Pumpout Adapter

[joempo]

At the Fisherman's Terminal Cruise, the USCG Auxiliary was offering a free adapter that screws into the pump out port and makes a positive connection to the pump out hose at many marinas, allowing one to pump out without having to physically hold the hose. Unfortunately, the adapter they had in hand was too large for the port on the Ranger Tugs.
I contacted the UW email address and was provided with the following web site link. All you have to do is e-mail them and they will send the proper size adapter to your home.
Since it appears to be grant-funded, I'm guessing one must be a Washington resident (or have a Washington mailing address).

http://pumpoutwashington.org

Joe

 

[baz]

Thanks Joe. I sent in my Email and stated my Ranger R-25 model, so I wait to see what gets delivered to my doorstep.

I watched the video twice to make sure I understood what the new adapter benefits were.

Why is it necessary to crack open or fully open the nozzle valve BEFORE placing the rubber fitting into the pump out port ? I have always inserted the nozzle fully, hold it there firmly and then turn on the valve to start the pump out.

I will now always wear rubber gloves as a safety precaution.

When I pump out, I first fill the tank up with water from the Marina's pump out dock then pump out. I then fill the tank again with water to rinse the tank's residue material and pump out again. I repeat this again if the fluid in the sight glass isn't clear... usually, 3 pump outs do the trick.

The new pump out system at our Edmonds marina is super powerful and will pump out our 30 gallon tank in about 30 secs.

Thanks for posting.

[EDIT] Received Email response and my screw-in adapter is on its way to me... 😀

 

[walldog]

At Lake Powell the pump outs require the adaptor. We had to purchase the smaller size there in order to use the pump out. It is a bit difficult to attach that rig under the railing on our 27. It is much easier to use the flexible rubber fitting that most pump outs use here in the PNW. At Lake Powell, I was concerned that the fittings may break trying to squeeze them under the rail as they are designed to be straight inline. There is not enough room to use that setup safely. That said, get the adapters while they are free, mine was $17, you may need them someday. But you will probably not use them up here.

 

[baz]

I asked Andrew at the Anacortes Trawler Fest about the limited space for handling the pump out nozzle on the R-27. He said they are now stepping the R-27's transom lip down where the pump out port is located and raising the railing up some for dealing with this issue.

 

[joempo]

Don't hesitate to ask your marina management about these adapters. I asked today at Port Orchard and later sent the link via e-mail after they did not seem to know what I was talking about. Seems to me, using the adapter with a sight-glass certainly takes risk out of a potentially messy process.

http://pumpoutwashington.org/index.html

Joe

 

[pleeson]

Okay folks - you have my wheels turning now. I will be headed to Lake Powell this fall. I see West Marine also has adapters. Will any of these work on a Cutwater with railing and other considerations. What size is our pump out port? My boat is 500 miles away right now... Thanks.

 

[baz]

I would suspect all our pump out port's threads & diameters are identical (I could be wrong mind you). If so, when I receive mine (and it's already in the mail to me) I will post the adapter's dimensions if it indeed fits my boat's pump out port. I will also be discussing this with my Marina's Ops staff and hopefully they are aware of this, and if not I'll do same as Joe has done and hand them the link for the adapter information. I'm all for keeping our waters clean and safe from pollution.

My marina already has a sight glass in the pump out nozzle. So it's just a matter if it also will accept the screw-in adapter per the video instructions.

 

[walldog]

I would suspect all our pump out port's threads & diameters are identical (I could be wrong mind you). If so, when I receive mine (and it's already in the mail to me) I will post the adapter's dimensions if it indeed fits my boat's pump out port. I will also be discussing this with my Marina's Ops staff and hopefully they are aware of this, and if not I'll do same as Joe has done and hand them the link for the adapter information. I'm all for keeping our waters clean and safe from pollution.

My marina already has a sight glass in the pump out nozzle. So it's just a matter if it also will accept the screw-in adapter per the video instructions.

There are two sizes...not identical....the small one is 1.25 and the larger one is 1.50...I believe. I do have both, but only the smaller one fits my pump put. The pump out facility side is the same for both sizes. No threads, just a clamp on fitting.

I find no problem with the flexible rubber seal used on most pump out facilities in the PNW. You actually drip less with it than with the clamp on set up. So keeping the waters clean is not a factor of which type you use.

 

[walldog]

On a side note, today I cleaned the joker valve on my head. Not a pleasant task, especially since the reason for cleaning was a toilet full of waste that would not flush. The reason for the once a year clean out is that the line from the toilet to the tank has a slight rise instead of a slight fall. This leaves some sludge collecting against the joker valve. Guess I should occasionally put it on the trailer and point the bow up hill and flush it well into the holding tank.

All of the waste went into the sewer system...none into the pristine waters of Puget Sound.

 

[baz]

Herb: Thanks for the sizes info for the adapter.

I agree that the traditional flex pump out nozzle normally does a good job in avoiding 'drips'. The advantage of the screw-in adapter as I see it is that it does not require (me at least) one to hold the nozzle firmly while pumping to ensure there are no drips. It's kind of an unattended operation. I have at times found holding the flex nozzle in firmly is quite tiring if the pump is old and slow, the flex pipe has aged and no longer in pristine condition, fits poorly and requires multiple minutes to pump out the tank. One slip, fingers cramping or a simple distraction to the task on hand will lead to quite a few drips... and messy shorts/pants... :roll:

 

[baz]

On a side note, today I cleaned the joker valve on my head. Not a pleasant task, especially since the reason for cleaning was a toilet full of waste that would not flush. The reason for the once a year clean out is that the line from the toilet to the tank has a slight rise instead of a slight fall. This leaves some sludge collecting against the joker valve. Guess I should occasionally put it on the trailer and point the bow up hill and flush it well into the holding tank.

All of the waste went into the sewer system...none into the pristine waters of Puget Sound.

Herb: Excellent post. I had the same issue and observed this when I converted our manual head to an electric flush model. I found the last 2 feet of the line where it circled around the aft section of the starboard side locker was lower than where the end of the line eventually enters the top of the waste tank... allowing sludge to collect over time as you mentioned. I used zip ties to raise the last few feet up about 2" to resolve this. Every now and then I inspect this portion of the line to see if sludge has collected there. The line is kind of semi transparent so dark looking sludge can easily be detected. :roll:

To help with this issue I always finish my pump out task by pouring in about 2 gallons of water into the head and flushing that out into the tank to clean out the line from the head to the waste tank.

When installing the electric flush head I plumbed (T fitting) it to use our fresh water tank supply line that the small sink uses so it does not use sea water for flushing. This IMO avoids sulfur-like fumes/smells from arising in the system as salt water is eliminated. My wife has a very sensitive nose and any evil smells give rise to nausea. To compensate for this I have to carry numerous 1 gallon jugs of fresh drinkable water onboard at all times for cooking, coffee/tea making and casual drinking. The 30 gallon fresh water tank we have has essentially be delegated for sink dish washing use, showering and the head.