Well it’s Sunday and while many rested, we on Zephyr did not. Being in a marina is normally time for us to get jobs done since we can find parts or help should the problem be beyond our scope of knowledge(lots of times). Yesterday was the day for changing out our engine oil now that we have our new oil extractor pump from West Marine. Our last one gave up the ghost in Puerto Vallarta and we order in a new one so it would be waiting for us when we got to La Paz. La Paz Cruisers Supply is the place to go. Rich either has it or can get it in a week or so. He ordered it in for us along with a new macerator for the stern head. Now it rare that we find a product that surprises us but this new pump worked great. Far better than the last one we had. It claimed that 25 pumps of the handle will suck out your oil. The last one was pump pump and more pumps to get the job done. This one was 25 pumps and let her suck. It did a great job of pulling out the oil. Well done West Marine!
Our job today was the tough one. Changing out the dead macerator for the stern head. It had died clear back in Panama and while we had a replacement already, what we didn’t have was the sanitation hoses. One at 1.5 inches and one at 1 inch. While we’d changed out the hoses when we got the stern tank fixed back in Curaçao, once they are shoved over the barbs on the fittings, you can’t get them back off so we needed new hoses. We found them in Puerto Vallarta but didn’t trust the replacement macerator we’ve had on board for years. We wanted a ShurFlo so we had Rich get it for us. Today was rip it out and replace it day. The biggest problem was that there was some “liquid waste” in the tank that we couldn’t get out(dead macerator) so we cleaned everything out from around the hoses and brought in a bucket and sheet of plastic so what was still in the tank could get collected and removed. I took a back saw to the rubber hose and we got what was left in the tank collected and paper towels shoved into the old hoses. I unscrewed the macerator and handed it to Tracy as I was pretty much a captive of the stern head. It’s square footage of the floor is so small that once you are down, it’s not the easiest to get back up(especially with bad knees). Out came the old unit and all it’s hoses and then we had to clean the caulk off the timetables tank where the old hose was. Who ever made the tank didn’t put any bards on the stainless steel tank so a coating Of caulk is necessary to keep the hose from leaking. I made sure to get the nice black caulk on different parts of my body as I fitted on the new hose. It can really stick to leg hair. While doing the job, I took off my pants as not wanting to get any thing from the tank on them. As for putting on the new hoses, well first they have to be cut to length and then soaked in really hot water so they can expand when shoved onto the fittings. We made sure to put the caulk on the entire fitting at the bottom of the steel tank before sliding on the hose with the opposite end going on the macerator. Then the electrical connections were made and the heat gun brought out to shrink the plastic on the butt joints once then crimped had done its job. One went the smaller hose that takes what the macerator has macerated and takes it out the side of the hull. All in all, about a three hour job from start to finish. Now we have to flush out the old macerator and strip it for parts(blades and impeller)should the new ones impeller die. A stinky job done and off the list.
Tomorrow, we start in on the water maker. Haven’t used it in a year or so so there will be things that need replacing or repairing. The electrician is due here on Wednesday. Ah, living the dream!