MBY - October?

benjenbav

benjenbav

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Interesting item on removing the crust from Play d'Eau's holding tank, which I read this morning whilst eating my breakfast...Thanks, Piers :D

Loved the article about the ThunderHawk - best bit - the Lambo Green steering wheel...:cool:
 
benjenbav said:
Interesting item on removing the crust from Play d'Eau's holding tank, which I read this morning whilst eating my breakfast...Thanks, Piers :D
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Just been doing that myself (or at least something similar)
But I haven't read the magazine yet so I don't know Piers' solution - still out in Spain.
Maybe SWMBO will bring it out with her in a couple of weeks.
 
Hurricane said:
Just been doing that myself (or at least something similar)
But I haven't read the magazine yet so I don't know Piers' solution - still out in Spain.
Maybe SWMBO will bring it out with her in a couple of weeks.
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In brief: enzymes to gobble it up and excrete a liquidised version.
 
benjenbav said:
Loved the article about the ThunderHawk - best bit - the Lambo Green steering wheel...:cool:
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I drove past that yesterday (it's on the hardstanding at the Sunseeker Poole brokerage on West Quay Road, opposite Gibbs). It did look stunning, very shiny and whilst I am looking for something around that price mark I'm not sure it would work for us as a family boat. Twin 8.1L VP engines will take some filling up too.
 
Piers said:
My pleasure - so to speak!
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Piers, can you confirm which product you used to remove the "hard crust" in the tank. The product mentioned in the article doesn't even claim to do that, it's sold as a bowl cleaner and tank deodorizer. There is a "green descaler" which does claim to remove the crust, but it's an acid based product, not enzymes.

We have problems with a smelly tank, and I want to start by removing all the accumulate sludge and scale.
 
Nick_H said:
Piers, can you confirm which product you used to remove the "hard crust" in the tank. The product mentioned in the article doesn't even claim to do that, it's sold as a bowl cleaner and tank deodorizer. There is a "green descaler" which does claim to remove the crust, but it's an acid based product, not enzymes.

We have problems with a smelly tank, and I want to start by removing all the accumulate sludge and scale.
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Hi Nick. It was the prodict you see in the article. Call Michael Punter, Customer Service, Lee Sanitation Ltd

Wharf Road, Fenny Compton, Warwickshire, CV47 2FE
T: 01295 770000 ext 223 M: 07810 555712 F: 01295 770022
E: mpunter@leesan.com W: www.leesan.com

Then bag contains some blocks which are best dissolved in a small bucket of warm water before flushing into the tank. Mike knows how to advise. He'll be so pleased to know you are responding to the MBY article.

Piers
 
Dorset Dan said:
I drove past that yesterday (it's on the hardstanding at the Sunseeker Poole brokerage on West Quay Road, opposite Gibbs). It did look stunning, very shiny and whilst I am looking for something around that price mark I'm not sure it would work for us as a family boat. Twin 8.1L VP engines will take some filling up too.
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Just googled it and checked that out online. What a stunning retro boat, looks fabulous :) Not something I'd ever buy but loved it!
 
Our system is a Sealand Vac system
Sounds like Nickh has the same.

@Nickh
We had a smell and it turned out to be one of the vac units slightly leaking.
I had a completely new (unused) vac unit that I bought earlier this year from Coastal Rides.
So I swapped the old unit out for the new one.
It was then that I discovered what has been happening.
A calcium build up in the outlet from the vac unit to the holding tank had become completely blocked.
It seems that urine and water build up into a calcium deposit over time.
There wasn't, in fact, anything wrong with the old vac unit - essentially, it was pumping into a blocked pipe and leaking from its internal seals.
Nick - if you have vac units like these, check the unit's seals - especially round the motor unit.
We cleaned the discharge pipe the best we could using a local Spanish acid called aguafuete.
Made a note of the pipe sizes so that we can replace them in the winter months.
We then installed the new vac unit.

On inspection of the old vac unit, it was clear that this calcium build up was all over the inside of the vac unit.
Reducing its capacity to about 60%
I was about to throw the old vac unit out when a friend encouraged me to clean it up.
We filled a bucked with the Spanish Aguafuete and dropped each of the vac unit's components into the acid.
Filled the vac unit's tank with the same Aguafuete.
Left it for a couple of hours and - hey presto - completely clean unit.

Now to the scary bit
The whole system is, essentially, plastic so it presents no danger to the Aguafuerte acid.
Unlike a cesspit, we don't encourage bacteria in the holding tank (Aguafuerte would, undoubtedly kill them).
So, I thought "maybe I could flush the whole system with Aguafuerte"
So - I did - about 5 days ago.

I switched off the boat's fresh water supply and ran the toilets to clear and much water from the system as possible.
Then poured some of this Aguafuete down each toilet until I reckoned that the vac units were full.
Then, I propped open the toilet flush so that any buildup in pressure (from the reaction between Aguafuete and the calcium) could escape.
After a couple of hours, I flushed the whole system into the holding tank.
I then arranged for the waste marina pump out and flushed the main holding tank several times.
Loads of the dissolved brown calcium deposit that came out into the marina pumping system.
All the toilets are now smelling fresh and working well.

I don't think this process is for everyone but IMO the alternative is to replace everything, including the pipework.

A yachite friend with a Lagoon catamaran here in SC has a similar problem - initially, he thought it was his seawater flushing system that was the problem but this calcium build up also happens with fresh water flushing systems.

EDIT

This is a brand of Aguafuerte - we buy it in the supermarkets out here in Spain - about 2 or 3 euros for 5 litres.
Use it on the props and underwater metalwork - anything with calcium that needs cleaning off.
We take care with the stuff but it really works.

DSC07319_Small_zps1qwk0jw2.jpg


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This is the kind of thing it does when used on the props (in this pic I did the job on my own whilst the boatyard staff were pressure washing the rest of the hull)

DSC07282_Small_zps5vtxwb9t.jpg
 
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I must say that ever since MBM was scrapped, MBY has continued to get better and better. A really good mix of aspirational and affordable stuff.

I see this month's copy was 200 pages, well done Hugo and the team.
 
jimmy_the_builder said:
According to the label that's 20% hydrochloric acid, which makes it slightly stronger than brick cleaner.
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Anyone got any idea what hydrochloric acid does to the blackwater system pipework? I know its supposed to be 'sewage quality' but I can't imagine that it's resistant to hydrochloric acid. I see that the Lee Sanitation LeeScale product is non toxic and biodegradeable so I assume it doesn't contain hydrochloric acid or anything like it. The problem is that if you've got holding tank pong on your boat, its possible its coming from porous pipes not from any leakage as such and I guess putting hydrochloric acid in the pipes won't help that one bit. Also what does acid do to pump and toilet seals?
 
Deleted User said:
Anyone got any idea what hydrochloric acid does to the blackwater system pipework? I know its supposed to be 'sewage quality' but I can't imagine that it's resistant to hydrochloric acid. I see that the Lee Sanitation LeeScale product is non toxic and biodegradeable so I assume it doesn't contain hydrochloric acid or anything like it. The problem is that if you've got holding tank pong on your boat, its possible its coming from porous pipes not from any leakage as such and I guess putting hydrochloric acid in the pipes won't help that one bit. Also what does acid do to pump and toilet seals?
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Hi Mike,

All I can say is tyhat Leesan's product worked for me. Rather than leaving it 13 years before doing it again, I'll make it an annual service item.
 
petem said:
I must say that ever since MBM was scrapped, MBY has continued to get better and better. A really good mix of aspirational and affordable stuff.

I see this month's copy was 200 pages, well done Hugo and the team.
Click to expand...

We appreciate the kind words, thank you.
 
Piers said:
All I can say is tyhat Leesan's product worked for me. Rather than leaving it 13 years before doing it again, I'll make it an annual service item.
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Thanks Piers. I've already ordered some LeeScale online. As you say it should be an annual winter maintenance thing. Never thought of doing it before but it makes absolute sense
 
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