Christofur Posted September 10, 2021 Report Share Posted September 10, 2021 Hello, I am about to start fitting the plumbing on a boat I am renovating. There is an existing plastic water tank that I am going to use that has 4 inlets. 3 threaded at the bottom which I have attached lever valves to and 1 larger hole at the top which I assume is for filling the tank. Would this be correct? I am wondering why there are 3 take-offs? I had assumed to need only one leading to my pump and feeding the rest of the system. Is there a good use for the other two? Also there is no breather. Is this necessary and something I should think about adding? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbfiresprite Posted September 10, 2021 Report Share Posted September 10, 2021 54 minutes ago, Christofur said: Hello, I am about to start fitting the plumbing on a boat I am renovating. There is an existing plastic water tank that I am going to use that has 4 inlets. 3 threaded at the bottom which I have attached lever valves to and 1 larger hole at the top which I assume is for filling the tank. Would this be correct? I am wondering why there are 3 take-offs? I had assumed to need only one leading to my pump and feeding the rest of the system. Is there a good use for the other two? Also there is no breather. Is this necessary and something I should think about adding? Thanks The tank may be off the shelf, and was design not just for boat use. You do need a breather as the air coming through the breather replaces the water drawn off to the pump. As for the outlets fix blankling plugs to the unused ones. You could use one as a drain down point with a hose attachment should you need to drain the tank, rare but can be useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted September 10, 2021 Report Share Posted September 10, 2021 3 hours ago, Christofur said: There is an existing plastic water tank Question - there are two main types of 'plastic tanks'. one is rigid (like a steel water tank but made of plastic) and the other is a 'collapable' one normally made of ploythene (sort of like a big 'baloon' / Bladder) tank The collapsable ones do not need a breather as the tank 'deflates' as the water is used and re-inflates when filled up. These sort are often used in corroded steel tanks as an easier method of getting a replacement water tank installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEngo Posted September 10, 2021 Report Share Posted September 10, 2021 Where are the three bottom inlets in relation to the tank sides? Sometimes you need to cope with a bit of a list so an outlet either side can be useful when the tank is low. The other bottom outlet may have been for a sight glass type gauge. Just fit screwed plugs to the unneeded holes. N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickp Posted September 10, 2021 Report Share Posted September 10, 2021 When I fitted my new plastic tank I put all fitting thru the top as was the tank it replaced.seems less chance of contents emptying into boat . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christofur Posted September 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 Thank you all for your responses. Most helpful! The tank is a solid plastic one and it does appear to be custom made for the boat as it is shaped to fit in the bow under the front deck. That is a nice idea for outlets either side to counter any list but I guess if your that low on water you just need to fill up! All there are quite close and in one corner so it's not for that. I was thinking of using one of the outlets for a sight gauge actually. I like the logic of having the fittings all through the top. That makes a lot sense. But I'll stick with what I've got and plug off the two I'm not using. Regarding the breather, is it possible that the filler pipe had a T junction and one branch functioned as the breather? I guess I'll have to add one and there is a small skin fitting very close to the tank which would work to attach to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 My water tank has a breather that's tee'd off the filler pipe. Originally this vented into the gas locker. I rerouted it it now vents into the cockpit well and out through the drains. I felt that any form of skin fitting in the area of the bow was vulnerable. The only issue is that you need to pass the filling hose past the tee or water is wasted and filling takes longer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Featured Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now