Friday, October 8, 2010

Marine Sanitation - Keeping it Simple

The Lavac head will be mounted on the port side of the forward cabin space instead of directly in front of the sail locker per pre-Ike layout. 

The new holding tank is larger at 13 gallons and relocated from where it was situated before Ike below the sail locker deck just forward of the head to high on the port side above the waterline in the same sail locker space. The holding tank is plumbed with 3 lines on the top, the inlet from the head, the deck pump-out tube and the vent line. There is no option (no Y valve) to flush direct overboard; the head flushes only to the holding tank. However, as allowed by law once the vessel is 3 miles or more offshore, the overboard discharge from the bottom of the holding tank plumbs straight down to the overboard discharge seacock next to the head on the port side.

As discussed in an earlier entry on this same topic this is a fresh water only flush system thus eliminating the need for a raw water intake and associated anti-siphon loop and vent valve. There is no anti-siphon/vent plumbing needed on the discharge side either because the holding tank is above the water line.  And of course the gravity discharge means no macerator or discharge pump.



The Fresh Flush device provides one gallon per flush of non-pressurized fresh water and is the central  component in the system. If the water maker konks out and fresh water conservation becomes an issue there is a salt water line in the compartment that can be used to fill the bowl.   It  can't get any simpler.



     

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