I saw your second question, no need to start a second duplicate question. Please post all correspondence to this question page here.

This one gets alot of folks, especially first time boat owners. Or boat owners with their first boat that has a sewage tank.

I would hate to see anybody get a fine, but I also hate to see polluters. So i'll give you a little background on how it all works.

There are 2 types of marine waste water. There is grey water, and there is sewage (wastewater). Now some do, but most boats do not have a grey water only tank. Most boats have a wastewater tank. The difference is greywater is showers and sinks, wastewater is the sewage, the toilet.

Every boat is also plumbed a little different. But on most older boats (pre-2000) greywater goes right out the side of the boat, but wastewater, goes to the tank. Again this is most but not all. On newer boats, again this is most but not all. All water goes to a wastewater tank.

If you have the seperate holding tank, there are only 2 real ways to empty it.

1. Most marine fuel depots and most marinas have pump out stations. When you go to fuel up you also get the tank pumped out. You have a wastewater discharge port on the side of the boat (it looks like fuel fill cap, but should be labeled waste) that the pump out station hooks up to to empty the tank.

2. You discharge it overboard. The boat will have a macerator button at the helm. If you hit that button it turns on the pump and pumps it out of a small fitting on the side of the boat. The fitting looks just like a typical bilge water fitting.

Now with discharging it overboard, in most areas of the US you have to be 3+ miles off shore to discharge it. If you discharge it closer to shore, and they catch you, it is a big fine.

Thats how it is done in the marine world. Now if this boat is sitting on a trailer in your yard. Then you have to do what you have to do. Ideally you would tow it to a marina with a proper pump out station.

I would not use a wet-dry vac, as it will ruin the vac and more than likely make you sick from the odor. If you hit the macerator button with this boat in the driveway, sewage will shoot out the side of the boat (and all the pleasantrys that come with it). If you are caught dumping sewage down the storm drain, most municipalities will have rules against that as well. So be careful. It is obviously a different story if you live on a farm.

But that is how it is done.

Post back with any questions

Merry (early) Christmas!

Jason

If this answers your question please do not forget to hit that accept button on your end.

Thank you.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours as well!

I suggested unclogging the shower drain if the water in it was not wastewater (did not smell like poo). But if it is wastewater, then the wastewater tank is full.

No problems.

1 thing you have to keep in mind is that alot of these items are installed by the dealer, and not at the factory. So no 2 boats of the same year are always identicle. A drain installed in 1 boat can be in a different spot all together in a different boat of the same year and model.

But what you want to check on is to see if you have a shower drain pump installed in yours or not. Here is an example of a typical Bayliner shower pump.

#7 is the shower strainer, they can clog up and need inspecting. #5 is the shower pump, if that is clogged or not turning on that will allow the water to back up as well.

Not a problem. Good luck!