Holding tank location?

[rivaro]

Anyone who has installed a holding tank for their head, I would appreiciate some guidance.
I can't seem to find any space large enough in my pearson 365. I've even concidered converting my strbd water tank into a holding tank. Any imput would be welcome.
Thanks

[SV THIRD DAY]

We just finished with this on our P365.  What we did was add a 6Gal holding tank to the locker in the head to the left of the sink.  The 6Gal tank from West Marine just fits through the top counter opening BUT you do have to cut out the divider between the two compartments and make a mounting platform for the tank to sit.  We then tabed back in the divider.  This arangement removed our Lectra-scan from the starboard V-berth to free up TONS of storage and get the "smell" out of the V-berth!  It also puts the holding tank above the water line which makes dumping the tank as simple as opening the waste through hull and gravity does the rest.  From the head, the waste goes straight up to a vented loop (now in the bathroom vanity) and then down into the top of the holding tank, so with the through hull open, the waste continues out of the boat and with the through hull closed it just sits in the tank.  No valves to turn or to leak.  We do lose the top access locker in the head....but what we gain by increased storage under the V-berth and by getting rid of the smell in the V....well it was worth it to us!

Good luck working on the head is ALWAYS fun!!

[Tom Gambrinus]

I FACED THE SAME PROBLEM LAST SUMMER.  I ALSO HAVE A LECTRA SAN THAT IS LOCATED UNDER THE SINK IN THE HEAD.  THE ONLY PLACE I COOULD COME UP WITH  WAS THE STB'D BEARTH.  I PULLED OUT THE 50 GAL WATER TANK THAT SHOWED SIGNS OF WEAR AND BROKEN BAFFLES.  IN ITS PLACE I PUT IN A 25 GAL HOLDING TANK AND A 25 GAL WATER TANK (I ONLY LOST 25 GAL OF CAPACITY) BOTH FROM RARITAN.  IF I HAD USED A CUSTOM TANK I COULD HAVE PUT IN MORE WATER CAPACITY.  IT WAS EXPENSIVE BUT SOLVED THE PROBLEM.  RARITAN'S TANKS FIT LIKE THEY WERE CUSTOM.

TOM OCONNELL

[NormP]

About 8 years ago, I installed a 25 gallon holding tank between the forward water tank and the end of the cutout in the V birth. It was a bit of a trick cutting away the bottom of the V birth and then rebuilding it after the installation. The tank runs across the boat and is rectangular. I sent the dimensions to Ronco Plastics in Southern California and they made the tank with the fittings where I indicated. I have had no issues with it at all. It is well wedged in there and can't go anywhere. Since then, I have installed a composting head so that now the only thing that goes in there is pee. The plumbing is a combination of rigid PVC and the white hose from Marine Sanitation. The pumpout is where the old port water fill was. I moved the port water fill forward so that it would be uphill from the holding pumpout. I have not had any problems with odors.