Holding Tank won't pump out

[SEVEN]

Be careful when applying pressure to remove the cap. I helped a Friend and we both had to use all of our strength to pop it loose. Problem was the screws holding the entire plate sheared off. From that point on it was a lot easier to work on. Replaced the tube cleaned everything up, re-tapped the screw holes and installed new. Good luck

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

Sometimes when you have this...
IMG_6549.jpg
...you might have to resort to this.
IMG_6560.jpg
Had to abandon the old dip tube, cut out top of tank and install a new tank plate and dipper. Hard to find a midget who can benchpress #300 which is what you sometimes need to get to those fittings and bust them loose.

[oscarvan]

Massage it all with heat and PB blaster (bolts, pipes, couplings)... Heat-squirt-heat-squirt-cool-squirt..... 12 hours later repeat. I've had to do it for a week once to a shaft coupling.... eventually it gave way.

These are handy.....

https://www.amazon.com/Bernz-Matic-S...4418855&sr=8-2

[kingsley_oasis]

Heat bust mine loose.
But if your worried about breaking something and making it a bigger job, just drill a small hole in the plate to dip tank for testing level. Tap the hole and place a plug in it.

[jmooney]

Having a onboard pump to empty the holding tank can be a wonderful thing! Although all the aforementioned problems still have to be dealt with. This should be required reading for all who are buying an old boat. But once you have gone though problems like this, you realize that you can fix anything. The other choice is buying a new 2-3 million dollar boat.

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

Having a onboard pump to empty the holding tank can be a wonderful thing! Although all the aforementioned problems still have to be dealt with. This should be required reading for all who are buying an old boat.

Quite right. But you're lucky, because you have an award winning How-to video free for the offering on how to get'r done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3nMZIW2dJc

[Bob Bradley]

PB Blaster is nice, but Aerokroil is best. Soak it for a day or two then use a big ass pipe wrench. It'll come.

[Nick in Manitou]

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

Robert, I watched the videos.

Oscar, we used the exact same torch as you recommended.

I took a quick measurement of the square indentation on the bronze fitting and decided it was for a 1" drive socket wrench...it was not. It was larger than 3/4" and smaller than 1" - but with a 3' breaker bar, a BernzOMatic torch, an electric impact wrench and some PB Blaster, it came loose and we didn't shear the top plate of the tank loose!

When we got that plug out, it looked to us that the dip tube is intact and the tank was actually empty. So, since discretion is the better part of valor (I didn't want to open Pandora's box any further than we had to!) we put some thread sealer/lubricant on the plug and reinstalled it.

Since the same pump-out guy came by this past weekend with the same equipment as he had used on the previous (failed) attempt to pump out the tank, and was successful this time, I believe that the previous failure to evacuate the tank was operator error and not a failure of the boat's hardware.

Now that the plug has been removed, lubricated and replaced, if a repair is needed, it will be a less daunting challenge.

For the benefit of others, does anyone know what size square drive actually fits into that plug correctly? The impact wrench would have been a lot more effective if the drive we used (3/4")
had been the correct size. Is the correct size 7/8", 15/16" ?

Thanks for the help!

Nick

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

Well done!

[SEVEN]

Great follow up Nick. That’s for keeping us in the loop.