10 Easy Steps to Use a Pumpout & Video

10 Easy Steps to a Successful Sewage Pumpout

1. Remove cap from the waste fitting on boat’s deck.

2. Make sure the hose valve is closed while system is not in operation (see Figure 1 for a picture of a closed valve).

3. Turn pump on.

4. Insert hose into holding tank opening.

5. Open valve to start suction.

6. When sewage can no longer be seen through hose site glass, close valve and remove hose from holding tank opening.

7. If desired, rinse holding tank by filling it with water and pumping it dry. You may want to rinse your tank with water a few times until the water passing through the site glass is clear. Rinsing helps loosen and clean out hard to get deposits, as well as clear any solids clogging the hose.

8. After you are done pumping out, make sure pumpout is off (many pumpouts are set with an automatic timer).

9. Hang up hose. Help keep area neat and clean for your fellow boaters.

10. Replace cap on the deck’s waste fitting. 

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Pumpout Hose Blue Handle Figure 1

Figure 1. Notice the blue handle is positioned perpendicular to the pumpout hose. This means the hose is “closed”. To open the valve, simply turn the handle until it stops. If you need to create vacuum pressure in the hose, sometimes it helps to quickly open and close the valve a few times in a row while the nozzle is inserted into the holding tank opening.

If the pumpout is broken...

Troubleshooting Tips

A pumpout may appear to have little or no suction power if there is something clogging the line. Try to flush the line by placing the pumpout nozzle in a bucket of water. Open the hose valve to start suction, and flush line for 45 seconds to rinse the hose. Watch the site glass to check water flow.

A pumpout may have weak suction power if the hose is still coiled up. Straighten hose before pumping out.
If you are not sure if the pumpout is still on, the unit is usually equipped with a counter by the on/off button. If the counter is not moving, turn the pumpout back on.

If the machine still doesn’t turn on or you don’t see water flowing past the site glass, contact your marina manager’s office or local harbor patrol for assistance.

Dump at the Pump