" Y " valves

[hathanger]

I removed holding tank and all the hoses then painted as did
Sean on his project site; ordered new Ronco tank arriving soon. My question is, is that the origional boat drawing shows no "Y" valves - just one pump
out line, one discarge from the holding tank to the whale pump then to
the sea cock, and one from the head into the tank. Are they needed ????
I drew a diagram of the old as I removed them and this set up has been
messed with BIG time !! I want to do it right. Thanks, Chip

 

[Sean Engle]

Yes on the Y

If I were in your position, I would put in the Y valve (a good Y valve with a place for a padlock or wire tie on it). I think it's always better to have more options than fewer... The Y will give you three choices:

1. Directly over the rail (assuming it's legal)
2. In the box and pump out later.
3. Out of the box and over the rail.

My lines went:


A - from the head to the Y to the bronze loop to the thru-hull (for option 1)
B - from the head to the Y to the holding tank - then another out of the tank to the deck (for option 2)
C - from the head to the Y to the holding tank - then another out of the tank to the pump and to another thru-hull (I had two large discharge thru-hulls, one small inlet) - for option 3.

Again - keep your options open.

//sse

 

[Michael Bender]

If you have a Whale pump connected to a seacock, why do you need a Y valve? You can get essentially the same functionality of pumping overboard by using the Whale pump and opening the seacock.

 

[Haiku]

This is how I did it. My boat didn't have a holding tank; everything was just pumped straight overboard.
The holding tank is behind the bulkhead, under the vberth. As you can see in the picture, from the toilet, the hose goes up to the vented loop, then down into the Y-valve which can be diverted straight overboard or into the holding tank. From the holding tank it goes to a manual Whale pump and then directly overboard. The holding tank is 22gal, so it keeps me going for quite a while without having to pump out. A little overkill, but it fit perfectly.
I'm also just in the process of building a counter top which will have a hinged section over the Whale pump for when it's in use. The sink will drain into the raw water intake for the toilet.

 

[Alan Gomes]

This is how I did it. My boat didn't have a holding tank; everything was just pumped straight overboard.
The holding tank is behind the bulkhead, under the vberth. As you can see in the picture, from the toilet, the hose goes up to the vented loop, then down into the Y-valve which can be diverted straight overboard or into the holding tank. From the holding tank it goes to a manual Whale pump and then directly overboard. The holding tank is 22gal, so it keeps me going for quite a while without having to pump out. A little overkill, but it fit perfectly.
I'm also just in the process of building a counter top which will have a hinged section over the Whale pump for when it's in use. The sink will drain into the raw water intake for the toilet.

You need to install a vented loop in the small white hose that goes between the output of the pump and the bowl.

 

[Haiku]

I did consider adding the vented loop there as well, but after reading many articles online, I deemed it not necessary.

From Don Casey- "A vented loop in the inlet line can interfere with the proper functioning of the head, and its omission poses less risk because of the positive-action valve on the inlet side of the head. But if you leave the loop out, you must keep the inlet valve in good working order. A screen filter to exclude grass and other debris is highly recommended. If you want a vented loop on the inlet side, install it in the hose between the pump and the bowl."
http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/installing-head.asp

I will most likely add one at some point because it is very easy to do. I think I will also build a cover over the vented loop hoses going up the bulkhead to give it a cleaner look.

 

[Alan Gomes]

I did consider adding the vented loop there as well, but after reading many articles online, I deemed it not necessary.

From Don Casey- "A vented loop in the inlet line can interfere with the proper functioning of the head, and its omission poses less risk because of the positive-action valve on the inlet side of the head. But if you leave the loop out, you must keep the inlet valve in good working order. A screen filter to exclude grass and other debris is highly recommended. If you want a vented loop on the inlet side, install it in the hose between the pump and the bowl."
http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/installing-head.asp

I will most likely add one at some point because it is very easy to do. I think I will also build a cover over the vented loop hoses going up the bulkhead to give it a cleaner look.

MaineSail commented on Casey's statement as follows: "Don is correct it goes between the bowl and pump on the OUTLET of the pump. If you place it on the inlet it sucks in air.... A "properly operating" pump may not always prevent siphoning and relying on humans to ALWAYS close a seacock leads to HEF/(human error factor) which can lead to your boat filling with water and becoming a "crab condo".... Properly operating, head and boat are "key words"....

(See http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=139348&#post903086)

 

[Haiku]

That makes sense. I guess having the sink drain out to the raw water intake will make a vented loop even more necessary. If the raw water seacock was left open and the boat heeled enough, water would start to overflow out of the sink. I may even add another inline shut-off in the drain from the sink.

Hopefully this is also benefitting the OP. I don't mean to hijack the thread.