holding tank replacement

[Roland Gendreau]

A tip to those considering purchasing a new holding tank.

The price I got for a new holding tank for my 91 C34 (B179 tank)  from Catalina Yachts was about  50% of that listed on the Ronco Plastics price list.

Hard to believe, but true!

Roland Gendreau
S/V Gratitude

[tstrand]

Roland,

How much was it? I'm considering this project myself.

Thanks,
Tim

[Jim Price]

Roland, what lead you to replacing the holding tank?  Just curious since I also have a 1991.

[Ron Hill]

Guys : Roland has confirmed the same thing that I discovered (and written about) years ago.
Always check with the factory on a parts price first as they are usually cheaper.  A couple of item that I found less were a Cutless bearing and a stainless drive shaft.  Also found that the shipping has never been more than the State tax saving and the base price was lower to start out with. 
Sorry - you Calif. (left coast) residents!!   

[Roland Gendreau]

The price quoted by CY for the holding tank was $93 plus shipping (about $20).  The Ronco plastics website price was around $190. 

I replaced the holding tank because , after replacing all of the hoses, the boat still had an odor coming from the only thing not replaced, the tank itself. Interestingly, after removing the tank, I found that it had a small hairline crack right where the tank rested on a beam that runs under the middle of the tank athwartships.  When I reinstalled the tank, I secured a piece of plywood over that beam so that any load would be spread over a wider area of the tank.

I had had a similar failure of a water tank on my C30; the tank had developed a crack where it rested on a support beam.  A friend of mine actually repaired the crack by welding the plastic.  Since the holding tank had an odor, I didnt want to try repairing its crack.

Roland Gendreau
S/V Gratitude #1183

[Jim Price]

Good info , Roland. 

Since I may be opt to do the same in the future, could you give brief description of what steps you took in removing the tank (other than cleaning out first!).  I looked at that area last weekend with thoughts of installing a tank monitoring system and was discuraged from doing that due to the flush fitting plywood on aft end of tank and forward end extending too far under settee surface.  I retrospect, I am not sure how one goes about getting the tank out to replace.  Any descriptive help would be appreciated. 

[Rick Johnson]

Jim, since our boats are close in the production run, can you share with me what you discover regarding installing the tank monitor.  I was thinking I'd pull the tank to install the sensors also.  If it's not too much trouble.  Considering the life of the monitor sensors I'd like to do it right one time....

[Jeff Kaplan]

jim, i did as roland did and replaced the tank, bought fromm catalina,because it just plain stunk. i replaced everything and figured why not go all the way and replace the tank also.empty the tank as much as possible.  i just took a saber saw and also a sawzall and just cut out the plywood holding the tank in,you will probably have to break it apart at the bottom. then, remove all the hoses, cover the inlets,if possible,to  prevent leftovers from spilling out all over you and your boat, i found out the hard way, and with some effort, pull the tank up and out. replace tank, hook everything back up and try to replace the plywood. i had enough  fiberglass left at the bottom to form a stop so i didn't replace the wood. you can e-mail me for more info if needed. good luck and wear gloves...jeff kaplan #219

[Roland Gendreau]

Removing the holding tank is straight forward.  After emptying it as much as possible, disconnect the hoses. I found that unscrewing the mascerator pump from its mounting made it easier to pull off its hose from the tank. Bring plenty of rags and stuff one in each hose connection to minimize stinky drips as it is impossilbe to remove everything from the tank. 

Use a dremel tool to slice the fiberglass that secures the plywood at the aft port and starboard corners and also where it attaches to the floor.   Once those are sliced, you can remove the aft plywood piece and push the plywood on the port  side  to port to get it out of the way. Slde the tank aft and remove it, being careful to keep the outlet connections pointing upwards to prevent and stinky stuff from leaking out.

Before installing the new tank, clean out the compartment well. I used bleach and soap solution to disinfect the whole area.  Install new hoses if you havent already.

After installing the new tank, fiberglass the plywood pieces back into place.  Then reconnect the hoses.

By the way, has anyone had experiece using the Tank Watch level monitor?  Seems like a simple installtion, but I wonder how well it works.

http://www.boatersworld.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=13088224&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10051

Roland Gendreau
Gratitude #1183

[Jim Price]

Thanks guys.  Looks like a doable project.  If I decide to replace tank, I will probably look into external tank monitors at that time while everything is accessable.  I have to review the two water tanks also for installation challenges before I jump into something.

I am not sure about the Tank Watch Level monitor.  Looks simple but looks like you would have to add more holes in waste tank and I believe the tank has enough holes to deal with as is.  Might create a new source of odor after all the work you did to get rid of the smell.  I would go with external applications.  Don't know how difficult that would be after you have re-installed.  One thing I did not realize, was that the tank is not directly attached to hull  / stringers.  Guess weight of "stuff" and plywood locks tank in securely.

[Ken Krawford]

Roland,
I installed a Tank Watch monitor on my boat 15 yrs ago.  Based on the link you posted, it doesn't look like it has changed much.  Installation is very simple.  The only drawback is that it only tells you that your tank if full or nearly full.  I mounted the LED alert light above the commode in the head.  I've had no problems with leakage where the sensor penetrates the top of the tank.