In the process of upgrading our Port Holding Tank, we uncovered a potentially serious problem that may affect all Voyage yachts.  Please study that section and your boat and see if you must correct this dangerous defect.  Let us know.

Click Hear to learn about Leak found in Port Holding Tank

Starboard Head Upgraded

The head is the source of more jokes, stories, and difficulties than almost any other part of any boat.  The Shearwater's head was no exception.  In December 2000, both Elizabeth Anne and I had developed blisters from pumping our manual head - even after adding used motor oil, baby shampoo, cooking oil, and out drive oil in a futile attempt to lubricate the devilish mechanism.

The big break came when Elizabeth Anne asked for an electric head for Christmas.  Two years later, I'm still not sure she was serious - but even compared to her other favorite gift (glass slippers from Tobago), the electric head remains the most talked about and appreciated gift (and project) for several years.

We started with the usual mess - not that our any Voyage-supplied mess is any worse than the equivalent mess on any other boat.  We had the dreaded broken Jabsco "Y" valve with the mandatory lock required by those places, like Rhode Island and Catalina, that really enforce a "No Discharge Zone."  We also had the vented loop for both the inlet and discharge lines.  While these are required to prevent salt water from siphoning back into the bowl - and eventually sinking the boat - the resultant pool of head discharge contained in the hoses is a primary contributor of the smell associated with a clean boat.  Additionally, wasted pooled in the hoses accumulates as calcium deposits, eventually clogging the hose beyond use.

We elected to install a Jabsco Electric Head Conversion (model 37010) purchased relatively inexpensively in Trinidad.  The kit replaces the base and everything else except the bowl and toilet seat.  Due to the size of the motor (lower right), the unit must be a bit further from the "wall" than the original head - so we turned the bowl sideways and secured the base on a small starboard block (double click on photo to see it better).  The mounting gives us more room to reach the shower but isn't suitable for the port side where we have a walk-through bathroom.  In that case, we could (if we install a second one), mount the motor sideways and keep the head as originally. 

The kit contains a rubber impeller inlet pump (seems interchangeable with our salt water pump on the engine), and a bronze discharge macerator - both mounted on a single shaft driven by a small motor.  There is even a plastic filter after the macerator to catch objects to large to be processed by the sewage system - such as coins and rings.  String continues to be a problem - wrapping itself around the motor shaft just as ropes are attracted to lower units.

During the original installation, all plumbing was used without alteration.  The motor has a 1" discharge - and Jabsco supplies a 1" to 1.5" adapter so we could reuse the Voyage-supplied discharge hoses.

I added a 30 amp head circuit breaker, a push to flush switch (supplied with the kit), and some suitable heavy wire (equivalent to AWG 10) to operate the head pump.  The head motor draws about 17 amps for about 30 seconds, depending on the volume of waste to be pumped.  No ill effects are observed from toilet paper but coins, string, and metal must be removed manually if accidentally flushed.

The vented loop smell remained in the original installation but the difficult pumping was replaced by the push of a button.  Calcium continued to build up slowly in the bowl and hoses - requiring weekly vinegar treatments and a twice a year beating of the hoses to remove calcium build-up. 

I read all about heads for a year to find a way to reduce the calcium.  Two common facts emerged.  First, don't permit "used" flush water to sit around and settle out.  That meant the outlet vented loop was a major challenge that had to be eliminated if we were going to approach home-style flushing.  And, second, the little blue non-chlorine pills you drop in your toilet bowl on land reduce the accumulated calcium buildup in the bowl and discharge lines.  The pills also reduce the smell by modifying the digestive process that occurs in the holding tank. 

Jabsco helped me solve both problems (as did many other people).  Diagram 1 from the Jabsco electric head directions - and directions for several of their new head devices - all show a down-hill hose from the head to the holding tank.  No "Y" valve, no vented loop on the outline, and no problems.  A slight "hill" in the discharge tube is sufficient to keep the holding tank odor from drifting back into the bowl and out into the boat.  There MUST be a vented loop in the inlet line on Voyage installations - the head is well below the waterline.  If you eliminate the vented loop, the salt water may siphon into the bowl, eventually filling it to overflow.  According the Jabsco - and other head vendors' instructions I have read, the vented loop muse be the first thing after the salt water thru hull shutoff (not shown above), for the system to function safely.

Jabsco also sent me a free in-line water filter with a fresh water pump they replaced under warranty during a separate project.  This filter is about 3" in diameter and sells for about $25 if bought without a new pump.  The filter, shown installed in the photo to the right, is just the right size to hold the little blue non-chlorine tabs used in house hold toilet bowls.  As the flush water passes through the filter, it picks up the blue chemical.  The chemical in the little blue tabs remove the calcium buildup on the bowl and help breakdown the waste in the holding tank.

While installing the filter, I removed the "Y" valve and all related 1/5" tubing.  Then I replaced the 1.5" discharge line with the 1" line leading directly to the top of the holding tank.  I moved the 1.5" adapter to just before the holding tank.  Now, the discharge from the head goes into the holding tank without interruption - no valves, loops, or extra parts - a straight down-sill run with only a very slight mound to keep the gasses backing up from the holding tank into the bowl.

The inlet side must retain the vented loop for safety.  I relocated it to the lower trap-door just above the water line to give maximum water to the inlet pump.  The filter is now installed on the outlet side of the pump (I'll move it to the inlet side next time the unit needs work).

Jabsco has an optional valve, shown on the left side of diagram 1, that closes the inlet vented loop when the head pump is electrically operated.  This improves the inlet flow slightly, making more sea water available for flushing.  Notice the small piece of white rigging tape on the vented loop in the photo on the right above.  This slightly restricts the vent flow, retaining the siphon break for safety while providing sufficient flush water for normal operation.  The tape was my solution to being unable to purchase the valve when I did the modifications.  The unit works without the valve or tape but seems to work better with the tape in place - it does not cover the entire hole.

Finally, I cleaned up the upper trap door and use it for storage.  The line you see in the left-hand photo is the old vented loop line - it is no longer used and is capped out of sight.  The old thru-hull from the direct-discharge side of the "Y" valve is turned off and temporarily capped with a soft wood plug.  It will be removed and glassed over the next time the Shearwater is out of the water for maintenance.  Many feet of hose, an old "Y" valve, and several odds and ends parts made their way into the yard bit for stuff that was to good to throw out.

In summary, all waste from the head enters the holding tank without any intermediate valves.  Periodically, we either have the tank pumped at a marina or, when legal, pump the tank overboard with the original fittings and pump supplied by Voyage.

Port Holding Tank Leak Found

Ever since the Shearwater II was commissioned in Cape Town she had a small, persistent leak in her port holding tank.  The tank filled frequently and slowly leaked into the bilge when full.  Turns out, this was two separate problems.

Robin Downey from Voyage Charters in Tortola told us the leak was caused by a faulty Jabsco "Y" valve.  We knew from the experience above that the valve was not repairable as spare parts were not available - we also knew that the "y" valve should control only a small amount of fluid - far less than was required to explain our leak.

Eventually we decided to dissemble the entire waste plumbing system on the port side and find the leak.  The first step was to close all thru hulls used by the port waste system and disconnect the hose from the "Y" valve to the holding tank.  Not easy - we expected to see a small amount of waste fluid when the hose was removed, and we did. 

Second, we opened the thru-hull for direct head discharge.  Surprise!!!  Robin (and others) were right.  Sea water leaked through the head and out the hose normally connected to the holding tank. 

This should be impossible.  Clearly, sea water was siphoning back through the "Y" valve and into the holding tank.

The vented loop is designed to prevent a back-siphon of sea water.  The 52mm (1.5") hose from the head should go through the "Y" valve, then through the vented loop, and finally to the thru hull and overboard.  On the Shearwater II, the vented loop and "Y" valve were reversed, a potentially very serious problem.

The diagram on the left shows how the "Y" valve should be plumbed.  Reading "backward", the sea water would flow up to the water line and  be prevented from entering the "Y"  valve by the siphon break.

Voyage reversed the siphon break and "Y" valve, causing the vulnerable "Y" valve to be the first thing seen by the encroaching sea water.  You could lose your boat that way.

Our problem was compounded by a slight, continuous intrusion of water into the port hull.  We guessed the top of the holding tank, a stainless plate on our boat, was leaking at the seal and decided to remove it for inspection - no small tank.

The bedding had voids in several places.  Water was flowing from the incorrectly installed "Y" valve, filling the holding tank, and entering our port bilge to be pumped out by the bilge pump.  We are happy the leak didn't turn out to be more serious.

I have no suitable photograph of the mounting of the holding tank top.  It is attached to the glass with 12 screws that are about 1 cm (1/2 inch) long.  There were not bedded and several had rusted seriously from exposure to salt water and limited air.  Only the bedding was intact - a matter of time before that failed under these conditions.

The plate is now bolted in by nearly 12 (I couldn't get them all) 1 1/2" stainless steel 1/4-20 machine screws.  The "Y" valve is gone as is the associated siphon break.  The head discharges directly into the holding tank and is either pumped overboard or collected by a pump out station when available.  The original overboard pump out system and shore pump out system are used as installed by Voyage.

Click here for Starboard Head Upgrade