E37 Holding Tank
Date: December 26, 2001 I currently have a 9-gal holding tank, under the v-berth port side, and need a substantially larger capacity for extended cruising on the Chesapeake. Options seem to be ripping up the v-berth decking and re-working the area to accomodate a large tank, or (someone mentioned) using a rubberized bladder affair which would require minimum construction. Also plan to install a vacuum head, which reduces the amount of water required for a flush. Am I on the right track? Any other ideas out there? Thanks, in advance Date: Thursday, December 27, 2001 Mitch: I am in the process of finishing off the plumbing and bright work on the bulkhead with teak door shin, new molding etc. and adding a step for the very short admiral to get in and out of the berth. I plan to use the fill-in "V" mattress piece for the short term and eventually get one of those real mattresses to replace the foam. The fitted sheets made by the admiral holds it in place and is un-noticeable. So far every thing is working out well. I just need the time to finish (an admiral imposed Christmas recess and daughters engagement has stopped forward progress for a while). I have a two to three year plan before I retire and head down the ICW. Plenty of time to work out the bugs. If I can be of any more assistance please let me know. Date: December 27, 2001 Hi Mitch, For all practical purposes the toilet is not connected to seawater inlet; the pump is set on DRY. Next to the toilet there is a flexible hose spray nozzle ( one of three I have on the boat) that can give me all the sea water needed for the toilet.....and the shower head delivers fresh water to finish. I hope this will give you some ideas.
From: Mitch Koppelman Coracle@aol.com
From: William C. Fritz billf@bnl.gov
I am in the process of replacing the existing rubber tank (don't go that way, they smell!) with a hard 28 gallon plastic holding tank from Sealand. I eliminated the "V' in the stateroom forward berth (B plan). The bulkhead now goes straight across. I mounted the tank sideways about 4" off the floor on a plywood base/ hold down where the "V" used to be. This allows enough room for the bottom tank outlet to clear the hull. All is screwed and fiberglassed in. The only problem was the admiral wanted the two draws originally up front in the "V" placed above the tank, side by side, in the new solid bulkhead. I am also adding and electric windlass using the water tight locker in front of this newly created storage space for the 5/16HT chain (bad back). To support this, I have mounted a shelf for the battery and wash down pump which is taken off the head input hose. I am using a manual pump with a new thru hull and a deck waste plate for evacuation of the tank.
From: Peter Gradeff gradina@innet.com
If your idea is to install a flexible tank, you probably can squeeze it in through the existing opening. I had to enlarge mine by carefully cutting two sections, fore and aft and fashioning them so, that the cover is now constituted of three parts. A stainless holding tank was made and shaped so, as to fit in the available space between the bulkheads; the floor was left as is. First we made a model out of cardboard to avoid surprises...The tank holds 29 - 30 gal. Inlet, outlet , vent and inspection port are located on top of the tank. I got rid of the seacock and the three way valve ; the discharge from the toilet is going directly into the tank using Sealand's Odorsafe brand and as much as possible,solid PVC. In the rear lazarette there is a Whale pump used at will,when conditions allow ; the truhull is just at water level.
