What's this thing and why is it in my head?

[riksf]

Not normally a sentence you want to hear, but it's nothing graphic, I promise. While I was sawing through some decades-old sanitation hose in my head cabinet yesterday, I spotted this gizmo up in the corner. Any ideas what it's doing there? The wires don't seem to be connected to anything.

[neilpride]

Funny macerator pump?

[AnsleyS]

Where does the black tubing connect? My guess is that it is an old solenoid valve. Possibly to a gas fitting? The lower part is a small motor connected to the gearing and to a possible valve above.

[riksf]

Originally Posted by neilpride

Funny macerator pump?

It's small enough that I think it'd struggle to macerate rodent droppings

Originally Posted by AnsleyS

Where does the black tubing connect? My guess is that it is an old solenoid valve. Possibly to a gas fitting? The lower part is a small motor connected to the gearing and to a possible valve above.

The tube ends at that metal connector at the bottom of the photo; I haven't been able to get a close look at it though (the space is pretty cramped). Solenoid valve is a good guess, though I have no clue what it would've controlled.

[Wotname]

It looks like the inlet (or outlet) has been capped off and secured with a blob of silicone or similar. It is also designed to cope with a fair bit of heat going by the cooling fins.

Whatever the black hose was designed to carry, it won't carry anything unless there is another hose connected to the device. I'm guessing the other port is near the centre of the cooling fins.

[capt jgw]

Many pressure fresh water toilets use solenoid valves. When you press the flush button or pedal the valve opens and lets water into the bowl. If there's not a pressure fed toilet in there now there may have been one in the past.

[riksf]

Originally Posted by capt jgw

Many pressure fresh water toilets use solenoid valves. When you press the flush button or pedal the valve opens and lets water into the bowl. If there's not a pressure fed toilet in there now there may have been one in the past.

Oh, interesting. The current head (discussed in this thread) is of the same vintage as the boat, so I'd be surprised if it replaced a pressure fed toilet, but stranger things have happened.

[HopCar]

Looks like a small air compressor to me. If it was some kind of liquid pump it would have two hoses connected to it.

[skipperpete]

It looks like a little air compressor (or vacuum pump)...... that helps explain the single hose but not the reason for it’s presence.

[skipperpete]

Sorry Hopcar, we must have been typing at the same time.

[riksf]

Guess I'll have to take it out, connect to 12vdc and see what happens!

[thinwater]

That is gasoline hose, but that does not mean anything. There is a gear reducer. I'm with Skipperpete; a small air compressor. So where does the air go?


* Holding tank.
* Bait wells.
* Pneumatic cylinder.
* Air horn? Silly as it sounds, this is actually my leading guess.

[Wotname]

Yep, Skipperpete / Hopcar is on the money, very likely to be air compressor and that would explain the cooling fins.

[riksf]

Originally Posted by thinwater

* Air horn? Silly as it sounds, this is actually my leading guess.

That would be one heck of a "holding tank full" alarm!

[garyfdl]

Pump/compressor. Possibly for flush water or aerating the holding tank?(Although I admit I don't know why you would want to do that).

What is the corroded piece at the bottom of the picture, that the hose goes into, and is it connected to anything?