If my travel schedule permits, I want to attend the Poulsbo Trawlerfest, and if possible, by boat. However, Puget Sound is a no-discharge zone, and although my boat was delivered with a holding tank, the original owner by-passed it so that both heads go directly to through-hulls. No-discharge zones are fast becoming the norm in coastal British Columbia as well, so I knew it was just a matter of time before I had to hook the tank up again. There is no way to construe this as a fun job, but it's not nearly so bad as you imagine. However, I have a particularly fertile imagination, so after my usual extended period of procrastination, I got an estimate for someone else to do the work. The price wasn't unreasonable, but it was high enough to return me to procrastination mode. On Monday, I realized the clock was really ticking. I have to travel to Asia for the last 2 weeks of this month, so if this job is to get done, it has to be done now. Called the guy who told me everyone is having holding tanks installed, and he might be able to fit me in a month or two. (Why do I think he was smiling as he related this?) Yesterday's weather was crummy, so I procrastinated some more. No excuses this morning, so I determined to "dive in". When I got to the boathouse, the otter had been there before me and left his own discharge on the dock which I hosed off. I saw him swim by on his way back out of the house. Big. He then had the gall to return and do it again while I was in the boat. I can feel another "First" tale developing ... The tank sits mid-ships between the stringers with 4 x 4-D batteries in boxes right above it. Fortunately the floor plates are split, so I had to remove "only" two batteries. In fact they're not nearly so heavy as I had expected, and once the cabling was removed it was easy to lift them out of the way. Pulling 6 screws enabled removal of the floor plate, and I could, for the first time, see exactly what was involved. The tank is fibreglass rather than poly, the vent is installed and the hose runs to the requisite deck fitting. Ditto, happily, for the deck pump-out hose. 2 potentially awkward tasks eliminated. For some unknown reason, the original hose from the aft head to the tank had been cut in half, so it was a throw-away. A shame, because all these hoses are plastic-wrapped reinforced rubber in excellent condition. A white all-plastic 1.5" sanitation hose ran from the head to the thru-hull. That run is a bit longer than the head-to-tank run, so I figured on simply moving that hose over. (Nope!) Before doing anything, however, I filled the tank with fresh water through the deck fitting to ensure it had no leaks. Happiness. After pondering for a bit, and based on several conversations about plumbing layouts over the past few months, I decided to dispense with any direct discharge capability for the aft head, i.e. no "Y" valve. The head will always empty into the tank to ensure the tank, pump, and lines are used regularly and kept clear and clean. In case of a breakdown in the pump, I decided to set it higher than the tank. (The Jabsco 12 gpm I purchased is good for a vertical lift of 5 feet when wet and 4 feet when dry.) I also left the forward head as is, i.e. direct discharge, and will simply lock the doors when we are in a no-discharge area. Having written out my list of requirements, it was off to the local marine store for a 1.5" "Y" junction, a macerator pump, 1" hose for the outlet side to the thru-hull, 1" to 1.5" adaptor for the thru-hull, enough ss hose clamps to double clamp everything, a momentary switch for the pump plus an in-line fuse, and some ss screws and washers to mount the pump on the wall. I already had the necessary wire and cable ends left over from the electronics installations. Back on the boat, I realized I would have to move the hot water tank to get at the aft bulkhead where I wanted to Tee into the deck pumpout hose and mount the pump, and to remove yet another of the floor plates so I could run the hoses and wires more easily. That proved finicky, but not particularly difficult. Once the last floor plate was up, I was finally able to make sense of the overall plumbing set-up. There is a fibreglass sump box under the water tank, into which the head's sink and shower drain, and from which the grey water is then removed by a bilge pump. Now the moment of truth. I held the Jabsco in place and determined where I had to cut the hose. Quick work to remove a section to accommodate the "Y" using a small saw and a pair of side cutters to deal with the wire. Put a pair of loose hose clamps on each end, insert the Y, and tighten the clamps. Use the short piece I had just removed between the Y and the pump. Fasten the pump to the bulkhead with 4 screws and washers through the rubber mountings that come with it. Correctly anticipating a fight between the large flange on the output side of the pump and the plastic 1" sanitation hose, I had made that attachment before mounting the pump. Looking good. All that's left is to remove the existing hose from the thru-hull and bring it back to the tank. I sawed it off at the thru-hull. Second mistake. There was liquid in the hose, it reeked and it spilled. Nothing to do but press on. And press I did, trying to bend it back from a 90 degree curve to a straight line. After 20 years, it had become so brittle that despite a heavy duty application of heat from a heat-gun, it snapped in half. More water, scale, and stink. Hummy. I brought the dock hose below and pressure sprayed everything for about 15 minutes, running all the pumps to make sure I got every last bit out. Then, I attached the 1" output line to the 1.5" thru-hull by using a step-up connector to another piece of that excellent 1.5" rubber hose I had taken off the tank fitting. Then, I had to get the rest of the hose off the head. Very cramped, and probably the worst part of the whole job, but I finally did, and in the process noticed a hairline crack in the joker elbow on the toilet. Back to the marine store for new hose and elbow. Lots of hose, but no Jabsco elbows. I ordered one, but I wanted to get this job finished before leaving for the day so I asked the counter clerk if I could "borrow" the elbow off their display head. Sure. Okay, can I borrow a screw driver to remove it? Sure. Nice folks at Canoe Cove Marina. The hose was flexible enough that fishing it through and attaching both ends was only mildly trying. The plumbing part was now finished, and most of the odour had dissipated, but I gave the bilges another 15 minutes of fresh water rinse just to be sure. Wiring the switch was simple. The pump draws 16 amps, so I ran a pair of 10 gauge wires directly from the batteries, terminating the negative at the pump, and the positive at an in-line 20 amp fuse in the cabinet under the sink in the head compartment. I connected the fuse holder to the momentary switch which I mounted in a hole drilled through the fibreglass sink housing near the head, and then ran it back to the pump. When in a no-discharge area, I'll just pull the fuse. Then, of course, the floor plates had to be screwed back in, the water tank re-positioned with its base plates and upper straps re-fastened, the battery boxes screwed down, and the batteries lowered into them and re-connected. Total time from start to finish about 8.5 hours with no breaks. Total cost of the bits and pieces about US$180. Savings over having it done for me about US$400. Would I do this for a stranger for $50 an hour? No. Would I do for a friend for nothing? Depends on the friend. Cheers, Garrett

Garrett: I have no doubt that the strategies you mention for preventing overboard discharge are legal in your area. Certain inland waters require more foolproof discharge lockout measures so others should confirm regulations before proceeding with holding tank/overboard discharge modifications. Respectfully, Wesley LNVT, "Little Bitt" S Burlington, VT weldred@zoo.uvm.edu Garrett Lambert wrote: <snip> However, Puget Sound is a no-discharge zone,) <snip> I also > left the forward head as is, i.e. direct discharge, and will simply lock the > doors when we are in a no-discharge area. > <snip> When in a no-discharge > area, I'll just pull the fuse. >