Tym
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2010
- Messages
- 39
- Fluid Motion Model
- C-288 C
- Hull Identification Number
- FMLT2915K910
- Vessel Name
- Circle T
- MMSI Number
- 367446870
I recently learned a lesson that you'll probably appreciate learning the easy way instead of the way I did. While we're not positive this is what happened, it's my best guess...
When a 4 year old passenger steps into the saloon from the cockpit, there, right in front of their eyes, are a whole wall of beautiful switches just begging to be pushed. WOW!! And young boys especially just love to push buttons. If one is not watching even for a few seconds, and they happen to push a button in the center column near the bottom with some letters on it that they can't read that say "HOLDING TANK", then the macerator pump turns on. If your Y valve is closed, as it should be to keep your holding tank from pumping the black water into the harbor, then the macerator pump will be running "dry" and you won't know it. It doesn't take long in this configuration for the impeller to self destruct.
When we changed the macerator pump I thought that once was more than sufficient to learn this lesson. So while we had everything apart to change out the old pump with a new one, we installed a simple electrical switch right next to the Y valve itself in the same circuit. This switch must now be turned ON to "arm" the HOLDING TANK switch on the main panel. I'm also trying to engineer some sort of clear plastic cover over the right hand two column of switches - but the new "Pickle Switch" (as we've named it) next to the Y valve will at least protect the macerator pump from now on.
Next we need to figure out how to protect the windlass switch next to the steering wheel from little fingers...
When a 4 year old passenger steps into the saloon from the cockpit, there, right in front of their eyes, are a whole wall of beautiful switches just begging to be pushed. WOW!! And young boys especially just love to push buttons. If one is not watching even for a few seconds, and they happen to push a button in the center column near the bottom with some letters on it that they can't read that say "HOLDING TANK", then the macerator pump turns on. If your Y valve is closed, as it should be to keep your holding tank from pumping the black water into the harbor, then the macerator pump will be running "dry" and you won't know it. It doesn't take long in this configuration for the impeller to self destruct.
When we changed the macerator pump I thought that once was more than sufficient to learn this lesson. So while we had everything apart to change out the old pump with a new one, we installed a simple electrical switch right next to the Y valve itself in the same circuit. This switch must now be turned ON to "arm" the HOLDING TANK switch on the main panel. I'm also trying to engineer some sort of clear plastic cover over the right hand two column of switches - but the new "Pickle Switch" (as we've named it) next to the Y valve will at least protect the macerator pump from now on.
Next we need to figure out how to protect the windlass switch next to the steering wheel from little fingers...