dave_a
Dave Ahlers
John,
Most likely your HT vent on the transom is plugged (or your tank is full) or both.
When you go to pump the head into the HT the diplaced air has to go somewhere. It escapes in and around the HT cap which doubles as the bottom of the bilge IF your vent is plugged. Yes... you may see the bubbles if you wish to stick your head in there and have your first mate pump the head. Here's what I'd do:
1. Pump out the bilge water and repeat with fresh water with some bleach.
2. Pump out the holding tank, feed the hose water into the head while pumping out. Repeat as long as the pump out guy will let you
3.Pry the screen out of the vent if its still there
4. Pull the vent hose off HT vent in the bilge and squirt the freshwater hose in there till 1'st mate sees water/wasp nets/poo come out the transom vent. (TIP- If you pull the vent fitting off while pumping out all the brown bilge water will go into the HT and get pump out)
5. replace screen
Don't use too much pressure and explode the hose. It's really a simple system you don't need a boatyard, just a clothes pin for your nose.
I thought I had the dreaded broken bilge/HT cap issue. It was a freaken mud wasp in the vent line. Same symptoms as yours. Been fine since.
Funny weekend stories: I'm climbing down the stern ladder into Lake Ontario and I say to myself: "Dang I need a shower" It was the HT transom vent doing its thing!
Then I'm following this gorgeous 54 Morgan ketch on my seadoo. Admiring its lines, giant full batten mainsail and a worrying amount of wood that makes the cabin house. I smell his HT vent from 20 yards back!
The smell of success!
Good Luck!
Dave
Most likely your HT vent on the transom is plugged (or your tank is full) or both.
When you go to pump the head into the HT the diplaced air has to go somewhere. It escapes in and around the HT cap which doubles as the bottom of the bilge IF your vent is plugged. Yes... you may see the bubbles if you wish to stick your head in there and have your first mate pump the head. Here's what I'd do:
1. Pump out the bilge water and repeat with fresh water with some bleach.
2. Pump out the holding tank, feed the hose water into the head while pumping out. Repeat as long as the pump out guy will let you
3.Pry the screen out of the vent if its still there
4. Pull the vent hose off HT vent in the bilge and squirt the freshwater hose in there till 1'st mate sees water/wasp nets/poo come out the transom vent. (TIP- If you pull the vent fitting off while pumping out all the brown bilge water will go into the HT and get pump out)
5. replace screen
Don't use too much pressure and explode the hose. It's really a simple system you don't need a boatyard, just a clothes pin for your nose.
I thought I had the dreaded broken bilge/HT cap issue. It was a freaken mud wasp in the vent line. Same symptoms as yours. Been fine since.
Funny weekend stories: I'm climbing down the stern ladder into Lake Ontario and I say to myself: "Dang I need a shower" It was the HT transom vent doing its thing!
Then I'm following this gorgeous 54 Morgan ketch on my seadoo. Admiring its lines, giant full batten mainsail and a worrying amount of wood that makes the cabin house. I smell his HT vent from 20 yards back!
The smell of success!
Good Luck!
Dave