I've seen a couple different diagrams through a search i did, and still not sure if i've got a 100% answer. where do you fellers that have done your own ballast system run your vent. do you tee it into your drain line(i've got the pro x series 750 pd sacs from fly high) or do you run a separate line out the side of the boat?? any help would be greatly appreciated. I've got everything in place already, and just need to get the ballast switcher from the stealer, and cut holes in the side of my boat for the drain ports to empty the sacs. thanx ryan

I drilled new holes just for the vent. 1 for each bag.

<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/456828.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR> <BR>I T'd into the drain line and used a swing check (flapper style) valve. This does what I need it to and the bag drains completely. Either way will work, I just didn't want an extra hole. BTW, the vent line is 3/4" bilge hose; very flexible and it doesn't kink.

I T'd into the drain line and it works fine. Just don't forget the check valve so the the drain water does not go back into the sack. <BR> <BR>I wouldn't be afraid to do it either way, but it just made sense to me to do 1 less hole in the fiberglass.

thanx for the info boys. I must be brainfarting pretty seriously here. Dont' know why i thought this way, but i was thinking the vent line was to get rid of excess air in the bags. now that i've pulled my head out, it's basically when your filling bags up, the excess comes out the vent line and let's you know bag is full. when I was purchasing some of the plumbing at a underground sprinkler place, they said the had valves there, are these the ones i should get. just a basic type valve? thanx for the info. ryan

Not sure how Centurion Boats ballast system works. But I woould do what the last 2 guy's said just T off stock drain line and put a ckeck valve on so water won't drain back in bag and call it good! This helps if you have reverseable pumps so they drain all the way. Also the vavles do let the air out so you're bag is all water!

The vent works as an air burp and an overflow if it is located properly. It should come out at the highest point of the sack, like Rich's above. If you don't care about burping the sack, the drain line would work as an overflow. <BR> <BR>Make sure the vent line thru-hull is located above the highest water level you can get in the sack it's venting. If not, the sack can siphon down to the level of the thruhull (unless you have a vented loop in the vent line). <BR> <BR>If you have reversible pumps, your vent and drain line are the same single line, no need for a drain thru-hull, so not really applicable to this question. Your vent line would be a separate dedicated line.

Trace, <BR> <BR>In the case of reversible pumps, don't you mean the fill/drain line are the same? Not vent/drain? You could either go without the vent line, or have a dedicated one, right? <BR> <BR>With a reversible pump, could/would you hook the vent line into the bilge line so it could work as an overflow out of the existing through-hull? Or are there problems with doing that? <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR>J <BR> <BR>(Message edited by wristy_j on June 13, 2007)

You could do that, but then you would have to put a check valve in your bilge vent or the vent from the sack would spill over into the bilge line, down to the bilge pump and into the bilge. Once the bilge got full enough of water, then bilge pump would then come on<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/rofl.gif" border=0>and pump it back into the sack.

Sorry yeah, fill and drain.

I just finished my ballast system. I had a center take already with a vent line, then I t ed into the drain with that. I did use check valves on all 3 tanks/sacs so if I just wanted to fill one for surfing the others don't get the overflow. But remember the vent is a air burp or you wont use the full potential of the sacs or tanks. Here is my install. <BR> <BR><a href="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/462393.html?1181713165" target="_blank">http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/462393.html?1181713165</a>