A problem one wouldn't want to get wrong!!

Becky

Becky

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A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

So....... the instruction book that came with my holding tank says that I should use a disolving toilet paper.

Which left me with the idea that I should conduct a scientific experiment to discover which was the best make to choose. Rows of glasses each with its own make of loo paper, dated and watched to see which make disintegrates the soonest.

Or do only the Dutch (it's a Vetus holding tank) make such loo paper?

But then in a flash of inspiration, I thought I would cast this puzzlement on to the Forum for the best minds in sailing to advise me /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

So which should I buy to not jam up my new and so far partly installed holding tank??


It just might be worth mentioning that the tank itself wasn't very expensive. 60 litres of odour-proof plastic that would delight the Headmistresses eye (or more appropriately, her nose), but by the time I had bought the new thro-hull fittings, (Blakes, to satisfy HWMBO), the diverter valve, the smell-proof pipes that neither of us can force onto said valve connections, and the gauge and sender unit that won't become blocked by... well use your imagination, I had spent quite a lot of money. And this doesn't include the elbow-length rubber gloves for HWMBO should he block it up ( /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

So, it will be a very luxurious toilet in Cornish Maid's forward heads, with use in confined waters now available. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

[ QUOTE ]
No paper ever down the heads (unless you've eaten it first!)

[/ QUOTE ]

When I first came out here (Baltics) ... things were still pretty well soviet style. Loo-paper was often last weeks Pravda or some ar** wipe paper that could sand the varnish of your strakes ... Flushing was near g'teed to bring the soviet bog system to a blocked mess. So they had the trash bin system by side of the bog. Yep ... wipe and bin it .. UGH !!!!

I have never forgotten it and so far ... paper has gone through my baby Blake without hassle ... and that is "bog-standard" tesco economy paper. All I suggest to anyone when using the loo - if you need plenty of paper ... then use so much ... flush ... next load ... flush etc. etc. not to try and flush the whole lot in one go.

/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

While paper may be a problem in a caravan or narrow boat, bear in mind that on seagoing boats the tanks get very thoroughly stirred. What emerges from the seacocks when our tanks are pumped is very thoroughly macerated. we certainly don't buy special high-cost bog paper, in fact the cheaper the better.
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

[ QUOTE ]
No paper ever down the heads (unless you've eaten it first!)

[/ QUOTE ]

But afterwards it tastes so awful !
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

Having spent the best part of 40 years around caravans and narrowboats we;ve never once had a problem with bog paper going down the bog whether dealing with Elsan bucket and chuckit, posher Portapottis or the dreaded pump out.

And the single most disgusting experience I ever had was on a narrowboat where the owners insisted on the arse wipe going into a bin next to the loo. Yuk!

That said, fresh bog paper pumped straight out into the sea might be a bit of an issue I guess

We've generally found that the cheaper supermarket own brand bog paper dissolves away quicker than expensive stuff and that a reasonable dose of Aquachem speeds things up considerably (but that may not be an option if the holding tank is goiung to be pumped out at sea later)
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

[ QUOTE ]
No paper ever down the heads (unless you've eaten it first!)



[/ QUOTE ]

Why not? If your heads can't take lavatory paper there must be something wrong with the installation.
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

Avoid any of the 'moisturised' or luxury papers. The former type take a very long while to dissolve, as they need to hold in the moisturiser. The later is quite thick so takes longer to break down.

Go for standard bog roll (not value as SWMBO may complain).

Also, don't use hand tissues as these are designed to hold together when they get wet...
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

Reminds me of the first time I took my new First 24 up to Bucklers Hard! It had a holding tank that I later found to be the size of a biscuit tin.

I was stood in the cockpit the following morning drinking a cuppa and became aware of SWMBO pumping out the loo. I then bacame aware of a gushing sound from the transom.. I took a peek (yes, I said peek) to see the contents of the loo being discharged from the overflow.

But worry not! The charm of the river was preserved by our inflatable which was tied across the stern!
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

[ QUOTE ]
things were still pretty well soviet style

[/ QUOTE ]

It is well-attested, but not much known, that our Cold War spies' activities were not all of the 'honey trap' ( Bond-style ) femme fatale variety. Y'see, it became known that Soviet DAVS airbases and Strategic Rocket Force security troops were poorly supplied with the 'necessities of life', and that they had developed the habit of using pages from their secret Operating Manuals for the wiping of the cheeks.

So a significant, though understandably unpopular, espionage effort was mounted to 'recover and reinstate' said pages from the Top Secret ( did I 'bottom secret?' ) urinals in the Urals.

So, next time this coming season you find yourself donning the Marigolds and gas-mask for a forey among the Great Unflushed, give a thought to the unsung heroes and heroines who left no stone unturned in the service of Her Majesty.

'Dulce et decorum est, pro patria....'



/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

swmbo insists on a bag in the bog for the paper, i think its disgusting, smelly bits of poo on paper, yuk, i just wipe and pump, have explained many times that i am the unblocker therefore i dont give a poo!! and will do as i please!! when i was in angola and we built a portakabin camp i designed and built the septic tank, and us brits and americans wiped and flushed, no probs, but then found out that the portuguese wiped and put in bin, yuk, apparantly that was the std in portugal because the pipework cant cope!!
any way told the camp boss in no uncertain terms to get rid of the shyitty bins, he was horrified, i told him , i designed the system, i have every confidence, in it so tell them all to wipe and flush or else! we never had a prob i must say plus we have never had a prob on the boat.
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

I cannot speak for SWMBO but I have a sensitive bum, so we use Andrex as advertised by cuddly puppies. It has never caused any problem with either the Lavac on our last boat, Jabsco Loo on our current boat or the holding tank on it either.

As for eating it first or filing it in a bag by the loo, the mind BOGgles.
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

No worries with soft tissues Becky. Just dont use the old fashioned hard thin paper. It jams the macerator pump and scratches yer bum anyway. Standard soft tissues are chopped up by the pump and will not clog your tank or pipes so long as you don't use loads of it. There used to be an old services guideline for the quantity of perforated pieces of loo paper required per poo. 1 up, 1 down, and 1 polish!
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

My father used to say that you only need three pieces of toilet paper. Two to wipe and one to polish! I guess the 'polish' could be done away with in close quarters.
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

Enviromentally challenged the lot of you!! If you are so ashamed of your bodily functions, what a shame! Yes it is a pet hate, loo paper sent out into the oggin. Normal waste, that has been eaten, is okay but not paper. Any of you been diving/snorkelling in an anchorage - no thought not! Paper, even macerated, sinks to the bottom and kills off the seabed by excluding oxygen. You must have seen shrubs festooned with loo paper in tidal situations. The rest of the waste is taken care of by the fish etc. Please use a plastic bag/bin by the loo for the paper, it's only yours for goodness sake, make sure it's emptied regularly.
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

Its disappointing to find there are so many people who do not care about other water users and marine life.
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

Am reminded of the story of the people who had a Greek lad come to stay on a student exchange. They had a wicker laundry basket in their bathroom; they had to point out to the lad after a couple of days that the plumbing is able to cope with paper in the UK....
 
Re: A problem one wouldn\'t want to get wrong!!

To answer the second part of your post>.
How to get the new hoses to seat over the new fittings..
Have you tried using fairy liquid on the fitting and then dipping the hose ends in near boiling water? wear gloves and quickly push AND twist the two together.
 
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