Adventures on Juliet: New Salon Cushions and Holding Tank Vent

We got our new salon cushions installed shortly after our summer trip to Santa Cruz Island. The cushions were made using a really nice synthetic leather material called Brisa in a beautiful aqua blue-green color called Mineral. The material looks and feels great. It's softer than leather and much more durable. Also, unlike other synthetic leather material, the Brisa breathes well so it doesn't poof up when you sit on it.

While at the islands during our summer break we noticed a very strong odor when pumping head waste into the holding tank. Fortunately, Juliet has excellent ventilation so the smell dissipated rather quickly. We didn't see any obvious leaks and couldn't figure out where the smell was coming from. The previous owners told us that they didn't use the holding tank and we had,'t used it much either. The holding tank has a volume of 20-25 gallons and we didn't think that it was full.

While out in open water I attempted to pump out the holding tank. Unfortunately, only a small amount of waste seemed to pump out before it stopped flowing. We then attempted to empty the holding tank at the pump out station in Channel Islands Harbor. Once again. the pump out hose would only extricate a small amount of waste. We also couldn't add very much water to the holding tank from the deck fitting. It appeared that the holding tank was not venting properly which caused a vacuum preventing fluids from being pumped in or out.

Back at the slip I decided to investigate the holding tank vent line and discovered the problems. First, the custom made stainless steel vent fitting was fully plugged with dried waste. It had probably been clogged for many years. Also, when I cleaned out the fitting, I noticed that it was corroded and very thin in a few places. It would have to be replaced. In addition, the vent hose was of smaller diameter than recommended and it had a kink which would further restrict proper venting. And finally, the holding tank discharge anti-siphon vent hose was open under the sink.

To remedy these issues, I installed a new SS reducer coupler in the holding tank vent outlet to increase the hose diameter from 1/2" to 5/8". I used a 1/2" NPT to 5/8" barbed Forespar Marelon 90 degree elbow for improved venting and corrosion resistance. I replaced the original 1/2" vinyl vent hose with proper 5/8" heavy-duty holding tank hose and installed a Tee fitting for the 3/8" holding tank discharge anti-siphon vent hose. And finally, I made a custom holding tank vent filter using standard 2" PVC plumbing parts from Lowes and filled it with activated charcoal pellets from the local pet store.

The holding tank now seems to work fine and doesn't smell when we pump waste into it. I was able to add lots of fresh water via the deck fitting. I also added some detergent, bleach, water softener, and vinegar to help clean out the holding tank. We'll take Juliet to the pump out station next time we're in the marina and give it a good pump out, flush with fresh water, pump out, and repeat until it's nice and clean. I'll then replace the original 1-1/2" inlet and outlet fittings with reinforced plastic ones.