&@?<)% Mud Daubers……OR ….. Don’t Do This!

[Eigenvector]

So the story starts with a few friends hanging for the weekend on the boat. A good Norther is blowing through here in Texas so we opt for beer drinking and no sailing.

Next morning someone says, hey, your head won’t flush. I’m thinking how do you plug an Electric Toilet with just pee?

Sure enough, it was used by recycled Bud Light for probably 6 hrs the previous day with nobody saying anything.

So I check the white plastic tank with a flashlight and knocking and it’s empty as it should be since I emptied it offshore last weekend.

So I proceed to plunge while flushing to no avail. Didn’t want to, but got in rubber man mode: nut driver, flashlight, mirror………..take the hose off. I was at the dock so I got a water hose and tried to push the “whatever” thru. Nada, just got a shower from the hose back wash.

Hooked the toilet hose back up and figured I mess with it after my friends left.

Then, the Ah Ha moment hit. My tank appeared more round than it did rectangular! The vent must be plugged. That tank is under pressure. So utilizing my multiple Engineering Degree’s, I found something long and thin to poke in the outside vent. The tube for vacuuming the oil……..

I couldn’t reach the vent from the topside at the correct angle with that 4-ft flexible tube a since it was on the water side of the boat. So…….lower the dink, pull around the side and poke!

Needless to say, I can’t think of much worse (actually I can) than getting shot in the face by a dirt/spider shotgun propelled by 30 gallons of devil funk gas/vapor like has never been documented on earth at point blank range!

But on a positive note: My duck bill check valve is in good working order!

My face is going to be red for a few days after that scrubbing. Threw the t-shirt in the dumpster. Luckily, no pictures exist!



PS: Since I wasn’t sure how to spell Mud Dobber, I googled it and found out on Wikipedia that they are responsible for 3 plane crashes so far.

[a64pilot]

Probably more than that.
I have three tanks, and three vents of course on my boat. When I bough the Boat I thought the fuel tank was full, but it wasn’t quite. I had to remove the plug on the tank meant to connect a generator return fuel line to to vent it to fill the tank. I had a hard time emptying the waste tank too.
When we got to where we were going so could inspect, yep all three vents were clogged with dirt dobbers.

[JPA Cate]

Would regular spraying with surface spray insecticide keep them away, or a screen over the exit? For such little critters, insects can sure cause a lot of trouble!

Ann

[a64pilot]

Ann I don’t think anything will. My motorcycle had hollow axles and swing arm shaft for weight reduction, they would continually build nests in them.
Then down South here there really is a spider that is drawn to fuel fumes, I have seen more than once during refueling one come out of the vent.
Just come up with a way to unclog the vent when it clogs is about all you can do.
I have not had them clog my vents in the last three years, it’s sporadic.

[newhaul]

A bit of steel wool in the opening seems to do wonders . Keeps them out but won't stop air flow.

[Mirage35]

Well, thanks for the explanation. In a thread I started a while ago regarding propane, someone mentioned mud daubers and I had no idea what they were talking about.

Happy to report it isn't my problem - as far as I know this particular problem doesn't exist in our area.

Congratulations on your trouble-shooting skills - sometimes the answer just hits you right in the face!

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by AnglaisInHull

Well, thanks for the explanation. In a thread I started a while ago regarding propane, someone mentioned mud daubers and I had no idea what they were talking about.

Happy to report it isn't my problem - as far as I know this particular problem doesn't exist in our area.

Congratulations on your trouble-shooting skills - sometimes the answer just hits you right in the face!

a mud dawber is also known of as a mud wasp.

[Jim Cate]

EV, dabbling in daubers is disgusting, distressing and debilitating, so don't! But I guess that with your Injuneers degrees you have already figgered that out!

Great story, appreciated by a fellow who had a plugged head explode in his face... the day after we were dismasted.

Better times coming, so smile!

Jim

[CaptTom]

Great story, well-told.

For the record, mud daubers also love the nozzles of fire extinguishers.

Check them next chance you get. Probably the worst time to find out is when you need one.

[belizesailor]

Lesson learned: never stand directly in front of a pressurized orfice...of any kind! 😆

I had a similar experience on a charter many years ago. We were in inland waters so using holding tank. I was thinking it was about time to find a pump out station...when I hear a guest pumping the head furiously...before I can get to them to say STOP! ... I hear a loud pop, a gurling sound, and an a powerful stench spread thru the boat...as the aluminum holding tank ruptured and emptied its contents into the bilge...aargh...took that boat out of comission for a few days!

[LakeSuperior]

You would have been better off if the holding tank had been almost full for this event.