Holding Tank Question

Ah, well don't expect too much grief from Peggie, as said I'd imagined she was late 40's, and didn't specify what age her pic showed, which shows I thought she looks a great deal younger than 40's.

That's my get out clause, and I'll stick adamantly by it!
 
Hi Peggie!

Thanks for your usual very helpful advice. Your comment ......

"However, solids and even the "right" TP can result in sludge in the tank...so at least 2-3x/year, flush out the tank very thoroughly. The best way to do that: After pumpout or dumping at sea, add a few gallons of water to the tank via the deck pumpout fitting--because that sends the water into the tank at the bottom to stir up sludge and put it into suspension so it can be pumped out or dumped...pump that out...repeat...repeat...til what's coming out is just clean water. "

.... prompts me to ask your view of what we do.

We do not have (yet) a deck 'pump-out' for our holding tank, as we have never come across a place that has that facility. Mostly we cruise in the Med/Caribbean where we empty the tank (it's rarely used) offshore.

However, we clean the tank by pouring buckets of fresh or seawater (or pumping seawater direct) via our Lavac to the tank. This is done several times. The inlet is in the top so this seems to stir up the contents well, and we then pump this out to the sea. The tank is semi-translucent plastic (?) and was made by PAR I or Jabsco I believe.

As far as we can see there is no sediment in the bottom and the water comes out clear. In the final bucket we add a goodly dose of Milton or similar disinfectant and have absolutely no smell from the installation at all.

Reading the posts here causes me a little concern. We do not use 'special' paper so is there a possiblility that 'paper' sediment could still build up in the bottom but not be visible because of colour and eventually go 'hard' if you see what I mean?

Grateful for your thoughts.
 
Re: Dissolving Loo paper

Yes but this is a MARINE pumpout loo not one where the paper just lies in a tank waiting to be poured away.

Be thankful that you don't live in Greece. There ANY paper put down a tiolet will clogg up the pipes and most public loos have a bag or bin for your used toilet paper. Despite what sort of smell one might think would be generated in a Greek summer's heat, the system works surprisingly well. Americans however think that we're joking when we tell them what to expect - they expect disposable paper loo seat covers everywhere!

Steve Cronin
 
Re: Dissolving Loo paper

And why do they (Citizens of USA) expect the TP to be folded into a point? When I ask hotels why they do it they say it's because the Americans insist on it...so we have the situation where the 'world's greatest power' can't use the loo unless it has a disposable seat cover and pointy paper.

sorry for the thread drift

Richard
 
Re: Dissolving Loo paper

[ QUOTE ]
And why do they (Citizens of USA) expect the TP to be folded into a point?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm surprised every sheet in the USA does not have to be printed with "Unfold before use", or "Sharp point could cause injury". (Rather like the little printed warnings on the wing mirrors of US cars.)
 
I find that even a short time at sea stirs up the holding tank to the extent that paper is totally macerated. We use normal paper and have never had a problem in 18 months living aboard.
 
Re: Dissolving Loo paper

quote] (Rather like the little printed warnings on the wing mirrors of US cars.)

[/ QUOTE ]

Without that we would not have been given one of Mr Meatloaf's best ever tracks!

Steve Cronin
 
Re: Dissolving Loo paper

[ QUOTE ]
And why do they (Citizens of USA) expect the TP to be folded into a point? When I ask hotels why they do it they say it's because the Americans insist on it...so we have the situation where the 'world's greatest power' can't use the loo unless it has a disposable seat cover and pointy paper.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know anyone who expects paper seat covers in a hotel room loo And I never paid much attention to whether the TP was folded in a point either. However I suspect some consider it evidence that the loo has been "sanitized" between guests...though not very reliable if the maid decides to just fold the TP, replace any towels, and forget doing anything else.

Unfortunately, we've become obsessed with obliterating every "germ" on the planet in this country...with "antibacterial" soaps, cleaning products, and sprays. One of my favorite tv commercials for an "antibacterial" wipe (not TP) features a cat and bowl of raw chicken parts...the cat is on the kitchen counter, tips over the bowl (had to be a VERY clumsy cat!)...happy homemaker immediately grabs for the wipe and mops up ONLY the spill from the bowl...apparently completely oblivious to the fact that the cat--who most likely had come straight from the litter box--had taken a stroll across the entire countertop. Another features a mother who sprays her own telephone with Lysol after her child hangs up from talking to another child who has a cold...as if the cold virus could be transmitted through the phone! At the rate this irrational obsession is growing, I wouldn't be surprised to see surgical masks become the next big trend in fashion here.

P.T. Barnum was dead right when he said, "you can never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the public."
 
Re: Dissolving Loo paper

...YOu need to eat a bushel of dirt beforeyou die.... Fully agree. WE're too namby-pamby and hence the inability to fight off minor infections without resort to mediscation.
 
Re: Dissolving Loo paper

[ QUOTE ]
... I wouldn't be surprised to see surgical masks become the next big trend in fashion here....

[/ QUOTE ]

Remember Wacko Jacko?
 
My daughter was 4 when we first went on a sailing holiday in Greece, it took us years to persuade her that it was alright to put the paper down the toilet at home /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: Dissolving Loo paper

Without that we would not have been given one of Mr Meatloaf's best ever tracks!

Very perceptive Mr Cronin. I am still hoping he will do "Paradise by the Binnacle Light" and "Yacht Out of Hell".

PS we have always used ornary TP with no special selection at all, and never had a problem (and we don't even have a Lavac!). So I am convinced the problem lies with what people put on the paper, not the paper itself.

John
 
[ QUOTE ]
Well said Peggie. Dont let these English get you down or theyll have you drinking tea and saying Gor Blimey
Wait till the PC stuff hits you
such as removing Christmas in case it offends some body

[/ QUOTE ]

I've been a tea drinker for decades--good ENGLISH tea, which a friend sends me from London--and made only with BOILING WATER too--not the bilge water that passes for tea here...and while I haven't quite gone as far as to add Gor Blimey to my vocabulary, "bloody hell" has been a favorite expression of mine for almost as long. As for PC nonsense, I'm afraid we invented it!

And speaking of Christmas, you'll love the following:


Just released by Donald Rumsfeld...

The President has authorized the Department of Defense to assist with the
Twelve Days of Christmas. Status of acquisitions follows:

Day 1 - Partridge in a pear tree: The Army and Air Force are in the process of
deciding whose area of responsibility Day 1 falls under. Since the partridge is a bird, the Air Force believes it should have the lead. The Army, however, feels
trees are part of the land component command's area of responsibility. After
three months of discussion, a $1M study has been commissioned to decide who should lead this joint program.

Day 2 - Two turtle doves: Since doves are birds, the Air Force claims
responsibility. However, turtles are amphibious, so the Navy/Marine Corps team
feels it should take the lead. Initial studies have shown that turtles and doves
may have interoperability problems. Terms of reference are being coordinated for a four year, $10M study.

Day 3 - Three French Hens: At State Department instigation, the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs has blocked offshore purchase of hens, from the French or anyone else. A $6M program is being developed to find an acceptable domestic alternative.

Day 4 - Four Calling Birds: Source selection has been completed, with the contract awarded to AT&T. However, the award is being challenged by a small disadvantaged business.

Day 5 - Five Golden Rings: No available rings meet MILSPEC for gold plating. A
three year, $5M accelerated development program has been initiated.

Day 6 - Six Geese a-Laying: The six geese have been acquired. However, the shells of their eggs seem to be very fragile. It might have been a mistake to build theproduction facility on a nuclear waste dump at former Air Force base that was closed under BRAC.

Day 7 - Seven Swans a-Swimming: Fourteen swans have been killed trying to get through the Navy SEAL training program. The program has been put on hold while the training procedures are reviewed to determine why the washout rate is so high.

Day 8 - Eight Maids a-Milking: The entire class of maids at a milking training
program at Aberdeen is involved in a sexual harassment suit against the Army. The program has been put on hold pending resolution of the lawsuit.

Day 9 - Nine Ladies Dancing: Recruitment of the ladies dancing has been halted by a lawsuit from the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Association." Members claim they have a right to dance and wear women's clothing as long as they're off duty.

Day 10 - Ten Lords a-Leaping: The ten lords have been abducted by terrorists.
Congress has approved $2M in funding to conduct a rescue operation. Army Special Forces and a USMC MEU are conducting a competition for the right to rescue.

Day 11 - Eleven Pipers Piping: The pipe contractor delivered the pipes on time.
However, he thought the DOD wanted smoking pipes. The DOD lost the claim due to defective specifications. A $22M dollar retrofit program is in process to bring the pipes into spec.

Day 12 - Twelve Drummers Drumming: Due to cutbacks only six billets are available for drumming drummers. The DOD is in the process of coordinating an RFP to obtain the six additional drummers by outsourcing; however, funds will not be available until FY 07.

As a result of the above mentioned programmatic delays, and due to a High OPSTEMPO that requires diversion of modernization funds to support current readiness, Christmas is hereby postponed until further notice.
 
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