Tales of the Electric Head (a bit long)

[scutly]

now that i have stepped up to the world of marine plumbing i have some questions. i think this is how my system works but im confused about some stuff. i have a fresh water through hull inlet and tank. i have a pressure pump with a switch on the DC side of my power panel with awesome pressure to faucet in galley, head and transom shower. it comes on as needed to maintain pressure and turns off. cockpit sink doesn't work. ill investigate that. i also have a hot water heater that looks to be bypassed from the plumbing. engine coolant hoses are still attached. are these water heaters set up with a 120V heating coil while plugged into shore power and a heat exchanger while under way? there is a switch on my power panel for water heater on the 120 V AC side. i also couldn't figure out how to get the toilet to flush until i figured out my holding tank was full. as far as i can tell there is no direct discharge setup which is thankfully not an option anyway where i boat. i found a pump-out station and emptied out from the through hull marked WASTE. now im trying to figure out how the head works. i have a switch on the 12 V DC side of my panel marked HEAD. when i turn that on a different pump comes on and stays on (macerator?) and when i lift the flush lever she flushes and starts refilling the bowl as my pressure pump kicks on. but if the head switch is off, she sorta flushes but doesn't refill. am i supposed to have to flick the head switch and turn on that pump every time someone wants to flush? is this how electric heads work? there are two wires coming out of the flush lever mechanism. my logic would tell me those wires should turn on both pumps as the flush lever is lifted as long as both switches on the panel are on and shut off both pumps as you stop flushing. should i be able to keep the HEAD power panel switch on without the macerator pump constantly running? thanx for any help in my crappy situation. :redface:

 

[JoLin]

Re: Tales of the Electric Head (a bit long)

Hi, Scutly- sent you a PM about the head. I think you're on the right track, but also referred you in another direction in case nobody here knows for sure...

You're right about how the water heater works- it has 2 modes as you described. I think your cockpit faucet is disconnected- it should work off the same water pump as everything else. My transom shower is disconnected as it's missing the shower head. A PO simply plugged the supply hose- you may have something similar going on.

How's the new boat working otherwise??

 

[RickJ6956]

Re: Tales of the Electric Head (a bit long)

The head pump may be necessary because the lines and/or head are below the holding tank's inlet. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it creates a vacuum in the line that allows the head to flush.

The "demand" fresh water pump should come on only when a demand is placed on the system, such as when a faucet is turned on, or the head is flushed.

After you pump out the waste, backfeed a few gallons of fresh water through that spigot and then suck it back out. This will help keep the pumpout line clear. Believe me, it's nasty business to replace those lines if they get clogged!

 

[seabob4]

Re: Tales of the Electric Head (a bit long)

Sounds to me, since your head is fresh water fed, and you have to lift the lever to flush, that you have a Vacu-Flush head. The pump you hear coming on is the vacuum pump that sits on top of the holding tank...