SSV ballast fill/drain question

I just bought a 2004 Supra SSV that has the stock triple Bertha Ballast system. This is my first boat with an automatic ballast system, so I have a question about it.

When I took the boat out for the first time the other day I filled the rear sacs to make sure everything worked. I flipped the switch to fill up both rear sacs. As I expected, when they started to get full water started shooting out of the drain holes on the sides of the boat. I have friends with auto ballast systems in their boats and theirs do this as well, so I was expecting it.

When the water started coming out of the drain holes I flipped the fill switch to the off position. With the switch in the off position water continued to drain out of the drain holes for another 10-15 seconds. I looked at the sacs in the rear compartments and noticed that they were only 90%-95% full. They were close to full, but by no means anywhere close to buldging. Is this normal?

As I said before, I have friends that have auto ballast systems in their boats, Malibus to be exact. As far as I can remember, their systems do not do this. When they flip the fill switch to off the water stops draining. I just confirmed this with a one of my friends and he said that his ballast sacs are very full when he flips the switch to off. Is the Bertha Ballast system just different or is something wrong here?

I think one difference between the boats is the Malibu has hard tanks. Anyway
1. Check all your bags - make sure that the drain/fill plug on the other end from the hoses it pointed up. If not - disconnect turn over & reconnect.
2. When filling your sacks the next time - this goes for the front one too, when they get about 3/4 full - open the extra plug and let the air out. Do this until they are full. After that you shouldn't need to do this again unless you remove the bag and let the air in.
3. Bags will expand and create pressure on the overflow line. Once the pressure is static - the water will stop coming out.

Whats happening is there is air in your bags yet - the bag expanded when you filled it but the overflow works off the drain system - so water came out- not air. You looked after it stopped "peeing" and the air space is what you took for a not full sack.

Hardtanks will stop almost immediatly because they don't expand.
Let me know if this solves your problem

~S~

Thanks for the reply. I had wondered if the sacs needed to be burped. What you say makes perfect sense.

I am a little confused by number 1 though. What do you mean by the "drain/fill plug on the other end from the hoses". Are you talking about the third drain/fill hole in the sac with the cap on it? The one I would use to "burp" the sacs?

If so, yes, this plug hole was on the bottom. I will flip it over and burp it next time.

Thanks!

Yes thats the one - they were installed upside by the factory. Its easy to fix. Make sure the threaded fittings are tight while you are in there.

~S~

May want to check your pumps too. They could be partially open due to the constant trash these things suck up from the lake. If yours has the same Rule pump as mine, then IT SUCKS. I simply spliced in a shut off valve, which you can buy from a local hardware store and then fill 'em till they burst which I don't recommend. I ordered new bags from Boarderparadise.com to completely fill all three compartments. I never drain mine since I live on the lake so using the shut off valve is no big deal. I also removed the false wall on drivers side which ultimately added another 6+ inches of depth and new bags added almost 700lbs of weight on both sides. Same with center bag, had BP.com make a custom sack almost triangular at the nose but still rectangular in design which put me at almost 1500lbs.