Pump out virgin, Can someone please explain?

**alwhite00** · 08-29-2012, 04:35 AM

Have a vaccuflush head with holding tank. What is the correct procedure when pumping out? Water in bowl? pedal down? Not sure and am going to pump it out this weekend while at the marina for the season and would like some guidance to avoid issues.

Thx.

LK

**Henry Boyd** · 08-29-2012, 05:12 AM

Put the nozzle on and pump away. I usually pump out then pour a gallon of fresh water down the head and get that as well.

Don't wait too long between pumpings. As the tank gets full there is a risk it will slosh up into the charcoal filter. That contaminates the filter and you get a horrible stink with every flush. That stays until you either replace or re charge the filter.

Unlike the gas and water caps, the wate cap is not on a chain. Don't drop it it the little buggers are expensive.

Henry

**mistercomputerman** · 08-29-2012, 05:32 AM

Hmmmmm. "water in bowl" "pedal down"?

I am thinking you might have the wrong idea about this process.

There is a chrome fitting on the outside of the boat marked "WASTE". Tie your boat to the pier with that fitting close to the pumpout station. Remove the WASTE cap. The folks will give you a hose. You may or may not need to use a fitting that screws in where you took the WASTE cap off. This depends on the facility and they should have a variety of fittings if that is the case. Once the hose is in the hole and the dock person tells you they are ready, you pull a handle on the hose and the waste is sucked out through the fitting on the outside of the boat. Some hoses have a clear section so you can tell when the tank is empty. Some times you can tell by the sound.

Once the tank is empty, you may want to run a little fresh water into the tank as a rinse and pump out again. (some folks do, some don't). In any event, rinse the end of the hose you have by dipping it in the water or with a hose before you hand a $hitty hose back to the dock person.

Put your WASTE cap back on. (as Henry said- there is no chain so don't drop it)

LEAVE A TIP FOR THE DOCK PERSON!

Put some chemical into the system through the toilet.

There is no need to mess with the actual toilet during this process.

**islandhopper00** · 08-29-2012, 06:39 AM

Rick that's perfect, you have a way with words. Gary will be so proud! haha

**Summer Fun II** · 08-29-2012, 12:15 PM

When we first got the Sea Ray 30ft'er I didn't jacksh*t about it.

The gas & pump-out dock-hand showed me how to do it.

He got a $10 tip for that.

**alwhite00** · 08-29-2012, 03:36 PM

Thanks for the info, Figured not a big deal but wanted to check.

LK

**jff** · 08-29-2012, 04:24 PM

I would just add one more possible step depending on what state you are in/your circumstances, some states require you to keep a log of your pump-outs, for example in NC the law is:

Per NC House Bill 1378: “Vessel owner and operator required to keep log of pumpout dates. (a) Any owner or operator of a vessel that has a marine sanitation device shall maintain a record of the date of each pumpout of the marine sanitation device and the location of the pumpout facility. Each record shall be maintained for a period of one year from the date of the pumpout.” Also, “Section 1 of this act becomes effective July 1, 2010. Fines up to $10,000 may be assessed, and the regulation will be enforced by NC Wildlife officers, USCG and any other law officers with jurisdiction.”

Georgia also requires a log, we had a DNR agent walk up and down our dock inspecting everyone's pump-out logs last year. No log = big fine.

Regards,
Jason

**Fruition** · 08-29-2012, 04:46 PM

I learned from the first time I ever pumped out to make sure your vent filters is not clogged before a pump out if your doing it your first time on a used vessel. The problem I encountered was exactly that. I almost collapsed my waste tank from the sheer vacuume. To prevent this from happening if your unsure of the status of your vent filter, push your pedal down to open the toilet and stick a toilet brush in it to keep it open if you don't have a latch on the pedal itself. This will allow you to pump out without creating a vacuume. You should only do this if you have a previously owned vessel and are unsure. In my case I was a new owner and had never before owned a vessel with vacu flush. Thing could have gone very wrong, but luckily they didn't. Friends had later told me about leaving the toilet in the open position for exactly that reason incase the vent filter is completely clogged. Hope this helps.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

**Jack380AC** · 08-29-2012, 04:47 PM

And don't forget to check your "Holding Tank Vent Filter" occassionally. If you smell sewage around your boat (especially when flushing), then it needs to be replaced. Check out "BetterBoat Products" on here for a good alternative to the expensive ones at the store.

**Loneranger** · 08-29-2012, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by jff

I would just add one more possible step depending on what state you are in/your circumstances, some states require you to keep a log of your pump-outs, for example in NC the law is:

Per NC House Bill 1378: “Vessel owner and operator required to keep log of pumpout dates. (a) Any owner or operator of a vessel that has a marine sanitation device shall maintain a record of the date of each pumpout of the marine sanitation device and the location of the pumpout facility. Each record shall be maintained for a period of one year from the date of the pumpout.” Also, “Section 1 of this act becomes effective July 1, 2010. Fines up to $10,000 may be assessed, and the regulation will be enforced by NC Wildlife officers, USCG and any other law officers with jurisdiction.”

Georgia also requires a log, we had a DNR agent walk up and down our dock inspecting everyone's pump-out logs last year. No log = big fine.

Regards,
Jason

Wow learn something new everyday. As far as I know not a tn law. I wonder if you countered with "I have not pumped out this year" what the consequences would be? What is the purpose of this law?

John