Holding tank to go?

[charles_reed]

Sorry to correct you but holding tanks are NOT mandatory on British Waterways the discharge of sewage is prohibited and any toilets discharging directly overboard into the waterway MUST have a Valve fitted in the discharge line. You are permitted to use a Chemical Toilet on board.

OK, if you want to nit-pick. Neither are holding tanks mandatory in the Everglades, but you have to fit a macerator and UV filter in their place. Whilst not many people have suffered from the Muglia situation, they do make more noise than nearly all the rest of ybw.com topics.
In fact all the Med countries signed a 1978 Accord which prohibited amongst other things the disposal of raw sewage. Occasionally you'll see (disused) pump-outs (Bonifacio & Le Castella) installed as part of EC Regional Funding programmes.
It is, IMHO, only a matter of time before Brussels acts and follows the Netherlands example - at which point, boats without holding tanks will suffer a one-off loss in value. Especially as the Brits will put the Directive into practice with infinitely more attention to detail than French, Italians or Greeks.

 

[Seajet]

I know that there are those here that shout how brilliant Porta Potis are, but they have there problems two...

Onesea,

nothing is perfect and I don't shout about anything, but what are the problems you refer to ?

 

[JumbleDuck]

nothing is perfect and I don't shout about anything, but what are the problems you refer to ?

Where does one empty a chemical toilet?

 

[Sybarite]

What do you base that little gem of misinformation on? It may be likely that they will be compulsory on new builds in the future as they are in Holland, but even the Dutch have not gone as far as making retrofits compulsory, relying on legislation controlling discharge - but only in certain areas, not in the open sea.

So people can find their own solutions which may or may not involve holding tanks.

There was talk at one time of making retrofits obligatory in France but that appears to have fallen by the wayside.

 

[winsbury]

Onesea,

nothing is perfect and I don't shout about anything, but what are the problems you refer to ?

I've always worried one would break free or move about in rough conditions and possibly get damaged with potentially nasty results.

 

[tokoloshe]

Where does one empty a chemical toilet?

Whereas many anchorages / marinas do not have pump out facilities, many
have suitable sluices. Ours has a purpose built sluice room.

 

[charles_reed]

I've always worried one would break free or move about in rough conditions and possibly get damaged with potentially nasty results.

My first boat had a Portapotti, and after a somewhat heavy night out in Cherbourg and heavy seas returning to Poole, my 16 stone crew was forced onto the device. Suddenly he appeared, enthroned and dragging foul-weather trousers, pyjama bottons and long johns, in the saloon and then disappeared back into the forepeak. He lay on the windward side berth for about 20' before recovering sufficient breath to swear for another 30' and then finish pulling up his trousers.

We used to empty it in a marina loo or over the side when more than 3nm out.

The results of a sea-toilet coming adrift are far more mind-boggling!!

 

[JumbleDuck]

Whereas many anchorages / marinas do not have pump out facilities, many
have suitable sluices. Ours has a purpose built sluice room.

That may work for people who like going regularly to popular places in busy areas. On the West Coast of Scotland it would restrict me to visiting one of half a dozen places at most every couple of days. Septic tanks don't like chemical toilet waste much, so it would be very difficult in many places to add a sluice.