Hi all. Can anyone shed any light on the access to the water tank sender? I can see the tank, which is aft of the holding tank, way aft of the cabin sole hatch. There must be some access through the cabin steps? Even if I remove the holding tank and squeeze in there, with all the hose connections, there’s no way it’s sliding forward. I’m not afraid to cut an access hole or install a hatch. But it would be nice to know exactly where to cut or drill. Has anyone had to do this? Which step would I get access to the tank sender from? It measures right below bottom/ middle step. It seems like it’s a totally sealed space. No access from head or under bunk on either side or from cabin forward or mid bilge aft. I’m stumped. Did they really install the tank with no service access?
No they did not, there is access. I don't remember where it is, but there's access. Some pictures of the area might job my memory.,
Too dark for pics by the time I got there yesterday. I’ll try again today. The tank I saw aft of the holding tank was actually a vacuum tank for the vacuflush head. It is held in place by an aluminum bar bolted across the opening vertically. Still can’t locate the fresh water tank. Could it be in the void under the cabin stairs? The steps don’t open up at all. The steps are adjacent to the engine room forward bulkhead. When I open the screen filter just ahead of the fresh water pump, the water flows pretty fast by gravity. The tank must be above the level of the pump which is just below the cabin sole. Any of that sound familiar? Pics to follow.
It is directly center line of where the water fill for it is on the boat!!!!!!!!! Find that, mark where it is and go inside and find it.
Yes. I found the tank. It’s aft of holding tank. There’s no access from above. I have to remove the holding tank and a hose or two (2 inch sanitary). Originally I thought it was the vacuum tank but the vacuum is in the actual holding tank. It’s not in line with the fill fitting but it’s pretty close. It not easily accessible, but you can get to it. Sams marine may or may not have the sender. I have to remove it to find out. I’m not sure it’s even worth it to fix this. It’s just the fresh water tank level. There’s a gauge on my electrical panel, that shows full all the time when the pump switch is on. I can wing it and fill it when it runs out. It’s nice to have the gauge though. Any idea what’s under the steps? It’s totally sealed up. The sender and tank is below the cabin sole, three steps below hatchway, about where 1st and 2nd step are. There’s 3 steps above sole. I can’t tell if there’s anything in there. I could maybe open up steps and get access from above. Probably easier than removing holding tank, etc…. At least I will have access going forward. The treads are glued or siliconed to the glass steps. I can pry them off, I think. Maybe the steps are cut open underneath? Then I can reach down and drill through sole. Totally hidden whatever I do in there anyway. I’ll try to send some pics, they don’t show that much. Thank you for the replies. It’s a relatively minor thing, but I like to have everything working. I’m capable of fixing almost everything, if I can get to it. Have a great weekend.
Ok. Found it. The tank I saw from the hatch in the cabin sole was actually the holding tank, aft of the vacuum unit for the vacuflush. That tank is only 11 gallons, way too small to be a 50 gal water tank. The fresh water tank is below the cabin steps, just forward of the engine room bulkhead, sitting on the cabin sole that extends under the steps. Technically, there is an access hatch. It’s behind the panel with the battery switches and a bunch of push button breakers. It’s like a 4x6 inch panel. Not useful enough to service or remove the sending unit. And you have to remove or lift up that entire battery switch panel. So I removed the top companion way step, drilled a hole and cut a 7x12 inch access opening from above with a jig saw. The top of the tank is level with the middle step. Getting the step off was a real bear. It’s 1 inch plywood with that rubber cover and held down with green epoxy and 5200. That took about 2 hours. I still lost a ply or two from the step in the back corner by the head wall. I couldn’t get a tool that far back. I used an oscillating tool, a pry bar and putty knives. The fiberglass under the step is about 1 inch thick. Sam’s marine had the sender in stock. Cabo part # 31597. I’m not sure it’s worth doing this, but once I started I had to finish it up. It makes a real mess but I cleaned it up. I put a thin rubber gasket around the cutout and used a couple of rubber feet to level up the step. I fastened the step down with 4 #12 x 3 inch flat head stainless wood screws countersunk into the step. The rubber surface on top drills very easily. I’m just waiting for the part now. I want to post pics but I keep getting the message about the pics being too large or the wrong format. Looking around for a solution to that. I hope this helps someone in the future. Thanks for the replies Capt J.
