Black Water waste. HELP!

Nina Wood

New Member
Sep 11, 2022
9
Boat Info
Sea Ray Sundancer 440
1993
Engines
Diesel Cummings 315hp
So we bought a 440 sundancer. Holding tank is full and we can't find the seacock valve. Can you pump it out without opening the valve?
 
The seacock for the holding tank should be closed unless you want to discharge overboard. You should be able to just pump it out through the deck fitting. Then general process is pump it out, fill it with freshwater, then pump it again, then put in what ever treatment you use.
 
Also... keep in mind that overboard discharge through the seacock is not allowed until you are a certain number of miles offhsore (depending on the area). With the size boat you have, your marina will have a pump-out service. Ask a dock neighbor :)
 
I hate when the PO doesn't empty the tank. :mad:

You should find this and every other sea cock on your new boat. They're holes in the boat and they and their plumbing should be monitored/maintained regularly.

Enjoy your new vessel and welcome to CSR...there's nothing else like it.
 
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Geez. I read "black water taste" as I was scrolling through...yikes. You don't say where you are from, but chances are your seacock for the macerator either is missing the handle, or it is strapped down. Overboard discharge of waste is a big no-no and will cost you $$ unless you are (I think) 3 miles offshore in the ocean. Never legal in lakes.
 
Geez. I read "black water taste" as I was scrolling through...yikes. You don't say where you are from, but chances are your seacock for the macerator either is missing the handle, or it is strapped down. Overboard discharge of waste is a big no-no and will cost you $$ unless you are (I think) 3 miles offshore in the ocean. Never legal in lakes.
Thank you aware of discharge regulations, I'm in the gulf of Mexico and know where it is legal to discharge. Just can't locate the seacock valve, there is a pump out station in the harbor just difficult to get in and out of the area with this 44ft
 
Are you POSITIVE that you DO have an overboard discharge? Panels in the head can be labelled as such, but the panel can be generic and not actually have a macerator.

Just follow the lines off your holding tank. One comes from the vacuum generator, one goes up to the pump-out deck fitting and then, if you have it, there would be third large hose going down towards the bilge floor.
 
I've spent most this season in a new location/marina. My whole dock is plumbed for pump outs, got a connection right behind my boat. Thinking about making the change permanent.:)
I've seen marinas with that setup and I'm always so jealous. My marina has a pumpout location, but it can only accommodate small boats, so I have to either use a mobile pumpout service (at ~$50/visit) or use the various free pumpouts around the area whenever I go by one and have the time to do it.
 
Thank you aware of discharge regulations, I'm in the gulf of Mexico and know where it is legal to discharge. Just can't locate the seacock valve, there is a pump out station in the harbor just difficult to get in and out of the area with this 44ft
Ask your marina if you don't know the dock neighbors. Most areas have a "pumpout boat" that will come to each marina and pump your boat out for a fee. Easier than going to the pumpout station and it can be done when you are not there. It cost us $30 vesus $25 at the marina. Prices vary. The company we use is called "Mr. Stinky"! Great guy aka Lanier Pump Out... Best $30 I spend on the boat.
 
Our town public docks have a free pump out.
How do you refill your tank to do a flush?
 
Our town public docks have a free pump out.
How do you refill your tank to do a flush?
You can put water into the tank through the pump-out deck fitting. Just don't stick your fresh water hose down into the pump-out deck fitting!!!! You might want to have a dedicated hose for that - or at least a short extension to screw onto your fresh water hose.
 
I've spent most this season in a new location/marina. My whole dock is plumbed for pump outs, got a connection right behind my boat. Thinking about making the change permanent.:)
I wish ours did but not that lucky
 
So we bought a 440 sundancer. Holding tank is full and we can't find the seacock valve. Can you pump it out without opening the valve?
Same age; smaller boat. My 300DA has a two-way valve behind the water heater, almost against the transom on the port side.

You can put water into the tank through the pump-out deck fitting.
Not on mine. It has a macerator pump that won't let anything go back into the tank from the waste port. We just run the daylights out of the toilet to flush large quantities of fresh water into the tank for the followup pumpout.
 
Same age; smaller boat. My 300DA has a two-way valve behind the water heater, almost against the transom on the port side.


Not on mine. It has a macerator pump that won't let anything go back into the tank from the waste port. We just run the daylights out of the toilet to flush large quantities of fresh water into the tank for the followup pumpout.
I was replying to Jmauld, but... you must have a direct line to the tank in order to do a pump out, right? I mean, if the macerator was inline then you wouldn't be able to do a pump out. HOWEVER, you may have a Y-valve to divert the tank to either the deck fitting or the mac?
 
...you must have a direct line to the tank in order to do a pump out, right? I mean, if the macerator was inline then you wouldn't be able to do a pump out. HOWEVER, you may have a Y-valve to divert the tank to either the deck fitting or the mac?
I think my setup may have been an add-on. The macerator pump is directly downstream from the holding tank, then it goes to the Y-valve to direct the effluent to either the Waste pumpout port, or directly overboard. The way we get away with being able to use a suction pumpout with this setup is that the macerator pump is the same style of pump used to create vacuum for the system. The duckbill valves let the goop get sucked right out.
 

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