new loo

[opalcutter]

Hi folks,
What do you all think? Should I replace my sea toilet with a chemical loo or should I go to the trouble of installing a black water tank. I don't live on board but I spend as much time aboard as possible. Sometimes I even start the engine! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[samwise]

This question came up on the forum quite recently. In my view a chemi toilet creates more problems than it solves. You have to keep emptying it and if you are away from base, find somewhere to tip it and flush it. There's the chemicals to buy and all that. If youi are concerned about your sea loo flushing into the marina or anchorage, think about a holding tank option. You can get doughnut shaped jobbies that fit around the loo base and require minimum pipework. Have a look at the Leesan website or talk to them, they are very helpful.

 

[misterg]

[ QUOTE ]
...You can get doughnut shaped jobbies that fit around the loo base ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this *instead* of a holding tank, then?

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

(I'm so, so, sorry /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif)

Andy

 

[vyv_cox]

I agree with samwise. I have yet to see a marina that has emptying facilities for a chemical toilet. Very few have capacity for more than a few litres, (toilets, that is, not marinas) so you are going to need to empty it fairly frequently. You will finish up not only emptying your waste into the sea, but the chemicals as well. With lots of opportunity to spill it into the boat, rather than over the side. And that blue stuff is a terrible job to clean up.

 

[samwise]

No. It is a holding tank but in "close coupled" form and is used when space is at a premium and you don't have anywhere to stuff a conventional tank. You still need a diverter valve to be able to pump directly from loo to sea but the pipework is pretty simple. As I understand it, the tank gravity drains.

 

[samwise]

Did I miss the joke?

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
Did I miss the joke?

[/ QUOTE ] If you can call such appalling toilet humour a joke.


/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Brilliant

 

[misterg]

[ QUOTE ]
If you can call such appalling toilet humour a joke.

[/ QUOTE ]

May I once again offer my humblest apologies /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Actually, we do have a chemical loo. On naively enquiring as to emptying facilities in Conwy, we were offered a pump-out at £15:00. One of the staff who overheard the conversation guffawed and pointed: "That's the Irish Sea - you can empty out wherever you like!" He went on to point out that even if I did use the marina pump-out, the contents would have been transferred about 3 miles up the coast and piped back into the sea, untreated (at the time).

I don't mind our chemical loo, but a holding tank has got to be better. One option that crossed my mind would be to fit a pump to the tank on the chemical loo so it could be used like a holding tank, thus avoiding the delicate manoevering of the tank full of [--word removed--].

We use the 'green' fluid which is supposed to be eco-friendly, but it doesn't work as well as the blue stuff.

Sorry again!

Andy /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[vyv_cox]

The RM69 wraparound holding tank unfortunately does not gravity drain, it has to be pumped out using the toilet pump, while blocking the toilet bowl off with a plunger. It is surprisingly hard work!

 

[roger]

I have an RM69 holding tank coupled to my Jabsco toilet (ordinary small type). It does fit - just. The tank comes with a diverter valve so no extra components. I didnt find emptying very difficult but it depends on what you put down it.
To date, water companies dislike pump out systems just as much or more than marinas. The problem is that sewage and salt water produce H2S (bad egg gas) before the sewage gets to the treatment woks and the Water Co. gets the blame for the pong.
The RM69 tank has only 5 gals volume. Unless you have very little space a bigger polypropylene tank will give you much more capacity and will give you max. capacity for a given space occupied. If you are going to be serious you should fit a deck emptying point.

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
sewage and salt water produce H2S (bad egg gas)

[/ QUOTE ] That's interesting. Would you like to explain, or speculate on, the mechanism by which that occurs.

 

[pvb]

/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif