Holding tanks

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paul

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I plan to go to the Med for a year or so and wondered what the requirments are for holding tanks nowadays? I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience of cruising the Med. Are flexible tanks a viable low cost option for a year or so, or do they split their seams. If flexible is an option, how do you discharge them?


Thanks

Paul
 
You must have tanks and they must be rigid. Stainless steel is best or, if plastic, made of materials approved for the job. Go for the best, including pipe work. You will regret anything else
 
Sorry James but I disagree the only info that I can find re holding tanks is that they are at this time only required in the Eastern Med Turkey,greece etc.The new MDL marina due to open 2008 near Barcelona will require tanks to be in use.As it is more than likely that Holding Tanks will be required in more areas I am having one fitted for "black" waste later this season.
 
James, I've been told to avoid stainless as urine corrodes it very badly. Some people report failure of seams after just a few seasons.

Paul
 
Having used holding tanks diligently in the US, where unauthorised overboard dumping is very severely punished, I have to say I now feel very squeemish about the idea of so many boats *not* having holding tanks over here. I'm also a bit shocked at how few marinas appear to have any pump-out facilities. I think UK and Europe should get it's act together over this and make holding tanks standard on all new boats and push/subsidise the installation of pump-out facilities at harbours and marinas as they have done in the US to generally good effect. Using the tide as an excuse to dump your sh*t overboard is unacceptable to me in this day and age. We don't do this from our towns and cities anymore so why should we when we're on boats?
 
Re: Holding tanks .... daft suggestion ...

Why not go for a Cassette Chemi Loo ?? Unbolt sea-loo ... blank of seacocks.
Lot easier than all that karfuffle with Holding Tanks etc.

At sea - empty o/board - where allowed .......... in port - ashore.
 
Paul,

you will need holding tank if visiting Spain. PM me with your email address and I'll send you the regs (in Spanish) concerning discharge at sea - but easy to understand. Also what safety gear you must have (varies only slightly from the UK requirements but you do not want to be visited by the Guardia and not have all the right gear).

There is some talk about also needing to have grey-water holding tanks but that is someway off (I hope!!!).

www.seraph-sailing.com
www.americas-cup2007.com
 
I believe the legal position is that UK yachts do not have to be fitted with holding tanks, since we have no UK flag requirements in this respect.

Having said that, most countries and most marinas nowadays have strict rules about grey water (showers and bilges) and sewage discharge within their waters, and if you are shown to have discharged either within these limits, you are likely to suffer heavy fines.

Some countries pursue this further by requiring that toilet discharge outlets to the sea be sealed.

So, either you don't use the loos in sight of any third party, or you fit and use a holding tank, and go out to sea to discharge it (since few places have discharge facilities). The latter solution is usually a good defence if someone claims you've made a sewage discharge ('ave a sniff sir!') - strongly recommended.

Grey water discharge is also an offence in most mediterranean countries, and this includes such activities as showering on deck, bilge pumping and washing up water. Luckily, most people realise this is very difficult to arrange on a small yacht, so the practical rule is only ever to do this discreetly (night time good) and in small quantities, or use whatever shore facilities may be available. And do be discreet - if a local flag boat has a bone to pick with you, he'll watch out for the inevitable discharge (auto bilge pump usually) and report it to the authorities. Fine.

A recommended tank maker is http://www.tek-tanks.com/ , look in their sanitation section. They're good at making tanks to fit the oddest of shapes, and excellent at advising you installations. Flexible tanks do work, but their life is limited due to internal incrustation (which is difficult to clean out) and inevitable chafe. Stainless is corroded along welds, epoxy coated mild steel is better, and GRP with epoxy coating also works.

have fun!
 
I have not seen any regulations relating to UK flagged boats needing holding tanks in Spain.I spent last season sailing Atlantic Spain and Portugal and only once saw a pump out point.I saw Tektanks at LIBS and will be using them to fit my tank as they seem to know what they are doing and can come to Barcelona to meet me to fit the tank.I will post this question on rge Cruising Association MedNet site to see if there is any more info,
 
There may not be a requirement to have one fitted as a British registered boat but they can still stop you discharging into their waters. After a few months you might find this a bit of a drawback.
 
Re: Holding tanks .... daft suggestion ...

[ QUOTE ]
Chemical loo seems an excellent idea, what are the disadvantages?

[/ QUOTE ]much smaller holding capacity;
have to lug it around to empty it;
plumbing in water to flush it - most have a seperate (smallish) tank.
 
Re: Holding tanks .... daft suggestion ...

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Chemical loo seems an excellent idea, what are the disadvantages?

[/ QUOTE ]much smaller holding capacity;
have to lug it around to empty it;
plumbing in water to flush it - most have a seperate (smallish) tank.

[/ QUOTE ]

Compared to holding tanks and all the palaver to fit etc. - I thought it was a reasonable suggestion.

On one boat I had a Cruiserloo .... chemical job ... OK - I wasn't keen on it but then we can dump at sea via a normal loo .....
It had two sections ... a top section holding flush water and bottom holding the doings ... They unclipped from each other and auto-sealed when done. You then carried bottom section to empty point and surprise surprise emptied it. Give a rinse round and back to boat ... add water and chemical ... fit back together ... fill top section with water (and I used to add a small amount of chemical to flush ) ... bobs the prov.
My one was good for 3 - 4 days with 3 people on board ...
 
Re: Holding tanks .... daft suggestion ...

You are describing what we used to have in tents and caravan - which is why I wouldnt want to have to deal with another one !! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

In 1971, the old bucket 'n' chuckit version on a brand new Leisure17 was interesting too.
 
We have just ordered a brand new Bavaria 30 and it comes with holding tank and deck access pump out point. We will move the boat to our marina in the Netherlands that has a proper tank pump out facility. Our current (up for sale) has a chemical loo and it will interesting after a few months to see which we prefer.
 
Re: Holding tanks .... daft suggestion ...

Thanks sbc. When I really, really have to this could be the way to go (so to speak). All that plumbing to go wrong and a integral tank full of raw tom-tit is worth avoiding.
 
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