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Can someone please tell me where the sink in the head is supposed to drain? Mine is plumbed to drain out the same through hull as the raw water intake for the head which doesn't seem correct. Since that through hull is below the water line I believe the grey water from the sink will not drain out completely which means, as I'm figuring, half the time I'll be flushing the toilet with toothpaste water.
I just finished replacing all the hoses and clamps and vent lines and the diverter valve and ball valves for the head including a new Raritan compact head plus bilgecoat in that cabinet as the old plumbing had been filling it with blackwater every time we used the head. Turned out at least one but probably two of the valves didn't actually work so two trips to a pumpout station did absolutely nothing but suck air and leave us with a false belief that the holding tank was empty when in fact it was overflowing badly.
We bought Orion a couple months ago and just brought the boat back to our marina. This was the first, critical project on the list of things that must be done prior to leaving for a trip up the ICW in May. Safety first, livability next.
I've ordered two new, opening port lites for over the galley (the cook must be kept happy!), Mack Packs for the main and mizzen and will be tackling the deck leaks and tearing out the headliner next. I plan to put up 3/4" furring, rigid insulation and a composite beadboard with teak trim. That will happen when the boat is on the hard for a month in Januarly/February. Maybe paint the hull if I can afford the time and the Awlgrip, strip and oil the caprail, move the running backs and replace the turnbuckles with blocks and raise the mizzen so we can stand under it.
That's the plan and we'll get most of that done but boat projects often have a life of their own.
Rick
SV Orion
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On our DE38 Valkyr the head has its own 1/2 or 3/4 inch thru hull of its own. It is probably less than a foot away from the larger approx 1.5 inch or 2 inch thru hull for the head. They should not be plumbed to the same thru hull as you will get odor and gasses up through the sink drain hull when pumping out through it. If the thru hull is closed and the valve to pump overboard is open on the head system any gas build up could come out through the sink as well as solid waste if someone tries to pump out with the thru hull closed. 🙂
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the sink doesn't drain out the 1 1/2" head outflow through hull, it drains through the 3/4" raw water inflow very near that 1 1/2". I'm not concerned about the black water coming up in the sink, I'm more concerned that the grey water from the sink that doesn't go out the 3/4" inlet (water finds it's own level and the level of the grey water in the sink drain will be above the through hull which is below the waterline) then goes through the head when I'm flushing the head. Alternately, that connection does not have a vacuum break so if the boat settled just enough for the drain on the bottom of the sink to be below the waterline, the ocean would then arrive inside the boat via the head sink. I'm guessing this is not the way it was intended.
Perhaps it was connected to the shower drain? I haven't explored that area yet but I'm guessing it's in poor condition as well.
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ah... on my boat that is not an inflow. The only two inflowing thru hulls are in the engine compartment. One for the engine and one for the sinks.. engine on starboad and sinks on portside.
the head and galley sink drain hoses go straight down to the through hulls and water fills them about 1/2 way maybe due to being below the water line. I have never smelled any odor at all coming from either of them. Not even after months of sitting with no use. There are no J tubes or anything on them. The galley sink thru hull is the hardest to access in the boat and you should pay a lot of attention to it. The wood backing plates that they use from the factory if still there, will rot. I found out the hard way. luckily no damage done other than a more than mild scare when I was working under the sink and braced myself by grabbing the drain hose and having the through hull fitting actually move sideways in the hull and start leaking. This same fitting was solid the week before because it was dry when I had the boat hauled out. After putting the boat back in the water and using the fresh water pump system I found a slow leak at the pump that was directly over the through hull. wood got wet and softened back up what was obviously a fairly advanced case of rot. I had tested the through hull on the hard by putting a big screwdriver in from the outside and trying to rock it back and forth. Was solid then. If I had taken a pick and tried the wood backing plate itself I would have caught it. Luckily, carefully moving the drain line back into place and gently wiggling it slowed the inflowing water to a drip and the next day we hauled out again. I put a new through hull in even though the old one still worked and replaced the wood backing plate with an epoxied in 1/2 plate made of two 1/2 inch layers of fiber glass epoxyed together and to the hull. Just used a couple round pieces cut out with a 6 inch hole saw from the hull of a old scrap fiber glass boat that was sitting in the yard. I used the bolts and new through hull to hold everything together as the epoxy cured with some oil it to make sure it didn't stick to the bolts or thru hull. Then 5200 to install bolts and through hull. Then fibreglass over recessed bolt heads on outside of hull. Took a day to get it all done. Felt much better about it all then 🙂
hope this helps with your boat.
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Thanks, Scott.
I noticed all the through hulls I've seen have plywood backers which will be swapped for some teak or Ipe when we haul this winter. Speaking of how the boat was made and just out of curiosity, do you know why many of the bulkheads in the forward cabin have multiple sawblade plunge cuts in them? I assumed that they were used for cutting something on the factory floor and then pressed into service as bulkheads. I also thought it was possible the saw cuts were relief cuts but they seemed so random as to be unintentional. I'm sticking with the vision of these lining the floor and rough plunge cuts being made on them for something during the fab process then putting them into the boat. They look like CDX plywood, too. Nothing like AC marine ply or something. I've been filling the slots with Bondo before the bilgecoat.
Curiosity more than anything. Maybe ours is the only boat that has them.
Rick
Orion
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hmm… now that you mention it I have noticed a cut or two but nothing massive in scale up there. All my bulkheads under the v-berth are glassed in for the most part.. I have really found no rot anywhere on our boat below decks. Wonder now if that was factory or a earlier owner did some glassing of them. It all looks of a quality to match the factory finish in the bilges everywhere on the boat. Well done but with a bit of a rough finish. If you do a search for valkyr and our head issues you will see where we cleaned that space and painted the whole thing (bilges under vberth and anchor lockers) white. It is all on the website here somewhere 🙂
Scott
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Re: "Can someone please tell me where the sink in the head is supposed to drain? Mine is plumbed to drain out the same through hull as the raw water intake for the head which doesn't seem correct. … half the time I'll be flushing the toilet with toothpaste water."
It is plumbed like that so that when you pump-flush the head (to fill the bowl), it is using fresh water, rather than salt water. If you use fresh water in the head, instead of flushing with salt water, then it is less likely to develop really bad smells in the pipes or the holding tank. Of course it is best to rip the whole head and holding tank out and replace with a composting head, which eliminates the problem at both ends (no pun intended).
So in effect, yes, I believe the intent is to flush the head with toothpaste water. 😀 First you have to close off the thru hull of the sink though, so the sink water does not drain, for example when you wash up. It shouldn't be that much water in the sink under normal sailing conditions anyway. Then when you use the head, ta da! The water is re-used. By closing the thru hull, then all the time you are using toothpaste water, not just half the time.
Re: "Alternately, that connection does not have a vacuum break so if the boat settled just enough for the drain on the bottom of the sink to be below the waterline, the ocean would then arrive inside the boat via the head sink."
Yes, perhaps, but that would mean you have heeled almost 90 degrees which means you have nearly rolled over. Best to close all thru hulls before such a storm is raging. I don't think there needs to be a loop in the hose there. I don't have one either.
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Yes, what Oasis said.
I don't normally flush with fresh water but if I'm leaving the boat for a while, I'll shut off the head draw/sink drain seacock and fill the sink with fresh water and run the fresh water through the system. Keeps things smelling a lot nicer when you return to the boat.
It's also a great way to winterize the head. Just shut off the drain seacock and fill the sink with propylene glycol antifreeze (pink stuff) and pump away.
I also have a shutoff valve between the seacock and the sink drain. Shutting this will eliminate the ability of the head to pump anything drained from the sink. Of course the sink doesn't drain when this is closed either. I sometimes have to close this valve if were heeling hard on port tack. Shutting the valve in that situation keeps the head form sucking air from the sink drain.
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