Head Plumbing - PO "add on"

[Ben H.]

Today I was working on cleaning up a bunch of ugly wiring the PO had done on my new boat. During this process I found that he had added a Y valve so he could dump the toilet direct to sea via a newly installed through-hull. (attached photo shows some of the mess)

Current setup.
Toilet -> Y valve -> 1) holding tank -> original pumpout or macerator 2) "New" through-hull  in the hanging locker by navigation station.

Future Setup.
Toilet -> Holding tank -> original pumpout or macerator.

Question. After I replumb this, what should I do about the through-hull? Remove it and patch is what I was thinking.

[BillG]

hard to tell where the picture is taken, I assume the hanging locker by the nav station.  I know that I had a Y valve at one time on our boat,I always thought it was factory installed, dumping is not illegal if outside the restricted limits.  What I don't see in the picture is a vented loop which I think would be between the Y valve and the seacock.

[Ron Hill]

Bill : For the time being, I'd just either leave the thru hull in place or remove it altogether and fill in the hole with epoxy.

Not a very good installation by the PO -  as the "Y" valve should be much higher than the water line and have a vented loop.

A few thoughts

[Roc]

Ben,
Do you think you'll need a seacock to supply raw water to something, say an air conditioning unit?  If so, leave it in.

[Wayne]

My MkII had the head plumbed the same way (except with a vented loop).  When I eliminated my 'Y' valve and went straight to the holding tank it was done with the boat in the water.  A short nipple with a cap was simply screwed into the thru hull valve.  Someday if I, or a new owner,  want to make use of this thru hull it is there and available.

[chuck53]

I had an unused thru hull in my hanging locker as well that I was able to use for AC water supply when I installed my AC unit in the hanging locker.
Don't plug it as a future owner may need it as I did.

[Stu Jackson]

Ben, before you make the choice, tell us where you sail.  You can include this in your signature, so we know.  I have never understood the concept of always being forced to run everything through the holding tank.  If I can legally dump offshore, which i can where I sail, then the last thing I want to do is fill my tank and then macerate.  Think it though before you do.

[Wayne]

Stu's last post so sums up the 'different strokes for different folks' theory.  We both have our boats on San Francisco Bay, but use our boats in very different ways.  Stu must regularly make it far enough out of the Bay to flush his tank at sea; I often have several people on board (full tank guaranteed!) and stay mostly in the Bay and so use a pump out.  As others have said, 'your boat, your choice'.  I think this makes a good argument for not glassing over your unused thru hull but rather securely stopping it off in order to keep options open.