Bavaria holding tanks

[ROSSCO]

Those lovely people at Bavaria delivered my boat nearly 2 years ago with a holding tank that had not been specified in the details but nevertheless was included gratis. I admit at the time I was pleased as punch with this freebie. However for the second time in as many months it has become blocked and the last time, in the process of unblocking it, I was forced to take a high powered efluent shower. This time I intend to attack the problem from the outside by pumping some water back into the system from a hose via the outlet. What I really want to know is, have any other Bavaria owners had similar problems, because I think it is a design fault ? ( I shall organise a bypass of the system during this winters lay up)

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[sailorman]

vor sprung technic

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[Talbot]

If it is designed properly there should be a bypass anyway Assuming your head is above the waterline:

more details available from <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tek-tanks.com/Pages/frameset.htm>Tek Tanks</A>

I have no connection with this firm other than as a satisfied customer.

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[HeadMistress]

The problem isn't the tank or the system...after all, it did work fine for a couple of years.

The two most likely culprits are: new people aboard who are flushing things they shouldn't (facial tissue, baby wipes, premium "extra strength" toilet paper, tampons, condoms...), or--if you're sure that's not the cause--sea water calcium carbonate buildup in the hoses. I've seen it reduce a 1.5" hose to less than 1/2" in just a couple of years. Several applications of undiluted white vinegar will dissolve it...a cupful flushed through once a week will prevent it from happening again.

If only body waste and quick dissolve TP have gone down it AND you've eliminated calcium carbonate buildup as the culprit, a little patience will prob'ly make it unnecessary to do anything to clear a clog...'cuz solids are 75% water and quick-dissolve TP is called that because it does dissolve quickly. So an hour's wait USUALLY breaks up a clog that isn't caused by anything but an "overload."

<hr width=100% size=1>Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987

 

[TonyS]

I also have a 36. Lovely boat except for the holding tank! We have also blocked it twice. It works fine if you do not put paper down it! We now have a bag for paper and it has not blocked since. Before eliminating paper I carried a piece of dowel and unscrewed the lid and prodded the bottom of the tank and out it flushed! However the stick needs cleaning and there is no way of knowing how full the tank is. If it is full up then as you open it ....... Perhaps there is a correct paper to use but we have found using a plastic bag and disposing it with the rubbish to be no problem. It happens with all 36's as there is a right angle bend at the outlet. Opal will install a bypass and I have seen this on one boat - I don't know if they will admit it is a design fault. Let me know if you succeed. There was discussion of this problem on the Bav owners site.
Tony

<hr width=100% size=1>Tony

 

[rwoofer]

We chartered a bavaria 40 last year and had nothing but problems with the holding tank. We tried all sorts to try and unblock it, including stuffing coat hangers through the gravity discharge outlet. Ended up using friendly bushes as we didn't want to pollute the anchorages.

RB

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[ROSSCO]

thanks very much for your reply - We never put paper down the toilet and always brief guests but of course you can never be sure- Where do you get tp from?

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[ROSSCO]

thanks tony- How do you manage to get a piece of dowel long enough to reach the bottom as the clearance between the underside of the deck and the opening in the top of the tank is only about 6 inches, or do you have a deck access point ?


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[HeadMistress]

If a 90 degree elbow is where it always clogs, replacing it with a radius fitting SHOULD solve the problem...you can get them from any decent plumbing supply. The only difficulty in doing that may be whether there's enough space to accomodate a radius.

<hr width=100% size=1>Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987

 

[jackho]

Hi .. You refer to a Bav. owners site - can you give me a link as a fellow Bav. owner. Many thanks in advance. Jackho

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[TonyS]

WE have the 2 cabin version and the holding tank is on the face of the deep cockpit locker. Therefore access is perfect.
Tony

<hr width=100% size=1>Tony

 

[TonyS]

This is the site:-

http://www.bavariaowners.org.uk/

To get to the members section it will cost 10 pounds per annum. We like attending the occasional rallies around the Solent and to Cherbourg. These are well organised and very friendly while being informal. Sometimes they get Raymarine or Selden at a rally to check the equipment on ones boat.
Tony

<hr width=100% size=1>Tony

 

[ROSSCO]

Problem solved thanks - Found a strip of flexible plastic in the office that is used for passing cabling under the floors - worked a treat, will now be carried onboard as an essential spare. No sooner was that done than I found my cooling water intake blocked - I had to dive under the boat and scrub it clear. - which will no doubt form the basis of my next post (I have my doubts that the antifouling of the saildrive that i paid for was in fact carried out)

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[steve_cronin]

As they say in Greece....

MH RIXNETE XARTIA STN LEKANH

DO NOT PUT PAPERS IN THE TOILET !

If you must, then use Aqua-Chem or Elsan tissue which is "designed" to dissolve quickly.

One member of our family who, in the interests of delicacy will remain nameless, uses significantly more paper than anyone else but even (that person) can't clog the system since we started using Aqua Chem tissue. It is relatively expensive (& we take it out to Greece in bulk) but I only had to clear our system the once (sharp bend) and never since we made this change.

When it's been in storage for a few days it pumps out in pulp form.

Steve Cronin

<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[Trevor_swfyc]

Rossco,
Having just got back from the Ionian where we had a Bavaria 44 on charter. I spotted your post and what do you know we had problems with the heads. The tank drained ok the first week and then once we returned into the inland sea we had problems. We opened the discharge and assumed it drained we soon found it hadn't when the contents started leaking into the boat. We removed the panel to find the inspection cover was leaking. Lucky the tank had an outlet half way up the tank so we were able to drain the liquid from the tank to the fore heads and then pump it away. We then tried to prod the discharge pipe from outside the boat but the ninety degree bend made that method useless. We tried using the inflatable pump to push air up the pipe, loads of bubbles but nothing else happened. Overnight it occurred to me to test the toilet paper, tests showed it fell to shreds when wet, none off this made sense until I found baby wipes hidden in the toilet locker, these did not fall apart in fact they were hard to even pull apart. As a last resort I connected the inflatable pump to the overflow discharge to pressurize the tank with the discharge open, suddenly with a woosh the offending baby wipe shot out. After a chat with the crew we had no more problems and the inspection cover was re-sealed by the charter on our return. I hope the next client has an odour free holiday!.
Ps This was a case where two heads were better than one else we would have been in the ......

Trevor


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