Where is my holding tank/macerator pump Y valve?

SeaNile

SeaNile

Well-Known Member
Aug 16, 2010
1,522
Chadds Ford, PA
Boat Info
2003 50 Sundancer
Engines
Cummins QSM11
I've crawled all around the bilge, traced every hose, etc., and for the life of me can't find the almighty Y valve for the head. There is the macerator switch on the panel and it looks like the hose goes to the holding tank and above the holding tank is a T and that hose goes to the macerator pump in the aft port side of the boat.

Does this mean everything goes to the holding tank and when I turn on the macerator pump switch it gets pumped overboard? Now that seacock I found, very aft on the port side. We always pump out so I don't even know how to discharge overboard if I wanted to.

I'll triple check again this weekend but am I missing something obvious here?
 
Sea Ray doesn't normally use a Y-valve. Typically there would be one hose leaving the holding tank that goes to the deck fitting for pump-out and another hose leaving the holding tank that goes to the overboard discharge. Can you look a little closer? Can you post some pictures of the tank/hoses?
 
SeaNile said:
I've crawled all around the bilge, traced every hose, etc., and for the life of me can't find the almighty Y valve for the head. There is the macerator switch on the panel and it looks like the hose goes to the holding tank and above the holding tank is a T and that hose goes to the macerator pump in the aft port side of the boat.

Does this mean everything goes to the holding tank and when I turn on the macerator pump switch it gets pumped overboard? Now that seacock I found, very aft on the port side. We always pump out so I don't even know how to discharge overboard if I wanted to.

I'll triple check again this weekend but am I missing something obvious here?
Click to expand...
Yes, no Y valve on mine. Just open seacock and turn on pump.
 
Agree with the above posters, not every boat has a Y valve.

All of the Sea Rays that I have owned did not have a Y valve. Heads when to holding tank. Holding tanks then emptied through macerator for overboard discharge.

With a Y valve there is an option where when you flush the head the waste immediately goes overboard. I have had bare boat charter boats which did include a Y valve.

This drives a lot of confusion when it comes to interpreting the overboard discharge regulations. For years I followed the practice of going down in the engine room and making sure the line for "PUMPING" overboard was secured.

I know realize securing the Y valve is only required if you have one.
 
mrsrobinson said:
Well...

Off topic, I have never seen a macerator on my 380, should there be one, or was that an option?
Click to expand...
It most likely was an option - it usually is, anyways. But you would have seen it because you'd have a seacock and would have thought "Huh, I wonder what that's for". :)
 
Yeah my previous boats had a macerator, so I'm familiar with them, never saw one on this boat.
 
BlueYonder said:
Do you have a vacuflush? I don't think a y valve would be compatible with a vacuflush.
Click to expand...
Since the Y-valve and Vac are on opposite "sides" of the tank, it shouldn't matter.

Having no Y-valve is definitely nicer than having one.
 
BlueYonder said:
Do you have a vacuflush? I don't think a y valve would be compatible with a vacuflush.
Click to expand...

No issue with it being compatible. Y valve on black water waste is controlling what happens after it has passed through the vacuum pump. Does the waste go into a holding tank or does it go directly overboard.

I have dug into this a bit trying to understand regulations better. Fair amount of information on the web. Discussion of Type 1, 2, or 3 devices.

All the Sea Ray's I have had are type 3, everything goes into a holding tanks.

I have chartered Sabre's, Duffy's, and Grand Banks which were all (the ones I was on) equipped with Y Valves. This was in Maine or the Pacific Northwest.
 
The boat I owned with a vacuflush had the pump mounted directly to the holding tank. I didn’t realize you could separate the two. I kind of like the macerater pump setup which allows you to empty the holding tank vs the Y valve that allows you to bypass the tank. I guess you could have a setup that allows for both.
 
BlueYonder said:
The boat I owned with a vacuflush had the pump mounted directly to the holding tank. I didn’t realize you could separate the two.
Click to expand...
Yes - actually, having the vac mounted directly to the tank is really no different than being separate from an "operation" standpoint. Earlier models of Vacuflush were always separate. When it's mounted to the tank - the vac part is still technically separate - you just don't have the extra hose going from a separate vac tank to the holding tank.
 
I've never seen a Y valve on a Sea Ray (late 90's and after). Here how they are arranged' item 15 is macerator and 14 is the deck pumpout port.
upload_2023-2-11_9-41-2.png
 
Exactly. The only T looking thing I saw was #20 on top of the holding tank. Now comes the mystery of does the macerator pump out work. Never used it, and really don't plan on it since we boat in the Chesapeake.
 
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