Aboard boats of Lollipop’s size, the waste from the toilet goes in the black water tank. The sink and shower water or grey water goes overboard. The black water tank has to be pumped out at marinas. On Great Harbour GH37, the pump-out fitting is on the top of the bow, and the black water tank is at the bottom of the hull. So you have to have a good amount of suction on the pump-out machine to lift the waste about 8 feet.
When we bought Lollipop, I pumped out the black water tank in St. Petersburg before we crossed the Gulf of Mexico and then again when we reached our home marina of Alred in Guntersville, Alabama. In addition, all summer, we pumped out at Alred with no problems.
When we got to Mobile in October, we tried to pump out at Dog River Marina, and we were only marginally successful. When we arrived at The Wharf at Orange Beach, we had a good pump out; however, the next several were very poor, only getting about the top quarter of the black water tank.
I did not know if something was wrong with Lollipop or if the pump-out machines at the last few marinas were weak. After posting on the Great Harbour forum, I found out that the original pick-up tube in the black tank was aluminum. Because of the material the tube was subject to corrosion, allowing for pinholes to develop, thus breaking the suction seal. Since the tank was almost full, I decided to replace the pick-up tube myself. Unfortunately, the top of the tank is 6 inches below the bedroom floor, and the tube is 18 inches long, forcing me to cut it into three pieces to remove it. Several other Great Harbour owners posted that they used flex tubes in the repair to simplify the replacement. So I decided to use a flex tube as well.
After the repair, we moved from our slip at Fort Pierce to the fuel dock to pump out the black water tank. I am happy to report we could pump the tank empty. I’m glad to have the project behind me, though it was not as bad as expected.
“Sh*tters full”. -Cousin Eddie, 1989 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Best wishes for a safe journey. Can you add me so I can follow. Black water is the system no one is too excited too work on. glad your repair went smooth.