How to recharge holding tank vent filter -- w/pics

Jeff,

That one does not deserve a response...........!


The only thing the SeaLand filter does is to filter the air in the tank that is displaced when you add to the holding tank contents. It is going to have some odor, but as long as the carbon in the filter stays dry, it should continue to filter the odor. All I'm saying is that I just wanted to see how long the filters would last if you never let them get damp......and its a lot longer that the Sea Ray parts guy, your dealer's service manager or Sealand says...........

And, the Ken get an "attaboy" for some inventive thinking outside the box.
 
An "attaboy" indeed.... but was he thinking outside the box... or inside the tank :grin:

Seriously... thanks Ken.... very cool step by step!!
 
fwebster said:
Jeff, That one does not deserve a response...........!
Click to expand...
Sorry Frank, I couldn't resist! You kinda left the door open for that one!

Anyway, since we're migrating to holding tank maintenance issues, I have few questions to post. First, any 410 owners notice that when the 1/2 full light comes on in the head, the tank is actually about 2/3 -3/4 full, or is it just the way my 1/2 full sending unit is installed? Second, while I never wait for this to happen, I was wondering if anyone can confirm if there is a shut-off solenoid linked to the "FULL" light to shut the system down and prevent further flushing?
 
Jeff,

You are right........that's what I get for taking a mental vacation and failing to think 1-2 steps ahead of a post.

On your holding tank thing, the most inaccurate and impossible to regulate thing on a Sea Ray is the holding tank sender. I long ago gave up trying to make them work right.

I am not sure about the 410 installation or an auto shut off, but most systems will allow you to continue to flush the head long past the time you slosh liquid up into the vent line, and I have helped clean out more than one Vacuflush vacuum pump/tank that was full of waste because the owner thought surely the tank will hold one more flush.
 
fwebster said:
I have helped clean out more than one Vacuflush vacuum pump/tank that was full of waste because the owner thought surely the tank will hold one more flush.
Click to expand...

WOW :wow: ....the owner of that boat must owe you BIG TIME.....
 
All the pump out stations on our lake are closed for the winter. :smt021

I might have to resort to the shop-vac routine that one of the former SRO members used to tout all the time. :smt009 :smt101
 
I have used the shop vac route twice before....long stories each...but just two quick words of advise.....

1. DO NOT OVERFILL THE SHOP VAC ....many small fills works best...

2. Make sure that the shop vac is on firm level ground....no room for spills here....

Good luck....and please....no pictures.... :grin:
 
osd9 said:
I have used the shop vac route twice before....long stories each...but just two quick words of advise.....

1. DO NOT OVERFILL THE SHOP VAC ....many small fills works best...

2. Make sure that the shop vac is on firm level ground....no room for spills here....

Good luck....and please....no pictures.... :grin:
Click to expand...

Mmmhh.. I don't know what a shop vac is, so maybe pictures can be handy.

BUT only the shop vac please :grin:
 
Dominic.......

I'm just a nice guy..........!

Actually, a lot of the enjoyment I get out this boating thing is from helping other folks learn and solving problems. Someday I may need help........and those guys whom I've helped clean out their vacuflush systems are the first ones I'll call ........and they better come quick!
 
I overflowed our holding tank.

Side note, the holding tank gauge never read full.

Since then it smelled with each flush.

I tried West and four other local boating supply places. None carried holding tank filters. I remembered reading this thread, printed it, purchased the supplies and did it.

Next time it will be only buying the refill charcoal suff and will be a ‘at the marina’ job.

Thank you Ken!
 
I purchased this one and it fits perfect. See link below. It recently got fouled due to a false reading on the indicator. Seems many here are having the same problem. The tank never got above 3/4 but I guess that's enough to splash up to the filter. From now on I'll just check the level by looking at the tank.

http://www.re-filter.com/
 
To add to this, an alternative to join the two halves which will not increase the lenght of the filter is to use a no hub joiner. HD has them. It will however still increase the diameter by about 0.5 to 1 inch where the no hub is.

Esteban
 
I'll be adding one of these to my new holding tank installation, but it seems illogical to mount it directly onto the tank. There is sure to be some contamination when underway even half full. Mine will go inline a short distance away and uphill from the holding tank.
 
After looking at the re-filter web site, I've pretty much concluded that a trip to Pet Smart and Home Depot are in order. I'm going to try building one from scratch. That way I don't have to mess with the old one at all.

Michael
 
Is there any legitimate reason for placing the filter on or near the tank? In my case, as some of you may know, you have to be a member of circ de sole to reach the filter on the 2000 410 Dancer, and then you can only use one hand, stretched out to the side, to FEEL for the filter, (because you can't even turn your head to look for it), and then change it with one hand.

Can a modification be made to extend the inlet and outlet hoses for the filter so that it can be brought to a new bilge location, and secured, to allow much easier access?

David
 
Ken,

How many farts do you suppose one foam filter holds? That has to be one angry chunk of foam.
 
We could calculate that. We need to know a few more items though. How much volume of gas is in a typical fart and how much volume of gas passes through the filter. I assume that as the tank fills, the gas is pushed out through the vent so if you have like a 60 gallon holding tank, you push out 60 gallons of gas if you fill it to the top. Assuming that a fart is like "1/4 of a cup" (we've all had the full cup farts though but that is not the average), that would mean that there are 64 farts per gallon so a holding tank would expel about 3840 farts filling up.

Now Frank W. says he has not changed his filter in 9 years... so I'm guessing he may have over 100K farts that have passed his filter by now.... and he says it still works.

From reading this thread though, it seems that if the filter gets wet (i.e. a wet fart), it doesn't work that well.
 
I was just trying to answer the question. I think my calculations may be off by a factor of 2 though. According to the site:

http://www.heptune.com/farts.html

It appears that the average person farts 14 times per day with a total volume of 1/2 a liter....
 
DS410 and Sorrento: I think the very last bullet will address your concerns.

from the manual regarding location of vent filter:

VENT LINE AND FILTER INSTALLATION

* Holding tank vent lines must be free of low points which can trap liquid and prevent the free flow of gases from or air into the holding tanks.
* Do not use non-reinforced hose for vent lines. Over time, it will tend to kink and effectively block the vent.
* A holding tank vent filter will absorb heavier-than-air gases associated with sewage and eliminate a source of malodor from the exterior of the boat.

When installing vent filters that are not mounted directly on an HTS unit:

* Avoid areas near excessive heat sources such as engine manifolds or lights.
* Do not install the filter below top of holding tank.
* The filter can be mounted in any position. Installations near the
through-hull vent reduce the chance of filter damage from overfilling of the holding tank.
 
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