2001 SAN 210 Ballast Piggyback

[WakeUT]

I’ve been considering trying to piggyback ballast bags on top of the hard tanks, looking to avoid removing them at least for now. In theory it would be easy to run the overflow tube into the ballast bag and then another tube out for overflow.

My concern in emptying, worried when the bag is empty it would cut off the airflow for the hard tank creating a vacuum. I’m curious how to avoid this.

My other question would be the valves by the drivers seat that I need to open to fill or empty. Clearly they are introducing air into the system I just don’t know where and if they already solve this problem.

Any advice appreciated.

[03SANTE]

There is a big thread on here about this and how to prevent the vacuum with quick connect hoses. You basically fill with the old overflow line and after the bags empty, disconnect it so it can suck air back into the tank, preventing the vacuum. You can even make a little bypass hose to just use the tanks for boarding and you don't need the bags involved.

My valves are non functional in the open position. I just use the main brass valves to allow filling. They need to be closed when full or the tanks and bags will drain as you surf.

I just pulled everything and went to 750's but the piggy backing did work well. If your boat has the wedge tanks I actually have the wedge bags listed for sale they hold an additional 400 lbs each.

[Beach-TJ]

To address the emptying issue, you can use the Suction Stop Quick Connect, I've been using them successfully for a year now. They come in the 3/4" and 1" sizes, I believe.

https://www.fatsac.com/product/ballast-34-quick-connect

[WakeUT]

Thanks for the feedback.

The vents next to the drivers seat work and need to be opened to drain or fill. Not sure I fully understand the system. I am not aware of a main brass valve.

I’d definitely prefer not to need to open up the lockers and hook up or disconnect hoses each time I fill those up. That isn’t much of an improvement from dropping the pump over the side like I am doing now. I do like the idea of a bypass to not fill into the sacs when we don’t need it. My plan for that was just to watch the gauges and shut the valve when the tank was full.

[WakeUT]

To address the emptying issue, you can use the Suction Stop Quick Connect, I've been using them successfully for a year now. They come in the 3/4" and 1" sizes, I believe.

https://www.fatsac.com/product/ballast-34-quick-connect

This has potential. I’m having a hard time finding a description for this or how it works, I did check wakemakers and it says it helps.

So you have one of these on the input and another on the overflow hose? No need to disconnect tubes each time?

[Beach-TJ]

This has potential. I’m having a hard time finding a description for this or how it works, I did check wakemakers and it says it helps.

So you have one of these on the input and another on the overflow hose? No need to disconnect tubes each time?

Yes, you need 2 per sac, one for in and one for the out. No need to disconnect the tubes. From what I can tell they work by the fact they can draw air or water from the sides. The connection can't create a suction against the sack.

[Beach-TJ]

Thanks for the feedback.

The vents next to the drivers seat work and need to be opened to drain or fill. Not sure I fully understand the system.

Your not alone, my buddy has a 2000 210 and I don't think either of us figured out exactly how that system works.

[Beach-TJ]

One thing to note, the rear compartments on the 2000 210 are considerably different than my 2004 210. I know the '03 to '06 are the same, I believe the '02 are like mine as well. While I have the 440 lb sacks on top of my 260 lb wedge tanks, they would not fit in my buddies '00 210.

[swatguy]

You don’t have to worry at all about the tanks collapsing. You have an aerator system not a reversible pump system. The aerator pumps have nowhere near the sucking power of a reversible pump.
All you need to do is hook the overflow from the tank into the bag and then put the over flow to the bag out the side and the system will function as it does from factory. The biggest issue you you encounter is the fill rate of the pump will slow considerably due to back pressure trying to pump the water through the tank , into the bag.

[WakeUT]

Thanks, this is all very helpful information. This sounds like it is going to be pretty straight forward. Maybe $100 or so in tubing and fittings and I should be good.

Right now I manually fill up 400 lb sacs on top of the hard tanks. I probably only get 300 in there before I am out of room. Wakemakers has bags 40x20x8 that with the hard tanks would give me close to 500lbs each side and leave a small amount of room for life jackets or ropes.

[WakeUT]

Ordered parts from wakemakers and got it installed. Didn’t take long.

[06OGsan210]

Iv got hard tanks removed in the back of mine but my belly tank is there and I put plastic y in the feed line and ran two vents one fills faster then the other so I just leave my pump on while one over flows until the other one starts to overflow, It works fine

[Capachamp21]

WakeUT, how has this been working out? Does it take long to fill/empty the bags with them piggy backed?