Solenoid For Plumbing?

[Pizzazz]

I am using the same system on my Hunter 31. The sink drain goes into the upper end of the tee, the lower end of the t goes to the toilet salt water intake and the t goes to the toilet. There is only one valve to operate and this is the thruhull.

An added advantage is that you can use fresh water in the marina to avoid the stink but when underway you switch to salt water to conserve your fresh water.

Some notes:

I run all of the sink contents (grey water) through the toilet and into the tank. It is simpler this way but eventually the soap/slime/chemicals damage the toilet pump. Replace every two years.

[jamhass]

Originally Posted by peghall

This is how it should be installed and how it works:


Reroute the head intake line to tee into the head sink drain line BELOW the waterline, as close to the seacock as possible. Requires only a simple tee. This allows you to flush the toilet normally using sea water (obviously the drain thru-hull remains open). To rinse the sea water out of the whole system--intake line, pump, channel in the rim of the bow AND the toilet discharge line (anything just added to the bowl only goes out through the discharge line, it doesn't recirculate through the rest of the system--and you wouldn't want it to!),

--Peggie

In my case, the through-hull is too close to the cabinet side to put a T close to the TH. Thus, the T ended up just under the sink very close to the waterline, and the head really could not draw seawater from the sink drain. Thus, I plumbed into the existing seawater inlet for the head and put the ball valve in to eliminated the head sucking air from the drain when using seawater to flush. Works great, albeit with a slightly more complex setup.

[peghall]

I wondered why you opted to keep the flush water intake thru-hull...thanks for explaining! However, I think a rubber plug in the sink would have cost you a lot less than the ball valve and worked just as well. In fact, it's necessary in some installations because the pressure of the water against the open thru-hull when the boat's underway on that tack can turn the sink into a fountain.


--Peggie

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

Comment on Solenoid Valves:

I plumbed this one into the water heater line carrying engine jacket water. It opens when I turn the "ignition" switch to start my starboard engine, and closes when I turn the switch off.

This reduces heat loss to the block from the water heater. My hot water lasts longer at anchor, and it even saves me money at my home dock (where electricity is metered.)

It's worked well for the past four years. Well worth the $15 I paid for it, and the installation was pretty simple.

That’s funny, I click on your link and Amazon says I bought that one

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by scarlet

As long as I'm doing this, I would like to change over from raw/sea water flush, to fresh water drawing from my water tanks. I talked to a plumber and he said the most expensive part of the project would be adding a solenoid valve. Why would I need that? I would think a "y" valve to chose between raw/sea water and the fresh water would be all you would need. But he insisted that I needed one. After his review of what I would need, I decided that I would do the plumbing myself, but I'm still wondering WHY I would need a solenoid (btw... I have electric heads).

What Peggie said.

The short version about "why a solenoid?" is because it's the thing that momentarily opens to allow flush water from your pressurized fresh water system into the toilet bowl. It would be connected to your toilet's flush button, opens on demand, closes immediately afterwards.

-Chris

[jamhass]

Originally Posted by peghall

I wondered why you opted to keep the flush water intake thru-hull...thanks for explaining! However, I think a rubber plug in the sink would have cost you a lot less than the ball valve and worked just as well. In fact, it's necessary in some installations because the pressure of the water against the open thru-hull when the boat's underway on that tack can turn the sink into a fountain.


--Peggie

My deck wash and head seawater inlet share the same thruhull. It was easiest to add a T to the line to the head rather than disrupt the plumbing at the seacock. Didn't think about using a sink plug, but the sch 80 PVC valve (above waterline) was inexpensive.

It's a boat, all is compromise!