Toilet paper down the loo?

[[2574]]

Paper bagged in nappy sacks then disposed ashore. Environmental reasoning, seen an anchorage with a settled seamless coating of loo paper on sea bed. That was in a tideless bay in Greece.

 

[capnsensible]

It seems that those who only sail their own yachts don't have the problem.

Plenty do on commercial and other high usage vessels. Crew will simply not look after the head like an owner does.

Mebbe it's the syphon loops. Who knows. But school and charter yachts always eventually get a problem. Not often, but once is enough......

For my commercial yachts I've always used diluted acid to clear the scale. It works 100%.

Also those used to tidal waters, as other posters have mentioned, are unaware of the impact in non tidal. Or, perhaps, have not had to get under the boat to fix something and got an ear infection. Divers may recognise this.

 

[Poignard]

It seems that those who only sail their own yachts don't have the problem.

Plenty do on commercial and other high usage vessels. Crew will simply not look after the head like an owner does.

Mebbe it's the syphon loops. Who knows. But school and charter yachts always eventually get a problem. Not often, but once is enough......

For my commercial yachts I've always used diluted acid to clear the scale. It works 100%.

Also those used to tidal waters, as other posters have mentioned, are unaware of the impact in non tidal. Or, perhaps, have not had to get under the boat to fix something and got an ear infection. Divers may recognise this.

Presumably you have to leave the acid in the pipe for a while in order for it to dissolve the crud.

How do you fill the pipe with acid and keep it there while it does its stuff?

 

[Robin]

For the benefit of the smug I can confirm that is possible to block a Lavac and that replacing the outlet hose in 100degsF in port du Crouesty is really not fun at all especially when blood from a hoseclip cut mixes with copious sweat..

 

[Pye_End]

I've never an issue with regular paper down the bog, I have an ancient rm69.

If it is the old style with the access at the base - check the pump rod at the bottom for corrosion! Mine broke with a 'full' toilet and pump, and it was a particularly horrible job. The newer ones with the valves at the top should be better with that sort of failure, but pleased to say it hasn't happened yet!

 

[Birdseye]

Do you put toilet paper down the loo on your boat? If no, is that for environmental reasons or to not block it? I must admit I have always done it, although nothing else goes down there apart from what goes through you and loo paper. But last summer two things made me wonder about it. I had a bad case of blocked pipes and having dismantled the system and found it badly caked with scale. I banned loo paper from being flushed and provided a separate bag for onshore disposal. I have since renewed the entire installation and I am wondering whether to keep the same policy. Then I happened to go sailing with a friend in the Baltic and when he was showing me how the loo worked he said 'obviously no paper down the loo, only what goes through you'. Well it made me wonder what others do on this delicate topic? I sail on the west coast of Scotland where there are no pump out facilities for holding tanks. I know the Baltic countries are very strict about discharge.

When I had a holding tank, we used the same system as yourself. Not for eco reasons which simply arent relevant in ocean waters. Instead it was to minimise the chance of a blockage in the holding tank Worked well and the bin for used bog paper didnt smell.
Never bothered in the last boat which hadnt got a tank - after all, what do the fish do with their poo? Likely it biodegrades faster than the paper anyway

 

[johnalison]

When we lived aboard ib USA our loo guru advised only ever use the cheapest supermarket eco paper as it disintegrates fastest. We had free weekly holding tank pumpouts included in our berth contract but the poop pump boat doing it had big signs on it's tank saying ;gratuities gratefully received' rich yanks used to profer $20 a time so $1000+ a year but we negotiated an occasional donation of $50 say every 3 months as a better option always than trying to be away on pumpout days.

Back here in UK and still living a board we have holding tanks on both loos but with diverter valves to select direct overboard when just liquid effluent, otherwise a walk to shoreside facilities. Bearing in mind ladies seem to use loo roll as winkie blotting paper rather than just twerking like the guys we have small lidded bins in each loo for paper disposal. These are usually lined with cheap supermarket nappy bags for easy disposal.

It has always amazed me how little loo roll is actually involved in the wiping process proper as opposed to merely doubling up as backing paper to prevent finger poke through. Scope for some enterprising designer to come up with alternative ideas for reusable backing pad perhaps?

You might know this, because it is not something that I have researched, but I read somewhere that Americans are in the habit of crumpling up the paper into a ball before wiping, instead of using it as a flat sheet, as is common in the civilised world. This might mean that Americans are immune to the poke-through problem. I have always assumed that cheap paper would be more dissolvable than the quilted stuff, but it's not something that I have investigated. I wouldn't recommend Izal or Bronco though.

 

[Poignard]

You might know this, because it is not something that I have researched, but I read somewhere that Americans are in the habit of crumpling up the paper into a ball before wiping, instead of using it as a flat sheet, as is common in the civilised world.
[. . . ].

I think you may be right about that.

I remember Borat being told how to use bog paper by an American society hostess during his first vist to the USA.

Enjoy:

 

[Robin]

You might know this, because it is not something that I have researched, but I read somewhere that Americans are in the habit of crumpling up the paper into a ball before wiping, instead of using it as a flat sheet, as is common in the civilised world. This might mean that Americans are immune to the poke-through problem. I have always assumed that cheap paper would be more dissolvable than the quilted stuff, but it's not something that I have investigated. I wouldn't recommend Izal or Bronco though.

Not aware of that but who can tell what septics get up to... Our home base marina in Florida was city owned and despite the strict state no dumping laws the local sewage was let loose routinely come local HW, perhaps they were just ground baiting the 'gators. or feeding the manatees.

 

[capnsensible]

Presumably you have to leave the acid in the pipe for a while in order for it to dissolve the crud.

How do you fill the pipe with acid and keep it there while it does its stuff?

Doesn't take long. Pour some in the head, give a few pumps and leave for a few minutes. Flush and repeat a few times. Jabsco.

Much the same on the yacht we lived on with a lavac. Interested to read posts about flushing head in general use prevents build up. Impossible not to under flush a lavac... Still gets scaled up.

 

[Poignard]

Doesn't take long. Pour some in the head, give a few pumps and leave for a few minutes. Flush and repeat a few times. Jabsco.

Much the same on the yacht we lived on with a lavac. Interested to read posts about flushing head in general use prevents build up. Impossible not to under flush a lavac... Still gets scaled up.

Thanks. I would have assumed you would have to leave it much longer. Good job I haven't tried it. I would hate to see my Blakes seacock crumble away.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

I have always pumped the paper, I had two blockages in 20 years. One from wetwipes which my friend (who had chucked up all over the place ) used to clean up with, and some new extra nice loo roll which wifee had bought...

On both ocassions I found the process less unpleasant that my imagination suggested that it might have been.

I did once attempt to replumb a loo on a boat belonging to a forumite, (whom I shall not name)...I discovered that there was a brown mullet in the pipe....I chucked so hard that I burst blood vessels in my face and eyes...he laughed...

He may well have laughed, but the laugh will eventually be on him, because on your evidence, he obviously does not enforce a policy of pumping suficient times, (I have heard fifteen mentioned,) to clear all detritus out of the pipe and replace it with clean seawater. Stagnant urine in the pipe, reacting with seawater will quickly cause a repeat of the scale build-up, and he will have to take it all apart again, this time without your help
Regarding the OP's substative matter. We always flush the paper, but we only use the middling stuff from Lidl, none of your fancy embossed stuff, and wipes are absolutely verboten. We know the drill, because we have a septic tank at home.
The boat does not have a holding tank, we walk to the facilities in marinas (for the serious jobbies ), except if taken short in the middle of the night.
The toilet in our (prefab) office, and the staff toilet in one of our business premises have those Saniflo pump/macerator things that pumps the effluent through a narrow-bore pipe, and we have to enforce a strict 3P (Pee, Poo and Paper) for both, so we are well used to enforcing rules around toilets.

 

[Poignard]

I always give my Jabsco at least fifteen.

 

[pandos]

He may well have laughed, but the laugh will eventually be on him, because on your evidence, he obviously does not enforce a policy of pumping suficient times, (I have heard fifteen mentioned,) to clear all detritus out of the pipe and replace it with clean seawater. Stagnant urine in the pipe, reacting with seawater will quickly cause a repeat of the scale build-up, and he will have to take it all apart again, this time without your help

Afaik he has given up sailing....

but we still laugh about it..

I accept that it was a guest who used it and had not declared their deposit...either in advance or subsequently..and therefore had not obtained proper instruction in the use of the poo machine...

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Do you put toilet paper down the loo on your boat? If no, is that for environmental reasons or to not block it? I must admit I have always done it, although nothing else goes down there apart from what goes through you and loo paper. But last summer two things made me wonder about it. I had a bad case of blocked pipes and having dismantled the system and found it badly caked with scale. I banned loo paper from being flushed and provided a separate bag for onshore disposal. I have since renewed the entire installation and I am wondering whether to keep the same policy. Then I happened to go sailing with a friend in the Baltic and when he was showing me how the loo worked he said 'obviously no paper down the loo, only what goes through you'. Well it made me wonder what others do on this delicate topic? I sail on the west coast of Scotland where there are no pump out facilities for holding tanks. I know the Baltic countries are very strict about discharge.

Never had a problem provided quantity moderate or bowl already has water to moisten. Use both aquavac self flushing on pump out and jabsco adjustable pump out type loos.

Keeping paper for later disposal great if you dry sh*t (constipation?), however the trots or IBS will make it non-viable. I am trying not to be too graphic but we are talking bowels

 

[NormanS]

Jabsco recommend a minimum of seven full strokes of the pump per metre of outlet hose. Some will be surprised to learn just how long theirs is.

 

[Waterway2go]

Has anyone found a brand of flushable baby wipes that will pass through an electric marine wc ?

 

[Skellum]

Paper bagged in nappy sacks then disposed ashore. Environmental reasoning, seen an anchorage with a settled seamless coating of loo paper on sea bed. That was in a tideless bay in Greece.

Is it still the case that holding tanks are not mandatory in Greece? Unlike Croatia and Turkey where they most definitely are.

 

[Northern Star]

Liquids only down my Jabsco and a bin by the pan ala Greece for any wipes or paper.

As for other no 2 functions the local pub or toilet block are designed for that or off to the woods to fertilise the trees.

 

[TNLI]

No, I just wash my left hand in the sink.