Old thread's being repeated - a lesson in not learning from history

[Stingo]

Most of us will recall HLB's exploding toilet, and Jimi's "Hello, my name is Jimi and I have a holding tank". Unfortunately, I'd my turn for a smelly boat.

When fitting a new alternator last week, I had to close the holding tank's seacock in order to get the bolt in because the handle, in the open position, blocked direct access. I didn't remember to reopen it. A week's worth of morning constitutionals filled the holding tank and this morning, while vigorously pumping last night's reconstituted spicy sausage & rice, there was a telling 'pop' which sounded like it had come from the engine room. Well, it had and the engine, watermaker, new alternator and rest of the usual engine room suspects were covered in reconstituted spicy sausage & rice.

It's mostly all cleaned up now and the boat smells better. Any one care to shake my hand, even after it has been soaked in Clorox?

 

[prv]

Puzzling. Shouldn't it have blown out the overflow all over the hull, rather than off the seacock and all over the engine?

Pete

 

[Stingo]

There's a breather, which obviously didn't breath. Will need to look into that, once I've caught my breath. What popped was the plastic inspection hatch.

 

[Houleaux]

I suspect the breather couldn't deal with the flow of vigorously pumped reconstituted spicy sausage and rice!

You have my sympathy as I had a similar experience when my holding tank outlet blocked. Fortunately the 'pop' I heard was just the tank ballooning and, apart from some fizzing around the various pressurised pipe fittings and hoses, the contents stayed put. Unfortunately the contents stayed put and, with no pump out facilities available, the only way to clear the blockage was to bail out the tank by hand through the small inspection hatch at the top. It was a while before my hand and forearm felt clean again.....

 

[fergie_mac66]

large sausages do block up the gubbins

 

[vyv_cox]

If the breather had worked correctly you could have enjoyed the pleasure of pumping the tank contents over the deck of the adjacent boat.

 

[pyrojames]

Time for a temporary user name change.. Golf to Kilo?

 

[TQA]

Time for a temporary user name change.. Golf to Kilo?

LIKE

 

[TQA]

Time for a temporary user name change.. Golf to Kilo?

LIKE

 

[SHUG]

Isnt it a matter of "Getting your own back"?

 

[Twister_Ken]

There's a breather, which obviously didn't breath. Will need to look into that, once I've caught my breath.

I'd wear goggles when looking into it. Possibly a snorkel, too.

 

[jimbaerselman]

My breather had a gauze in it - to keep insects out? Over flowing sewage blocked it

It went with a bang, a whole tektank seam along the rear side. It was a gravity draining tank . . . and built in, so lots of ply had to be removed. I didn't anticipate the result of levering the bottom bit of the ply panel off.

Anyway, the good news was that there was no longer any need to drain the tank. Cleaning out the heads, the locker and bilges was a 75 litre job though.

Removed the gauze . . .

 

[Lakesailor]

I'd give the spicy sausage a miss in future.

 

[sailorman]

I'd give the spicy sausage a miss in future.

i can thoroughly recommend Riggys sausage supper, in fact i am scoffing a portion now

 

[dancrane]

If you'll pardon the drift, I was interested to read this year of the smallest size of yacht regarded as practical for finding discreet space for a holding tank...

...just how much space for pipes, pumps, valves, bends, macerator and tankage is required?

I recently read of a 35ft yacht with two wcs and holding tanks...likely to be an awful squeeze, so to speak?