My bow thruster will not raise electrically, so I had to pull it up and
then lock it in the up position. Thruster prop still has power to it,
and lights and bells on control panel still work.

Any suggestions as what might be wrong ? or what to troubleshoot first ?

thanks

john Stonier Santorin 143 Allegra

--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, amelliahona <no_reply@...> wrote:

8 April 2007
"Have done more investigation, found out the outflow from the forward
holding tank was blocked"

What was blocked? The vent, the thru hull outlet, the pump-out stand-
pipe?

The blockage was somewhere between the thru hull outlet and the bottem
of the tapered end of the holding tank

"causing the tank to fill up and cut of vent"

If the thru hull outlet was blocked and the vent was blocked then each
time the toilet was flushed it would pressurize the holding tank and
worsen any joker valve incompetence.

The joker valve was not incompetent. Once the holding tank was full
up, each time the toilet was flushed the overflow leaked out of the
deck vent.

"The seller previously replaced the original holding tank copper intake
tube with PVC tubing"

It is unclear to me which piece of pipe you are talking about, can you
elaborate.

The toilet outflow is connected to the holding tank by means of a hose
which connects the toilet outflow to the inlet pipe of the holding
tank. The holding tank inlet pipe failed at this connection, causing
the leak. The leak soiled the material/fiber lining adjacent to where
the hose traveled.

"He did not remove the original copper tube which remains in the
holding tank, but disconnected from the intake area."

Again I am uncertain how this is possible if it is the piece I am
thinking of.

One of my big concerns is it appears that the holding tank inlet pipe
begins exterior to the holding tank at the inlet pipe connection, then
traverses the vertical length of the holding tank's interior,
extending to the top of the tank where it dumps the black water into
the holding tank. It is this pipe that the seller replaced with PVC
pipe. During the replacement process, he did not remove the original
interior holding tank portion of this pipe, but merely dislodged it so
that it could float freely in the holding tank.

The holding tank on my SM2000 (Hull # 335) is simply a fiberglass
box laminated to the hull with a inlet pipe (from the macerater pump
hose) that dumps into the top of the tank. The outlet is a funnel
shapped portion of the bottom of the box that terminates in the
outlet valve "dump valve" that goes to the thru hull outlet.

Again, my concern is the dislodged original inlet pipe is partially
blocking the funnel shapped portion of the bottom of the box,
interfering with the outflow of black water and promoting blockages.

The

vent is a couple of holes drilled into the "WC" cap fitting on the
deck. This also acts as the overflow if the tank gets too full. The
black water simply runs down your side deck if overfilled. The
deck WC fitting has a standpipe fitted that goes from the fitting to
near the bottom of the tank so that when pump-out suction is
applied the black water is evacuated from the bottom area of the
tank. The vent works in reverse in this case to allow the tank to
be evacuated. There is not access to the tank for cleaning or
inspection.

If the thru hull was blocked I would start by treating my holding
tank repeatedly (filled to the top) with a good holding tank
cleaner and exercising the "dump valve", followed by some
vinegar water treatments etc.

Best of luck, Gary

Thanks, Gary. Again, what I'm really concerned about is that the
outflow from the funnel portion of the holding tank is compromised by
the dislodged original inlet pipe, which may have settled in the
funnel shaped area at the bottom of the holding tank. This results in
a partial obstruction to the flow of black water from the box to the
thru hull, and thereby promotes repeated complete blockages. The idea
that I might have to repeatedly have to manually clear repeated
blockages in this area is not something I want to live with.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem, and if there was
any other solution other than cutting an access port into the holding
tank for the purposes of removing the disloged inlet pipe (assuming
the inlet pipe originally vertically transversed the interior of the
holding tank, and then broke off interiorly--if this assumption is
incorrect, then my concerns regarding this are moot). I have also
sent inquires about this situation to Amel, and am waiting for a response.

John: Re: "See photos on this site in our folder "Moon Dog". for pictures
of the cabinet and book bars, I looked and don't see those pics in your
folder. Please post.

Gary Silver

In Jan 2006 Hanspeter & Nathalie Wehrli of SM #158 wrote:

"To get rid of almost all black material on our hull, we've
installed an Algae-x (http://algae-x.net/)"

8 April 2007

Hanspeter & Nathalie:

Are you still pleased with the Algae-X? Is it still doing the job of
keeping the black soot down from the hull?

Regards, Gary Silver Amel SM2000 Hull # 335

8 April 2007
"Have done more investigation, found out the outflow from the forward
holding tank was blocked"

What was blocked? The vent, the thru hull outlet, the pump-out stand-
pipe?

"causing the tank to fill up and cut of vent"

If the thru hull outlet was blocked and the vent was blocked then each
time the toilet was flushed it would pressurize the holding tank and
worsen any joker valve incompetence.

"The seller previously replaced the original holding tank copper intake
tube with PVC tubing"

It is unclear to me which piece of pipe you are talking about, can you
elaborate.

"He did not remove the original copper tube which remains in the
holding tank, but disconnected from the intake area."

Again I am uncertain how this is possible if it is the piece I am
thinking of.

The holding tank on my SM2000 (Hull # 335) is simply a fiberglass
box laminated to the hull with a inlet pipe (from the macerater pump
hose) that dumps into the top of the tank. The outlet is a funnel
shapped portion of the bottom of the box that terminates in the
outlet valve "dump valve" that goes to the thru hull outlet. The
vent is a couple of holes drilled into the "WC" cap fitting on the
deck. This also acts as the overflow if the tank gets too full. The
black water simply runs down your side deck if overfilled. The
deck WC fitting has a standpipe fitted that goes from the fitting to
near the bottom of the tank so that when pump-out suction is
applied the black water is evacuated from the bottom area of the
tank. The vent works in reverse in this case to allow the tank to
be evacuated. There is not access to the tank for cleaning or
inspection.

If the thru hull was blocked I would start by treating my holding
tank repeatedly (filled to the top) with a good holding tank
cleaner and exercising the "dump valve", followed by some
vinegar water treatments etc.

Best of luck, Gary

John:

I noticed that when I was in USA waters and getting diesel from US
sources I had very little black exhaust residue but now that I am back
in the Caribbean I am having lots of trouble with the black soot.
I attributed this to higher sulfer fuels but certainly could be due to
higher humidity etc. What has been your experience?
Did your cruising grounds change about the time you installed the
Algae X filter? I reviewed the Algae X web site and found it a little too
hocus pocus. More details on your experience would be appreciated.

Regards, Gary Silver

8 April 20007

Head Odors & Preventive Maintenance of the Jabsco Quite Flush
Electric Head:

Head odors seem to only be a problem in the forward head. In my
experience the single largest cause of head odors in the forward
head is an incompetent (medical term for not completely sealing)
joker valve. The Jabsco joker valves (the valve that prevents reflux
of toilet waste from the vertical hose/pipe that goes from the toilet
toilet macerator pump outlet to the holding tank) come in tri-cuspid
and bi-cuspid models each carrying the same part number. I
haven't been able to determine if one type is more susceptible to
regurgitation than the other. The soft rubber of the joker valve is
easily contaminated with salt and calcium deposits that render
them susceptible to leakage. Because the forward head has a longer
hose from the macerater pump to the holding tank it also has a
taller column of waste water (more mass = more pressure against
the valve) that the joker valve has to check. It also requires greater
quantities of water to adequately flush so that there isn't grooslly
contaminated fluid standing in the pipe.

Incompetent valve diagnosis: Flush (empty) the toilet bowl completely,
then let it sit for a couple of hours, if there is then ANY fluid in the
bowl after this waiting period it is regurgitated waste water and I
guarantee it will have a bad odor. Replace the joker valve and see
if that doesn't fix your smell problem.

As a matter of careful head and holding tank service I flush the system
with fresh water frequently (use the shower hose) and treat the system
with vinegar water periodically (weekly) to help mitigate salt deposits.
I do this by adding a cup of white vinegar (acetic acid) to a completely
full toilet bowl of fresh water, then emptying the bowl so that the
vinegar water stands in the toilet-to-holding-tank hose for an hour
or so.

Also, replace the electric motor shaft seal yearly to prevent leakage
of water onto the motor as a very expensive motor it is.

Gary Silver Amel SM2000 Hull # 335

Does anyone use these vector charts developed for ECDIS?
If so, which commercial software are you using?
What advice do you have regarding their use?
Thanks,
Drew
s/v SM390 Revelation

Have done more investigation, found out the outflow from the forward
holding tank was blocked, causing the tank to fill up and cut off
vent, thus creating a very noxious smell. The seller took a hanger
and inserted it up the through hull and released a blockage, rusulting
in the holding tank being emptied.

The seller previously replaced the original holding tank copper intake
tube with PVC tubing. He did not remove the original copper tube
which remains in the holding tank, but disconnected from the intake
area. I'm concerned the copper tube has shifted and is blocking the
normal gravity emptying of the holding tank.

Has anyone heard of this type of situation? What would be the best
way to get a look inside the tank to see if the copper tube was
interfering with the normal gravity functioning of the tank? If it
was interfering, what would be the best approach to fix the situation?
Can the holding tanks be opened to remove such a blockage?

--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, Richard Piller
<richard03801@...> wrote:

We also have a 98 SM #209. The front head also had
some ordor issues. Very quickly after we pruchased
the boat I replace the hose leading from the head to
the tank. No more ordor. If the copper tube was
replaced it would be interesting to know how that was
done.

On the other hand with an inch of diameter difference
between the PVC and fitting there is no way in the
world that you will get anything near a tight fit.
You may want to consider using a hose diameter adaptor
that is available at Defender or West Marine. Use a
short correct size PVC section then using the 1.5"
diameter normal hose to the head.

Good luck, there are always lots of smelly sweet
things you can hang in the front head to kill the
ordor.

Richard

--- drdavegoodman <drdavegoodman@...> wrote:

I am in the process of purchasing a 1998 SM. Some
years back the
seller replaced the forward holding tank intake
copper tube with PVC
piping after the copper tube failed for some reason.
The outflow hose
from the head is clamped to the PVC tube intake of
the holding tank.
There is about 1 inch distance between the end of
the clamped hose and
the holding tank, and the PVC that is visible is
coated blue.
Evidence of old head outflow leakage is evident in
the head shelf
lining where the holding tank intake tube meets the
head outflow hose.
The problem is there is a very strong head smell
that a recent
surveyor thinks is coming from the connection
between the head and the
PVC holding intake tube. The seller thinks the
problem is just normal
head odors, and is caused by lack of regular usage
of the forward
head. Would appreciate response from anyone
familiar with head odor
problems or breakage of the holding tank intake
copper tubing.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Don't pick lemons.
See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html

An excellent and free GRIB viewer and data server service is available
via www.grib.us

From their website: "GRIB is the format used by the meteorological
institutes of the world to transport and manipulate weather data and is
the foundation of the forecasts we see around us in our daily life. In
the past, accessing and viewing GRIB weather data has often required a
tricky combination of technical knowledge and expensive software."

Their user interface is outstanding and very easy to use.

All the best,
Richard
SM "Spice"

Thanks, Richard.
I think the hose leading from the head to tank is part of the problem.
The other part is that when the original connection failed up near
the tank, leakage got onto the material/fabric that lines the
shelves/hull immediately adjacent to where the hose travels. I
suspect odor is still emanating from that material, which appears
stained and unsightly. Any advice on removing and replacing the material?

--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, Richard Piller
<richard03801@...> wrote:

We also have a 98 SM #209. The front head also had
some ordor issues. Very quickly after we pruchased
the boat I replace the hose leading from the head to
the tank. No more ordor. If the copper tube was
replaced it would be interesting to know how that was
done.

On the other hand with an inch of diameter difference
between the PVC and fitting there is no way in the
world that you will get anything near a tight fit.
You may want to consider using a hose diameter adaptor
that is available at Defender or West Marine. Use a
short correct size PVC section then using the 1.5"
diameter normal hose to the head.

Good luck, there are always lots of smelly sweet
things you can hang in the front head to kill the
ordor.

Richard

--- drdavegoodman <drdavegoodman@...> wrote:

I am in the process of purchasing a 1998 SM. Some
years back the
seller replaced the forward holding tank intake
copper tube with PVC
piping after the copper tube failed for some reason.
The outflow hose
from the head is clamped to the PVC tube intake of
the holding tank.
There is about 1 inch distance between the end of
the clamped hose and
the holding tank, and the PVC that is visible is
coated blue.
Evidence of old head outflow leakage is evident in
the head shelf
lining where the holding tank intake tube meets the
head outflow hose.
The problem is there is a very strong head smell
that a recent
surveyor thinks is coming from the connection
between the head and the
PVC holding intake tube. The seller thinks the
problem is just normal
head odors, and is caused by lack of regular usage
of the forward
head. Would appreciate response from anyone
familiar with head odor
problems or breakage of the holding tank intake
copper tubing.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Don't pick lemons.
See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html

We also have a 98 SM #209. The front head also had
some ordor issues. Very quickly after we pruchased
the boat I replace the hose leading from the head to
the tank. No more ordor. If the copper tube was
replaced it would be interesting to know how that was
done.

On the other hand with an inch of diameter difference
between the PVC and fitting there is no way in the
world that you will get anything near a tight fit.
You may want to consider using a hose diameter adaptor
that is available at Defender or West Marine. Use a
short correct size PVC section then using the 1.5"
diameter normal hose to the head.

Good luck, there are always lots of smelly sweet
things you can hang in the front head to kill the
ordor.

Richard

--- drdavegoodman <drdavegoodman@gmail.com> wrote:

I am in the process of purchasing a 1998 SM. Some
years back the
seller replaced the forward holding tank intake
copper tube with PVC
piping after the copper tube failed for some reason.
The outflow hose
from the head is clamped to the PVC tube intake of
the holding tank.
There is about 1 inch distance between the end of
the clamped hose and
the holding tank, and the PVC that is visible is
coated blue.
Evidence of old head outflow leakage is evident in
the head shelf
lining where the holding tank intake tube meets the
head outflow hose.
The problem is there is a very strong head smell
that a recent
surveyor thinks is coming from the connection
between the head and the
PVC holding intake tube. The seller thinks the
problem is just normal
head odors, and is caused by lack of regular usage
of the forward
head. Would appreciate response from anyone
familiar with head odor
problems or breakage of the holding tank intake
copper tubing.

____________________________________________________________________________________
Don't pick lemons.
See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html

Our experience of 17 years as Amel owners is that Amel dont always acknowledge written requests for spares but are nonetheless very reliable.
I think that there is a cultural difference between Anglo Saxons who feel uncertain if everything is not immediately in writing and the French who along with the Italians, Spanish and others , in my experience, are quite relaxed about the lack of correspondence possibly because their postal systems were never accorded the same priority in public services as those of the UK and US and therefore discouraged people from writing letters.
As someone has already written, if in doubt make a telephone call.
Amel spares can be pricey but they carry a huge amount of stock and , to me, their availability , particularly if you are short of time, is well worth the price. Just recently I needed end caps for my Dessalator. The Dessalator agent in UK didnt have them in stock. Amel did, and within 3 days of a call they had arrived with a friend in Boulder, Colorado who was flying down to Argentina the next day. Thats worth paying for.
cheers, Ian and Judy Jenkins, Pen Azen, SM 302, Uruguay

_________________________________________________________________
Txt a lot? Get Messenger FREE on your mobile. https://livemessenger.mobile.uk.msn.com/

On our boat we are politically incorrect and have Pink jobs ( Judys) and Blue jobs ( mine). This is strictly a Pink job request for info. We have been running our freezer at what I suspect are ridiculously low temps, about -18C or about 0 F .We probably ought to choose a temperature which would allow safe food for about two months ( though we have enjoyed frozen meat bought 6 months previously.)
Assume two months: What temperature would you choose for the central section of the freezer?
Cheers, Ian and Judy Jenkins, Pen Azen , SM 302, Uruguay

_________________________________________________________________
Get Hotmail, News, Sport and Entertainment from MSN on your mobile. http://www.msn.txt4content.com/

I am in the process of purchasing a 1998 SM. Some years back the
seller replaced the forward holding tank intake copper tube with PVC
piping after the copper tube failed for some reason. The outflow hose
from the head is clamped to the PVC tube intake of the holding tank.
There is about 1 inch distance between the end of the clamped hose and
the holding tank, and the PVC that is visible is coated blue.
Evidence of old head outflow leakage is evident in the head shelf
lining where the holding tank intake tube meets the head outflow hose.
The problem is there is a very strong head smell that a recent
surveyor thinks is coming from the connection between the head and the
PVC holding intake tube. The seller thinks the problem is just normal
head odors, and is caused by lack of regular usage of the forward
head. Would appreciate response from anyone familiar with head odor
problems or breakage of the holding tank intake copper tubing.

Hello John and Anne,

Are your 30 / 50 amp chargers "Nemo's"? I have two Nemo 50 chargers
that pulled out of my boat, when I installed the 100 amp charger I
now have. If you or anyone needs a spare working charger at a
reasonable price let me know.

Tony
SM #266

--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, "John and Anne on Bali Hai"
<annejohn@...> wrote:

I have a 30amp plus a 50amp charger. They are It seems to me

programmed

sso that the 30 should be turned on first and the other after a

minute

od so to let the charge rate stabilise. The 50amp one does not take

the

volts up to 28.8 and indeed does nothing much once the volts reach
about 27 whereas the 30amp one will take them up to 28.6.
At one time Amel told me that the output can be increased by

carefully

scraping the red locking varnish off the left hand trimmer in the
middle and near the bottom of the board and turning it clockwise to
increase the volts. I tried this and broke the trimmer...perhaps I
should have asked a technician to replace the trimmer in the first
place.
The chargers are standard models altered to meet Amel's spec. I

sent

mine back to the Reya's factory in the south of France and asked

them

to repair it and also to change it back to the standard spec. which
they did and all has been well since. The contact is an Irish girl
whose name is Lucy Kelly lucy.kelly at reya.com
Eric,
After spending a long time Googling I have found a supplier for the
striper. contact louatantiqueboat.com and specify Embee Striper

Model

No 1100 for $29.99. There is a lot of help on painting the stripes

if

you enter words like false teak decks in the search box on this

site.

Would people please list the subject of their messages so that the
search machine can do it's job.

Regards, Anne and John SM319

-Hello John,

My SM #266 does the exact same thing. Everything normal. After a
few minutes of running mine stops making water out of the loop.

Good sailing,

Tony
WORLD CITIZEN
SM #266





-- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, "john martin" <symoondog@...>
wrote:

Can anyone tell me how much, if any, water is normally supposed to

come out

of the little pipe that vents out of the engine room from the top

of the

anti siphon loop above the engine, and vents/drains into the

cockpit drain

area just forward of the line locker for the mizzen mast ? When

my engine

is idling a very small amount of water comes out, and when I push

the rpm

above 2000 rpm, quite a lot of water comes out. When I run just

the

generator alone, no water comes out.
Thanks much
John Martin
Moon Dog SM #248

_________________________________________________________________
5.5%* 30 year fixed mortgage rate. Good credit refinance. Up to 5

free

quotes - *Terms
https://www2.nextag.com/goto.jsp?product=100000035&;url=%

2fst.jsp&tm=y&search=mortgage_text_links_88_h2a5d&s=4056&p=5117&disc=y
&vers=910

Hi all, I have both a 30 and a 50 amp Dolphin charger. I can find nothing saying which order I should use them in. I have used both or either with success. My undesrtanding was that the 30 amp one was for use in marinas that may not have a large amperage supply.
What the original manual does say is that there is a switch that allows you to choose between Gel and Free batteries. If you choose Gel, you get 27.2v floating, with 28.8v boost; with Free you get 26.6v floating with 28.2v boost. In my ignorance I have never understood the difference between Free and Gel batteries. I assume that the original Amel Freedom batteries are Free batteries and I am pretty certain that I have yet to see a boost of 28.8v

Cheers, Ian and Judy Jenkins, Pen Azen, SM 302, UIruguay

_________________________________________________________________
MSN Hotmail is evolving - check out the new Windows Live Mail http://ideas.live.co.uk

Hi Pat,

I am sorry to read that you are having difficulty with Amel After Sales. My
guess is that for some reason your e-mails have not arrived. Yesterday I
sent two e-mails to Amel. One was to amel@amel.fr to order parts. (I should
have used sav@amel.fr but it was still answered by SAV within 24 hours). The
other was to the Chairman and he answered within hours also. Despite Amel
and myself having a poor relationship at one time, I have always found their
after sales service superb.

I would suggest a follow up call to Olivier Beute on +33.546.55.17.31 to see
what has gone wrong.

Good luck

Ian Shepherd SM 414 Crusader

Hi Pat
they usually answer rapidly. I had to deal with them lately and they
are very helpful and courteous.
You can also call them (watch for working hours = ECT +6)at
+33 5 46 55 17 18.
Georges Pellegrini SA 132