Ballast upgrade how-to on 2003 - up SANTE

[core-rider]

Yes, the empty port.

[gride300]

i just got back from home depot. i picked up two 1" attwood t-style drain plugs. they fit in the drain port on my 210 perfectly. i was going to use the flip style, but it did not have as much leeway as the t-style.

[gride300]

so i am about to go test out the ballast. the only things i used different were-instead of the npt valves i used 4 fly high w742 valves with 4 fly high w736 to connect to the sacs(quick connect so no t-valve needed). these are 3/4", but they also make the same valves in 1". i ended up using less than 23' of hose total. and the previously mentioned plugs. i routed the u bend on the side of the tank instead of directly to the stern. if for some odd reason that doesnt work i'll just move then to the rear. not counting the sacs you'll spend just under 50$ to add 560lbs on top of the factory tanks. genius

[gride300]

works like a charm

[wakebrdr38]

I dont understand how this system empties? Can someone explain? Some pictures would be really helpful

[core-rider]

It empties very well. Basically suction and a bit of gravity help to draw that water out of the sacs back into the tanks. Since all the water in the sacs is above the empty port on the boat you have to plug the empty hole or the water will just drain out by gravity and siphoning. So when the plug is pulled at the end of the day it already wants to empty by itself and the pump being turned on adds just that much more.

Sorry I can't explain it better... "How does posi-tac work? It just does..." [/Joe Dirt's Dad]

[wakebrdr38]

For some reason I am just having a hard time picturing the empty lines based on the description. I get the piggy back for the most part. Do you have any pictures of the system or is there a way we could email details back and forth? I am working on some ideas with valves that would allow me to by pass the extra sacs and run stock really easily. My problem is finding a way to drain by gravity up hill to the top of the tank or how to T into the drain hose at the bottom of the tank.

[core-rider]

This should help you visualize it. I know it doesn't make sense that the sac drain basically goes uphill and that shouldn't work, but trust me, it's been working fine on my boat for 6 years now.

[bowvan]

The simple answer as to how it works is PHYSICS.

The technical answer is pressure differential. A sealed tank has the ability to hold positive and negative pressure. When you redirect the vent hose (into your bag) and close off the empty hose (plug or valve), you have essentially "sealed" the tank. When you fill, the tank fills until it's full and then the positive pressure forces water out the vent (path of least resistance) into the bag. Once the bag is full, positive pressure forces the water (and air) out the vent.

When you empty, the pump creates a negative pressure inside the tank. Atmospheric pressure pushes the water towards the path of least resistance (from the bag to the tank) emptying the bag first and then the tank. Most people refer to this phenomenon an "sucking". The key here is allowing air to pass through the bag once it has emptied, otherwise the tank will not empty. Storing gear on top of your bags usually contributes to the bag flattening out and "air locking". You also want your fill/empty hose to be located at the very lowest point in your bag.

If you want to fill your tanks only, there is no need for an additional valve. Assuming you have ballast gauges, all you need to do is fill until your gauge reads full. At this point you will have just factory weight. You will need to close any valves that allow water to flow through your fill pumps at this point (applies only to aerator pumps), so that you don't continue to passively fill your bags.

[wakebrdr38]

Interesting, I didnt think it would have enough suction to empty the sac back into the hard tank up hill.

My reason for needing to use valves instead of watching the gauges is that the ballast on 02 team editions only had one fill and one empty switch. Which means all three tanks fill at once. This would be ok if they all filled at the same rate but the rate of filling depends on whether you are sitting still or moving. Sometimes the front fills first (if sitting still) other times the rear fills faster if moving. For some reason in mine the belly tank scoop faces backwards on my boat. So I cant fill them all while moving.

Putting in valves allows me to ensure I just fill stock rear tanks and belly if I choose or switch the routing and fill up the piggy backed bags also. Its going to cost quite a bit more in supplies to do this but if it works as planned it would be fairly straight forward.