Boats with access to deep water are plumbed for overboard discharge outside the three-mile limit. They discharge only from the holding tank, unlike older systems which permitted direct flow from the toilet. Since pump-out stations are not always handy, overboard discharge is pretty much required for long distance cruising.
A macerator pump does the job of grinding particles and paper down to 1/8th inch, so it will pass through hoses. Macerator pumps are also widely used in live baitwells in fishing boats, where they have to handle scales and guts. The pump takes fluid in, passes it through a chopper wheel, then expels it using a rubber impeller.
Chopper blade
The pumps do fail. In my case, the long bolts holding the casing together broke, apparently by vibration over many years, causing corrosion and permitting (I think) air to get in. Macerator pump plumbing can't deal with air leaks. The system must be closed, and the deck discharge option shut off with a selector valve.
Old pump.
Swapping the old macerator for a new one was straightforward. (Yes, there's a rebuild kit if you're willing to probe your own excrement to save $100). I did learn that if the chopper wheel sticks, there is a screw on the back of the unit to free it--much like a household kitchen sink food grinder unit.
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These pumps can empty a holding tank fast. It is quite pleasurable to listen to the pump growl to life and rapidly digest what you already have. To me, an empty holding tank is an invitation to dinner. Bon appetit!
Accumulator tank
This past year the pulsing of water from the sink faucet became irritating. Nothing wrong with the pump, which was fairly new, but the stream out of the tap was inconsistent: sometimes robust, sometimes a trickle, with the sound of the pump going on and off at random.
Many Ericsons have accumulators installed in the fresh-water plumbing to reduce that effect. They're just a small plastic tank with a bladder inside that, by expanding and contracting, can even out the water pressure.
I couldn't find anything wrong with my 1997 accumulator. It didn't leak and seemed to hold air fine. They're pressurized with a bicycle pump to equal the posted pump pressure, which in my case is 40 psi. I tried changing the pressure, looking for water line leaks and the usual chain of imperatives boatowners follow even when they know they won;t find anything. So for $50 I replaced the accumulator with a 2020 model that is exactly the same. Except for the $50.
Now, I can report, the water runs smoother without any pulsing at all. Just like the car engine runs smoother after I get the car washed.
Really, there's a big difference. The biggest difference is the blood all over the boat from scraped arms required to work in the engine compartment. The other difference is a much more robust water stream in the galley sink.
Let There be (a) Light
I used to keep a 110v caged light blub on a 20-foot cord aboard, just to see what I was doing. Set it up, plug it in, and have guaranteed daylight in the dark recesses of bilge or wire run. I also used to use phone booths to make calls, and always kept quarters in my pocket.
A battery-powered LED light is the answer now for every boat. This one is very bright, flexible, ridiculously ugly, and has magnets to clamp it on to the engine. I just had to put in new Double A batteries after five years. I don't know what they'll think of next, but every engine compartment ought to have one. .
...
...
A macerator pump does the job of grinding particles and paper down to 1/8th inch, so it will pass through hoses. Macerator pumps are also widely used in live baitwells in fishing boats, where they have to handle scales and guts. The pump takes fluid in, passes it through a chopper wheel, then expels it using a rubber impeller.
Chopper blade
The pumps do fail. In my case, the long bolts holding the casing together broke, apparently by vibration over many years, causing corrosion and permitting (I think) air to get in. Macerator pump plumbing can't deal with air leaks. The system must be closed, and the deck discharge option shut off with a selector valve.
Old pump.
Swapping the old macerator for a new one was straightforward. (Yes, there's a rebuild kit if you're willing to probe your own excrement to save $100). I did learn that if the chopper wheel sticks, there is a screw on the back of the unit to free it--much like a household kitchen sink food grinder unit.
These pumps can empty a holding tank fast. It is quite pleasurable to listen to the pump growl to life and rapidly digest what you already have. To me, an empty holding tank is an invitation to dinner. Bon appetit!
Accumulator tank
This past year the pulsing of water from the sink faucet became irritating. Nothing wrong with the pump, which was fairly new, but the stream out of the tap was inconsistent: sometimes robust, sometimes a trickle, with the sound of the pump going on and off at random.
Many Ericsons have accumulators installed in the fresh-water plumbing to reduce that effect. They're just a small plastic tank with a bladder inside that, by expanding and contracting, can even out the water pressure.
I couldn't find anything wrong with my 1997 accumulator. It didn't leak and seemed to hold air fine. They're pressurized with a bicycle pump to equal the posted pump pressure, which in my case is 40 psi. I tried changing the pressure, looking for water line leaks and the usual chain of imperatives boatowners follow even when they know they won;t find anything. So for $50 I replaced the accumulator with a 2020 model that is exactly the same. Except for the $50.
Now, I can report, the water runs smoother without any pulsing at all. Just like the car engine runs smoother after I get the car washed.
Really, there's a big difference. The biggest difference is the blood all over the boat from scraped arms required to work in the engine compartment. The other difference is a much more robust water stream in the galley sink.
Let There be (a) Light
I used to keep a 110v caged light blub on a 20-foot cord aboard, just to see what I was doing. Set it up, plug it in, and have guaranteed daylight in the dark recesses of bilge or wire run. I also used to use phone booths to make calls, and always kept quarters in my pocket.
A battery-powered LED light is the answer now for every boat. This one is very bright, flexible, ridiculously ugly, and has magnets to clamp it on to the engine. I just had to put in new Double A batteries after five years. I don't know what they'll think of next, but every engine compartment ought to have one. .
