jegros wrote:
I recently purchased a used 1998 27 foot ProLine walk around with cuddy
cabin and an electric toilet. We need to empty the holding tank. I have no
documentation for the boat. Are there valves that need to be opened? If so
where are they? Do I turn on the macerator pump? Do I need to run the
electric toilet. Could someone let me know the procedure?

No you do not need to run the toilet. Is your toilet a self-contained
system--iow, the tank is directly below the toilet...no plumbing to a
remote tank anywhere--or do you have a separate toilet and tank?

Regardless of which system, you SHOULD have a line coming off the tank
(it's usually at the bottom, but could be on the top with a pickup tube
inside the tank) that goes to a deck pumpout fitting...that fitting will
look very much like your water and fuel fill fittings, but will have
"waste" stamped in the flange. To pump out the tank, you only need to
connect the pumpout to the that fitting...the dockhand should be able to
tell you how to do that. The pumpout will then pull the waste out of the
tank...it does not need any help from the macerator.

It's possible that there is either a tee or wye fitting in the pumpout
line--one side to the deck pumpout fitting, the other side to the
macerator and then to an overboard discharge fitting. As Keith has
already pointed out, it's illegal to dump a tank overboard in any US
waters...you must be out to sea at least 3 miles from the nearest point
on the whole US coastline to dump a tank legally.

If there is no deck pumpout fittng, the tank cannot be pumped out...only
dumped using the macerator...in which case--depending on the waters
you're in--you'll either have to to install a y-valve (you could use a
tee or wye fitting, but CG regs call for a y-valve...aka known as a
"diverter valve") and deck pumpout fitting to give you a choice between
having the tank pumped out...or--if you're not in coastal waters that
provide immediate access to open sea beyond the "3 mile limit"--re-route
the tank discharge hose to a new deck pumpout fitting.

Bottom line: to find out what you can do, you're gonna have to trace
your sanitation plumbing to find out where it goes.

Ok...now I'm gonna beat you up a bit: why did you use a system on your
boat before you knew how every part of it works? This time it was only
your holding tank...but for all you know, you may have damaged the
toilet. And if you also used the "just turn the key and go" approach to
everything else on your boat, that's a very good way to find yourself
several miles from shore--even in a lake--with a boat that's taking on
water, a dead engine...and without a clue what to do about it.

99% of problems with any system on a boat are caused by owners, ,and
could have been prevented...they're caused by ignorance of how to use
systems, ignorance of how to maintain any of 'em, resulting in neglect
of small problems until they become big expensive ones. So for Pete's
sake, learn how everything works and how to recognize when it isn't
working properly!

However, to your credit, you were paying at least enough attention to
know that your holding tank is full and did ask how to empty it...that
is, unless you only found out that it was when you saw waste spurting
out the vent.

--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://69.20.93.241/store/customer/p...40&cat=&page=1