Plumbing 101

[Tattoo new]

We just picked up our new Tattoo 26 yesterday.

This is the first boat we've owned with a water system.

It seems simple enough. More simple that the electrical...that's another post. Yikes.

But I have two questions.

There are three hoses coming off the holding tank.

1. The larger of the three leads to an interior "fill cap?" in the v-berth labeled water. I'm assuming this is where we add water to the tank. The hose dips from the 'fill cap' to the floor of the v-berth and rises again to the top of the tank, on level with the 'cap' (as far as elevation is concerned.) How does the water actually fill the tank instead of just filling the hose and backing up out of the 'fill cap'? Are we suppose to run the water pump to create a vacuum? Will the pump run and do that by just snapping it on at the breaker panel without running the faucet?

2. The second hose runs from the tank to the water pump. Got that. But the third runs straight up the head wall into the bulk head...but to where??? Is it just a vent to burb the system? We can't pull the bulk head away and peek. (the bulk heads in the main salon have enough give to do that.)

Thanks!!!

Barb aboard Do We: 979.124

[yukonbob]

Is there an exterior stainless steel cap on the deck above where the third hose?

[Tattoo new]

Nope. I did go out and look around.

Barb aboard Do We: 979.124

[Russ]

Moat of us are Mac owners. Roger installed a lame 5 gal wage bag under the galley.

Photos might help. Does tattoo do things better than her dad?

[Tattoo new]

I did take photos...and left the camera on the boat. Will upload tomorrow night.

Its a solid tank on the starboard side of the v-berth. Approximately 18"w x 12"d x 12"h. Opaque white. All three hoses exit on the starboard side.

The small one to the water pump near the bottom of the tank. The large fill hose at the top closer to the bow. The smaller air??? hose at the top closer to the stern.

Thanks for responding!

Barb aboard Do We: 979.124

[Gabby_SC]

Tattoo New, Is your "holding tank for a Jabsco head if so you should have a pump out line and access hole above deck

[Tattoo new]

No head. Not even a portapotty.

Barb aboard Do We: 979.124

[seahouse]

Hi Barb. Congrats!

The fresh, or potable water tank (a “holding” tank is for sewage) needs a vent to allow air in to replace the water that gets pumped out, otherwise, either the tank would collapse from a vacuum, or the flow would stop. It also helps filling by allowing air to escape.

So one of them has to be a vent, and would be smaller in diameter, which I think you have identified. You might check outside the hull for a vent fitting in that area too, it might not necessarily vent to the cabin interior.

So it's the “fill” one that remains, hopefully the pix will help with that, but as you describe it does sound like the fill point should be at least as high as the high water level in the tank to prevent spilling, but could be that high to prevent overfilling as well. Does it look like it's easy to raise? Can you easily see how high the water level in the tank is as you fill it? Is there a large inspection/ cleanout cap on the tank as well, maybe that the hoses attach to?

-Brian.

[Tomfoolery]

1. The larger of the three leads to an interior "fill cap?" in the v-berth labeled water. I'm assuming this is where we add water to the tank. The hose dips from the 'fill cap' to the floor of the v-berth and rises again to the top of the tank, on level with the 'cap' (as far as elevation is concerned.) How does the water actually fill the tank instead of just filling the hose and backing up out of the 'fill cap'?

Hopefully, the top of the fill is higher than the bottom of the hose where it enters the tank. Like a P-trap under your sink. Water will sit in the hose, but it will flow into the tank as long as it's not up hill. Easiest way to find out is to try it.

But it's interesting that Tattoo put a real tank in there. About 1.5 cubic feet, or around 11 gallons. That's a lot of water, unless you use it like mad. I have a 7 gallon hard tank in mine, and never use more than half in a season, even with an electric pump and faucet.

2. But the third runs straight up the head wall into the bulk head...but to where??? Is it just a vent to burb the system? We can't pull the bulk head away and peek. (the bulk heads in the main salon have enough give to do that.)

That bulkhead may be structural, but I don't know that. The X just has a compression post under the mast. But either way, it's possible the hose just vents into the bulkhead. It has to be higher than the highest water level when heeled, however that may happen, so it may just terminate high up inside the bulkhead. If you turtle the boat, water coming out the vent is your least concern.

It could also terminate on the side of the hull. A little round vent with one or two holes with screen to keep the mud daubers out. Or a clamshell. Or even a plain ol' through-hull. If that's the case, the hose would most likely go up to the bottom of the cabin roof, then go back down to the through-hull. That way water won't get in when heeled, even onto its side.

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it, but like you, I like to know things like this, so perhaps a call to the dealer, or to Tattoo, would be a next step. I would suggest removing the hose at the tank, and blowing into it while someone listens for escaping air, but you may not want to start dismantling your new boat just yet.

[Tattoo new]

https://plus.google.com/photos/11753181 ... 4XA1Ou2-wE

Does this link get you to my photo album with the water picts?

The spec says the tank is 9 gallons. And I actually measured it today. 16.5"w x 15.5"d x 10.5" h

So the fill cap is on the port side. The fill hose runs against aft bulkhead of the v-berth to the starboard side where it enters the water tank at the top. The water hose leading to the water pump is located at the bottom, starboard, forward location on the tank. The air hose??? is located aft of the water fill hose.

There are no seacocks or other openings on the hull.

Barb aboard Do we: 979.124

[seahouse]

The link is good.

Looks like the vent does open to the cabin.

It would be nice to have the fill port a little higher than it is relative to the tank, but there are practical limitations to that. So you probably don't want to top up the tank when it's rough! The only way to find out is to fill it and see how fast it will take the water, it might be just fine. It's in a location that is fairly accessible for filling by lifting up the cushion.

Note that you want to use an "aseptic technique" whenever dealing with this tank, its water, and filling it, whenever you can. You are starting out with a nice neat clean tank, it's fairly easy to keep it that way, but if it gets away from you , and slime forms, it's hard to get back to that point. If you can avoid it, I really wouldn't drink the water from it in any case.

[Tattoo new]

Seahouse

Can you provide more information about 'aseptic technique'?

Are there additives?

Is there an annual flush that should happen as part of winterizing the boat?

Should it be kept full to a certain level for some reason?

All new to a boat with plumbing. (Never had an RV either.)

Barb aboard Do We: 979.124

[seahouse]

Essentially keep things as clean as possible, and avoid introducing any “dirt” to the container or tank. The chlorine in tap water will sanitize things for a short while, but within a day or so the chlorine will have dissipated, leaving anything that happened to enter (bacteria, fungi, mould, algae etc) that wasn't killed by the initial dose of chlorine free to grow or multiply. Note that in the boat environment a true aseptic technique is pretty much impossible to achieve, so you just have to assume some contamination and deal with it by sanitizing.

Water does not store well, it stagnates, so it's important to keep a good turnover of fresh, chlorinated water in the tank. There are commercial additives that you can buy at marine or RV stores to help prevent this, follow the instructions on the container.

If you neglect the tank for too long you will get a buildup of a biofilm (“slime”) in the tank. The thicker the film is, the more chlorine concentration you will need to “shock” it with a high dose and over a longer period of time, to get an effective “kill”. Too thick, and no amount of shock or time will do the job, only mechanical scrubbing of the surface will work, and that's hard to do through the small opening of the tank, so it's worthwhile keeping it clean. Not to mention that the plastic walls of the tank are porous, and some smell (or taste) will still be retained in them. I've seen some get pretty grody, in fairly new boats, after not too many years of neglect.

If you want to play safe, use bottled or other similar water for drinking, and use the tank water for other purposes.

Yes, seasonal shocking is part of regular maintenance. Shock it, including the lines, before you put it away, leave it in for a while to allow it to work (a lower concentration needs longer to do its magic), and then drain it. It's a good idea to shock it again in the spring, then drain and fill with water, maybe a rinse in between. A marine store that sells the product will help you with how to do it if the label doesn't.

Yes, the standard camping water bag that comes with the "M" saves some seasonal maintenance, it pulls right out for filling, cleaning and rinsing, or you just buy another for $15. I love that.

Good luck!

[Tattoo new]

Thanks seahouse.

This is perfect. I'm going to copy it and save it as a word doc in my maintenance folder.

I appreciate the suggestion of providing separate drinking water.

Barb aboard Do We: 979.124

[mastreb]

My favorite shock treatment is high concentration hydrogen peroxide for putting away. You can usually find it at hot tub and pool cleaning supply retailers. Read the label so you're sure you know what you're getting. H2O2 kills everything and then decomposes to H2O water after a few weeks. Perfect for layup, but you must leave plenty of time to be sure the H2O2 decomposes completely, and do flush. The advantage is no chemical residue of any sort and its very compatible with tanks and hoses.