Marine pumpout head ??? for newer Hydrasports Vector Owners

[Robe 1]

Never had a boat with a pumpout head & have some pumpout head questions on my H/S; not sure how to operate it and I can't find my manual. The system is a vaccuflush system and has overboard and dockside discharge. My question deals primarily with using the vaccuflush system and discharging the holding tank. It has the four light tank level indicator, off/on key and a plastic switch that does the vaccuflush when pressed up and discharges the holding tank when pressed down. I know by trial and error that by raising the foot pedal on the toilet it adds water to the bowl and pressing it down it flushes the toilet. Several questions:
1) What does the vaccuflush do and when do you do it - after/during every flush????
2) Why do the tank level indicator lights come on when you turn the key on and press vaccuflush and not when you press tank discharge? How do you know when the tank is empty as your are discharging - when nothing else is coming out?
3) How often do you have to discharge your tank?
4) There is a fill lid on the gunnel that says discharge - what is that for?

I know this is a deep left field question, but hoping someone familiar with this type of system can help me out

[Elusive]

1. Vacuflush = flushing the toilet

2. Tank indicator lets you know the the level of waste in the holding tank (when it's time to pump-out)

3. Never discharge your holding tank into the water where you fish, swim, etc. Pump-out the holding tank at the fuel dock when you get fuel (tip the attendant for this $hitty job)

4. The deck plate on the gunwale is where the pump-out hose (on the dock) attaches to the system

http://www.sealandtechnology.com/vf.asp

[DOUBLE DOWN]

OK Chris,
Very important with the vacu-flush:

1. To turn your system on, you should have a black rocker switch (If its like my 3300CC). You may also have a key that you have to turn to the on position. When you turn your system on, you will here a pumping sound as the system starts to build pressure. It should sound like a plunger going up and down for about 10 seconds. DO NOT FLUSH YOR TOILET UNTIL THE SYSTEM HAS BUILT PRESSURE! Once the system has pressure, the pumping sound will turn off and become silent.

2. Have your fresh water switch turned on when using the head. You can fill the toilet bowl with fresh water before use.

3. To fill with fresh water, there should be a handle on the lower section of the toilet bowl. If its like mine, it is a flat handle on the right hand side of the toilet that can go up or down. Up fills the bowl with fresh water (only if your fresh water switch is ON) and down flushes the toilet.

4. When you flush the toilet, it will make a strong suction sound from the pressure that has built up in the system; then it will start to build pressure again and you will here that plunger up and down sound.

A disclaimer, the only thing that allows pressure to build in that system is a black rubber gasket that seperates the toilet and the tank. If you flush the toilet without pressure, that gasket can come out of place and then the system will not work properly, and you will have to take the boat in to have that fixed.

To discharge overboard, you usually have a mark on the rocker switch or the key next to the rocker switch that says "discharge". In my case, I have to turn the key and hold it past the ON position to the discharger position. If you hold the key in that position, you will hear a pump in the mid section of the boat start to run and begin to pump out the holding tank. MOST STATES HAVE SPECIFIC LAWS AS TO WHERE THIS CAN BE DONE!

My marina has a pumpout station where I insert a vacuum pump into the "discharge" opening at the transom of the boat and it empties in a matter of minutes.

Most of the holding tank indicators lights I have seen turn on when power to the system is turned on. I try to empty the system as often as possible as that will help keep the system from smelling.

Hope that helps. If you have more questions, I'll try to get the answers.
Eddie

[Robe 1]

Thanks for the information Guys! This help out alot.

Eddie, it sounds like we have the same system. Are your tank level indicator lights on when you are discharging? My indicator lights only come on when I have the key on and switched up to vacuum but not when I flip the switch down to discharge. So I really have no way of no knowing as I am discharging when it is done without maybe flipping the switch back to vacuum. Does the pump make a different sound when the tank is empty?

[DOUBLE DOWN]

The sound pretty much stays the same on the pump. In the CC, you can hear the pump, but I'm not sure how close the pump is to the head in your boat.

As for the lights, if they read full before pumping, you should be able to pump the tank empty in about a minute, maybe two. When the display lights come back on, you should read the tank empty after that time. If not, the dealer needs check the tank level to see if you have a problem with the indicator or the pump.

My 3300CC does not have indicator lights in the head, but I have seen them on plenty of other models.

[Robe 1]

Thanks Eddie,

I'm going to print this off and give it a test whirl.

[peytonlac]

Yeah eddie thanks... I always wondered how to use the head...

[gman25]

Just remember to open the seacock before you turn on the discharge key. The discharge pump is like a plunger pump that will suck the waste into the pump on the up stroke and discharge it out of the seacock on the down stroke. There are 2 rubber valves that look like large duck bill valves,one before the pump and one after the pump. If you forget to open the seacock,the suction of the pump can turn the duck bill valve inside out causing the entire pumpout to fail. I had to take mine apart to find this out the hard way.

I made TWO mistakes causing mine to fail. I didnt explain to everyone on board how to flush and I left the discharge key in the panal. Someone who used the head thought the way to flush was to turn the key.

2005 300 Grady White Marlin w/F250's

[bwgarrison]

The Hydra-Sport does not have a seacock. The waste goes from the head to the holding tank and then if you decide to discharge over board you must turn and hold the key and push down on the vacu flush switch thus allowing the one way waste valve (check valve) to open.

[gman25]

I guess there are different applications for different boats when it comes to the vacu flush system. I guess that means the discharge is somewhere above the water line. On mine, I open the seacock and turn on the discharge key. When the green empty light goes on it turns itself off.

Sorry if i confused anyone-I thought my vacu-flush system worked the same.

2005 300 Grady White Marlin w/F250's

[DOUBLE DOWN]

No problem gman, I was on my way to look for seacocks.

BW, do you have a vacuflush system on the mako your selling on the sales section?

[bwgarrison]

Yeah it's called a bucket