[JSK]

I've just purchased a 1990 3100 Open which was winterized prior to my purchase. The domestic water system is winterized and I need to hook everything back up. Instructions say connect water hose to inlet of domestic pump. Where is the pump located? Is it in the engine bay or ??? Check hot water tank drain valve. Where is the hot tank and pressure relief valve? Install galley filter. No problem with that one. I assume fill the tank now. Purge hot tank before turning on AC breaker. I assume just run tap until it runs straight water with no air. What do I need to do to get the toilet operational. It's a vaccuflush unit. Thanks and happy holidays.

[jmk]

The pump is most likely in the engine room, but the inlet for your freshwater hookup is probably on the outside, in your cockpit someplace. It accepts a garden hose connection, probably the only thing on your boat that does. But it really makes sense for you to go and trace all of the fresh water lines on the boat. Get to know the system, as they may have disconnected the lines in some places in order to winterize. In addition the boat should have a freshwater tank and that probably has antifreeze in it right now. Drinking it can give you a pretty bad bellyache. So you'll have to flush and empty the tank several times to make sure that it is clean. When you hook up city water to the garden hose connection, the pump isn't used and neither is the tank. The tank will remain full of anti-freeze until you open the deck fill plate and fill the tank and empty it several times by running a faucet and using the pump (that means no garden hose connection).

The hot water tank is probably in your engine room as well. It also needs any antifreeze flushed out of it. If they were smart all they did was drain it. Hot water tanks properly drained do not need any antifreeze. Once you have your water running out of the faucet, you should be able to open the rotary valve underneath your back your vacuflush toilet and the water supply for the toilet will be there. Turn on the breaker for the toilet pump and you're ready to go.

[Dakota773]

JSK

I have a 98 31 open. You are correct, the fresh water hook up in on the port side under the step. Attaching a garden hose will pressurize the system down stream of the freshwater pump. My freshwater pump is mounted on the mid-forward bulkhead (between engine bay and cabin) and easily accessible from the day hatch and probably on the stb side adjacent to the water tank. Hooking up the garden hose should put pressurized hose water through all fittings and thus flush them, including the water heater. Unfortunately not the freshwater tank. The only way to drain and flush that is to run water through the system (multiple times to really wash it out).

As for the water heater, mine is located in the cabin not the engine bay. It is in the lower storage bay below the power panel under the bench seat. I believe mine is configured with the overflow - pressure relief draining into the shower sump. As noted above, pressurizing with the hose does feed water through it.

Hope this helps.

[JSK]

Thanks for all of the good info. I was able to locate all the lines and heater. I filed the tank and purged the heater. Turned on pump, purged lines, hot and cold, then turned on water heater. All worked great. Thanks for the help. John