Toilet with holding tank - how does it work?

[alt]

My boat which I sold had an electric sea toilet. ie. You press the button, sucks sea water in through a pipe in the hull, mascerates the goods and flushs it out another pipe in the hull

Does a manual-pumping toilet with holding tank work like this: Sucks in water through a pipe in the hull, then pumps into the holding tank? Or is there a seperate 'fresh water' tank for it?

Ideally I want to install a sea toilet in this new boat which means drilling holes in the hull, not fun!

 

[sb99]

Some typical layouts Here

 

[ValleyForge]

Tip 1 - Use an SS tank & the specialised odour proof pipes & fittings to avoid that niff.

Tip 2 - Place the deck mounted tank suction fitting directly above the lower tank exit pipe - that way you can prod it with a suitable rod when (not if) it gets blocked ...

 

[rickp]

Don't use a stainless steel tank as a holding tank - urine will break through the welds eventually. See Peggie Hall's book some of which is reproduced on the tek-tanks site.

Rick

 

[nonitoo]

FWIW I have the combined system i.e. Sea water flush to holding tank which is either discharged to sea through a macerator or to shore by the usual suction method.

The tank is plastic, holds 20 gallons and works well. Any smell is controlled by the addition of a cap full of any proprietary de-niffer after each pump/suck out.

To go to a sea water in and out system with no holding tank may well restrict you using some of the non-tidal rivers (Thames for instance).

Tom

 

[oceanfroggie]

Hi Niall (Alt)

Heads electric or manual suck water IN from sea through hull skin fitting, and then expel the waste OUT a) straight back to sea via hull skin fitting, OR b) into a holding tank.

Usually there is a diverter valve to switch between SEA or HOLDING tank mode. Some boats only have SEA toilets, and some inland boats only have HOLDING tanks, but most quality mobo's have both.

If fitted with a holding tank there is usually a) through hull exit fitting for emptying it into the sea (ie when well offshore), and/or b) a deck mounted waste extraction pipe and cap for use with shore based PUMP OUT stations.

In general one switches to HOLDING tank mode when in marinas and in port, but SEA mode when at sea. Yachts and Mobos generally empty their tanks when off shore to avoid poluting inshore areas and harbours, wheras inland craft are supposed to use holding tanks 100% of the time and empty only using pump out station. On lough corrib you would be legally oblighed to have or fit and use a holding tank, and only empty via a pump out (ie strictly speaking using a head to a lake or river is illegal, but as yet not really enforced). On the Erne in NI wardens do carry out random spot checks on boats by pouring a white die into a head and flushing, if it appears in the water €1500 thank you.

 

[Bilgediver]

Don't use a stainless steel tank as a holding tank - urine will break through the welds eventually. See Peggie Hall's book some of which is reproduced on the tek-tanks site.


...................................................................................

Yup Peggie would have two points to make about this.....Stainless is a No No compared with HD polyethelene and also the outlet should not go out of the bottom for the very reason you state.....It shoul enter the top of the tank so the contents are sooked upwards....

You will find Peggies book on the web and all this is described and she also worked with Tek Tanks so her advice can be found on their site.

 

[Coupe]

Hi Niall,

As OF said above.

We empty our holding tank when out about 3 miles or so but especially when we are over the Southside /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Happy hunting /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[alt]

Hi Noel (OF), Mick (SonVida) and everyone else.

Thanks for that, my questions have been answered re. manual toilet with holding tank.

I will be fitting a sea toilet as i'll be using the boat on the sea hopefully. So i'll just clean out the holding tank and block off the pipe going to that, then drill another hole in the hull (eek!) for the OUTLET

 

[oceanfroggie]

My genes hail from the country, so never understood the north side, south side thing at all at all Ted. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Cork v Kerry now that I can understand, ever since Cork people learned english and got visas to visit the republic. Just glad the dept agriculture still spray corconians when they cross border into civilisation.
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Coupe]

Why block off the holding tank - just use diverter valve to use as sea toilets.

With a holding tank you have the best of both worlds /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Coupe]

Dare you post that over on CPB.ie /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Bit of Fred Drift but is OF in or out of the water this winter ?

 

[alt]

SV - Good point, will do a little search and see what I come up with. I presume it's just a simple valve and nothing complicated?

Yes I think OF is coming out of the water this year

 

[Coupe]

Should be as simple as that.

Have a look at the system on the proposed boat just in case /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[alt]

Will do and hope to do so this weekend. Initially when I first viewed her I was 50/50 whether to put in an offer or not. Now that my old boat is sold I can make the move... So just going to do a 'proper' inspection myself, create a snag list etc. and then send the surveyor up.

If anyone has any advise with the boat/engine please do let me know

 

[oceanfroggie]

Hi SV,

OF is now safely the shed for the winter, snug as a bug in a rug, and I won't miss her till next spring - I hope.

Cheers

 

[alt]

Got any pics of transport etc? You posted a few spectacular ones at the start of the season from a few years ago (I think) ... OF basicly taking up the whole road!

Back on topic, found a very good explination here with diagrams: http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/13.htm

 

[oceanfroggie]

You mean these? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Froggie on way to winter hibernation.

 

[Coupe]

[ QUOTE ]
Hi SV,

OF is now safely the shed for the winter, snug as a bug in a rug, and I won't miss her till next spring - I hope.

Cheers

[/ QUOTE ]

If you do then call me and we'll arrange a business meeting on SV2 somewhere around Dublin Bay /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

You're more than welcome.

 

[oceanfroggie]

Thanks for the offer SV, that sounds like a great idea. I'll pm you my mobile number and tax clearance cert on cpb /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif (ie to legitimise the meeting)