wheelerwbrian
Member III
Some of the fittings, especially the tank vent fitting, on my holding tank on my 88 E38-200 are leaking. Apparently this is not something new, since the PO applied lots of silicone to it in a futile effort to fix the problem. Last year, in my war against head smell, I replaced the hoses -- they were all orginal and permeated. I should have replaced the tank then, but it was such a disgusting job to do the hoses I just couldn't face the tank, plus I wanted to go sailing. It's a decision that I regret, since I had the boat apart at the time, etc.
So now I am replacing the tank, and have a couple of questions. My plan is to just do a straight replacement from Ronco Plastics (the tank says its a B-187 E-34), since it will fit the space, and how much crap can two people produce anyway? Ronco wants to know where I want to put the fittings and they'll get it right out to me.
The big question is on the vent hose. Currently its a 5/8 hose that runs to the transom with a fuel line type of vent. It exits on the side of the tank and is a source of leaks. My plan is to move it to the top of the tank and closer to the centerline to avoid filling the hose with "fluid" on a heel. I'm going to replace this hose with sanitation hose, just to be sure. But Peggy Hall the Head Mistress says that 5/8 hose is too small, and that it should be 1" at least, and vented to a "straight open bulkhead type through-hull" and not a fuel type of vent. On an E-38 transom this will require some sort of cover so to keep rain out -- I'm concerned about how that will look. She also says that if you can't put another vent in to create a cross breeze, you should do some sort of mechanical aeration.
I don't really want to put a second vent into the holding tank -- I don't want to drill another hole into the boat, and an appropriate place for a second vent is really not readily apparent. Mechanical aeration is something I would try if it would work dependably and not just be another hole in the tank to stink.
Has anyone tackled this? My hope is to put in a permanent well installed system that requires minimal amout to treatment, etc.
Thanks for your input.
So now I am replacing the tank, and have a couple of questions. My plan is to just do a straight replacement from Ronco Plastics (the tank says its a B-187 E-34), since it will fit the space, and how much crap can two people produce anyway? Ronco wants to know where I want to put the fittings and they'll get it right out to me.
The big question is on the vent hose. Currently its a 5/8 hose that runs to the transom with a fuel line type of vent. It exits on the side of the tank and is a source of leaks. My plan is to move it to the top of the tank and closer to the centerline to avoid filling the hose with "fluid" on a heel. I'm going to replace this hose with sanitation hose, just to be sure. But Peggy Hall the Head Mistress says that 5/8 hose is too small, and that it should be 1" at least, and vented to a "straight open bulkhead type through-hull" and not a fuel type of vent. On an E-38 transom this will require some sort of cover so to keep rain out -- I'm concerned about how that will look. She also says that if you can't put another vent in to create a cross breeze, you should do some sort of mechanical aeration.
I don't really want to put a second vent into the holding tank -- I don't want to drill another hole into the boat, and an appropriate place for a second vent is really not readily apparent. Mechanical aeration is something I would try if it would work dependably and not just be another hole in the tank to stink.
Has anyone tackled this? My hope is to put in a permanent well installed system that requires minimal amout to treatment, etc.
Thanks for your input.
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