pump relative to the tank top you are going to have a horrible job - gushing tank contents yuk. Scuse the smugness but I always specify the pump mounted ABOVE the top of the tank!) .

You could, as soon as the gush starts, insert an isolation valve then you'll never have this problem again. I guess clamping the pipe will slow down the gushing.

Bon chance!
Click to expand...

Bon chance indeed jfm. I will not need it though, my brother is doing the job. The old back trouble returned today unfortunately! Isolation valves and fitting higher is a good idea. Cannot alter the breather/smell vent due to height of outlet and height space available, but thinking of maybe fitting a drain valve in u bend??
Thanks for tips.
Neil
 
Ok
So as you look at the pump, the end opposite the out pipe has a soft rubber cover, size of a thimble.
Remove it and use a flat head screwdriver to turn the screw through at least two rotations.

This often cures the problem esp if you have a deteriating impeller.

Well worth a try
 
Bridgeman said:
Bon chance indeed jfm. I will not need it though, my brother is doing the job. The old back trouble returned today unfortunately! Isolation valves and fitting higher is a good idea. Cannot alter the breather/smell vent due to height of outlet and height space available, but thinking of maybe fitting a drain valve in u bend??
Thanks for tips.
Neil
Click to expand...
Well you could but I don't like the idea much. If it fills for same reason as it did this time, you can use drain valve to empty it (niiiice!). But if it fills from splash of waves you won't know, so you'll destroy another pump. If you have a space/height restriction you could just swap the Vetus smell filter for the Leesan one, which can be installed in exactly same place as your current filter because its design doesn't create the U bend problem. £76 though... http://www.leesan.com/index.asp?m=3&cat1=3&cat2=14&t=Holding+Tank+Vent+Filters
You could also just remove the vent filter completely. I have had boats without them and it is often ok without them. Cost = £zero!
All that said, I'm not seeing your space/height problem in 2nd photo. Looks to me like you can have a v short length of pipe from thru-hull to filter, mount the filter 45 degrees clockwise maybe, and you'll be fine. OK, you'll have to unscrew the filter housing from the boat to change the filter element but its only a once/season job
 
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Would there be any chance of you wearing a go-pro whilst sorting this out? I'm sensing a youtube moment in the making.

The other thing you could try is siphoning the contents of the holding tank out. Get a pipe shoved right in the suck until you sense the contents of the tank is nearly there and fling the pipe down lower than the tank. Try to get it right first time because otherwise you might find some of the fluid dribbles out of the pipe and you've got to have another go at sucking......

I too have shared your pain. Many moons ago when a guest went against my recommendations and put something down the toilet in our Targa 35. Oh how we laughed when we found the little mouse in the very last joint I took apart :)

You aren't a proper skipper until you've pulled that part of the plumbing apart.

Good luck

Henry :)
 
Thanks to everyone for suggestions and advice. We seem to be getting to end of options. Smell filter pipe cleared, new pump fitted with no spillage and still not discharging. Old pump impellor destroyed and lots of corrosion in metal work. Pipe at seacock pulsing and bubbles appearing outboard. Managed to get a pump out booked ashore and the suction wasn't strong enough to lift the 2.5 metres. Maybe need a flexy pipe to go further into tank? Anyway calling it a night and having another go tomorrow.
Cheers Neil
 
What have you been eating ?

How long has the holding tank been full ?

When you caused the overflow was it through flushing?

Assuming seacock not knackered - you said there were bubbles coming from under boat, then it has to be a blockage upstream from the pump. Which brings me to my second toilet story.

In the the mists of time when i was a child I built a 70 foot narrow boat. Erring on the side of luxury I had a full width bathroom, proper bath and vacu-flush toilet with industrial vacuum pump, chamber etc.. The goodies would exit the pan at such a rate of knots that they got obliterated en route to the holding tank and the whole system ran like a dream. Welded polypropylene holding tank under the 4 poster bed, china throne we are talking the king of kings.

Mrs Henry F sadly came down with a mystery illness one day and was bed-ridden. Thankfully bedroom and bathroom were next to each other and a well worn path emerged betwixt the two. At some point in proceedings a blockage ensued which was amazing given the liquidity of her ailment.

Mrs Henry-F failed to inform the skipper of the change in musical tone as the toilet munched away at it's dinner until finally it could take no more and I got called.

As I started to probe the inner workings of my sanitation system I witnessed diamonds being formed such was the pressure excerpted by the vacuum pump. Sadly the diamond seam eventually ran out and pressure normalised rapidly in a brown vapour. I hadn't the heart to chastise the old girl who was by now wiling me to finish repairs in a timely manner so she could have another sitting.

The things you do for love!


Henry :)
 
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Sounds to me like a blockage, get a pump out but with a stubborn blockage like this obviously is you will need to cover the breather vent with a cloth or it will just suck air and leave blockage in place. we had similar problem and used the pump out at Lymington yacht haven, emptied some of the tank but not the blockage, covered vent and 30 secs later after vacuum had built up, lots of noise and it was clear
good luck Neil
 
henryf said:
What have you been eating ?

How long has the holding tank been full ?

When you caused the overflow was it through flushing?





Assuming seacock not knackered - you said there were bubbles coming from under boat, then it has to be a blockage upstream from the pump. Which brings me to my second toilet story.

In the the mists of time when i was a child I built a 70 foot narrow boat. Erring on the side of luxury I had a full width bathroom, proper bath and vacu-flush toilet with industrial vacuum pump, chamber etc.. The goodies would exit the pan at such a rate of knots that they got obliterated en route to the holding tank and the whole system ran like a dream. Welded polypropylene holding tank under the 4 poster bed, china throne we are talking the king of kings.

Mrs Henry F sadly came down with a mystery illness one day and was bed-ridden. Thankfully bedroom and bathroom were next to each other and a well worn path emerged betwixt the two. At some point in proceedings a blockage ensued which was amazing given the liquidity of her ailment.

Mrs Henry-F failed to inform the skipper of the change in musical tone as the toilet munched away at it's dinner until finally it could take no more and I got called.

As I started to probe the inner workings of my sanitation system I witnessed diamonds being formed such was the pressure excerpted by the vacuum pump. Sadly the diamond seam eventually ran out and pressure normalised rapidly in a brown vapour. I hadn't the heart to chastise the old girl who was by now wiling me to finish repairs in a timely manner so she could have another sitting.

The things you do for love!


Henry :)
Click to expand...

Thanks Henry. Good yarn Henry nice to hear I'm not the only one with problems.
Rgds Neil
 
n.herring said:
Sounds to me like a blockage, get a pump out but with a stubborn blockage like this obviously is you will need to cover the breather vent with a cloth or it will just suck air and leave blockage in place. we had similar problem and used the pump out at Lymington yacht haven, emptied some of the tank but not the blockage, covered vent and 30 secs later after vacuum had built up, lots of noise and it was clear
good luck Neil
Click to expand...


Thanks for that. I will give it a go tomorrow. Marina trying to find a longer pipe extension. Not sure if that will be any good. I thought I needed to get air into tank during pump out so opened smell breather and took filters out. Maybe that was a mistake and should have built up vacumn. I assumed it was there pump not getting enough suction.
Rgds Neil
 
After reading this .......Definitely going to stick with the policy of putting liquids only down the boat loo.
 
henryf said:
By only eating Indian ?

Henry :)
Click to expand...

No. A curry doesn't have that affect on me.
Facilities ashore are, almost always, not far away from the placed we are moored. I realise this is not necessarily so for everyone.

.
 
Finally got to the bottom of the problem (no pun intended) The extraction pipe from top of holding tank to the bottom of tank, through which it is pumped out, has fallen off into the tank. New one on order, so hopefully it will be all sorted next week. At least I know how the system works now. Thanks to everyone for help and advice.
Brgds
Neil
 
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