How much grey water tank for 2 day stay

[Capt. Steve1]

hello all Steve here from Alabama I have a small 23.5 pocket cruiser . for 2-4 night stays weather permitting would like a toilet, anchorages in partially protected harbor.


I’ve been informed that my cruising area’s anchorage spots are monitored by and not limited to the local
Marine patrol/sheriff/ fire/coast graud/state trooper/US Marshall. ICE/FBI/CIA/NHS plus a few more.this is a good thing I feel well protected good work Guy's.

first day They check record of you being there, they want to see the toilets holding tank also want to know where you will be pumping out if you stay longer than two days.

How much grey water tank for 2 day stay

my vessel has never had a grey water or any holding tanks so I should consider a water tank">fresh water tank for a shower like the tanks are usaelly in the same location correct?. currently using camping type bagged shower water.
it's a big black plastic bag w/ a shower nozzel it sits in a basket on the roof next to the rocket launcher the sun warms the fresh water kindof ghetto but works fine.

it mite be easier to have a truck driver type toilet that has it's own holding tank I'm thinking this is a #1 hiding spot and police search inside these type toilets is this true or false.

[steve77]

A "gray water tank" will hold discharge from sinks, showers, and the like. A "black water tank", or more commonly, a "holding tank" is for the discharge from the heads. I think you used those interchangeably in your post, so I'm having a little trouble determining how to answer your question.

The holding tank size will depend on the number of people on board, the number of flushes per day, and the amount of water it takes per flush. On our boat, with 2 people on board, we have a 15 gallon holding tank which takes about a week to fill. Caveat, we pee pee over the side and only use the holding tank for poo poo. In your case, I would think you would be fine with a smaller tank, but it will depend on the factors I listed above.

There are a number of good sources of information to help you determine how to install a holding tank system that will meet US regulations. I think the information and recommended designs in West Marine's catalog is as good as any.

We do not have a gray water tank, so the sinks and showers drain overboard. Is a gray water tank required in your area?

Cheers!

Steve

[valhalla360]

Unless this is some new law specific to the area, you don't have to store gray water. (sink/shower water). Typically it's plumed to go directly overboard.

Black water (toilet water), I would say you probably need around 2 gal per person per day...that presumes you do all your business onboard and minimize water used to flush. If you can do some of it onshore or off the side (without violating other laws), you could reduce that.

If by trucker driver type, you mean a cassette toilet, those likely would not be coast guard approved as they could easily be dumped overboard. I've never heard of searches for contraband in the holding tank.

[Capt. Steve1]

woops my bad yes my portable shower drains into my bilge, and yes we we goe's overboard.

my favorite anchorage is Destin,FLs harbor.there tourism dept. emailed me some of the regulations on overnighting ( they want you to registor w/ them stating how long the anchorage is planned for I can say for sure w/ weather but can estimate could just vary spots) this holding tank is the only reg. I'm lacking . I have family on the southern side Joes bayou.

if it's real windy I would like to be able to dock overnight at outter section of docking. or retreive the vessel and start rinsing then stay in the lot or get picked up or walk to the house 2 blocks.
the bad thing about there HOA won't allow large boats in the drive this a front circular driveway.

[Statistical]

As others have pointed out are you sure there is a gray water requirement? That would be very rare like one in a million rare.

Graywater (sinks, showers, bilge, etc) usually just goes overboard. Blackwater (water from the head) is usually what goes into a holding tank. You certainly plumb everything to the holding tank but I think you are mistaken about that being a requirement.

As far as how much blackwater tankage you need, find out how much a flush of your head uses (usually around 1/2 gallon) multiply that by number of times it will be used in a day times the number of days. So if 2 people onboard and 2 flushes per person per day then at 1/2 gallon per flush for 3 days would require 6 gallons. You probably want a bit of extra capacity if you have the space.

[mvmojo]

You can use a "truck driver toilet", typically called a Porti-Potti. They are 100% legal since they have their own built in holding tank. Thetford makes a nice one, available at West Marine for about $100. As long as it is not plumbed overboard or if it is there is a way to secure the valve (a wire tie is acceptable) so that it cannot be easily opened, you're good to go. The fact that they can be dumped overboard is of no consequence, most built in holding tanks have a way of discharging them overboard where legal (3 miles out at sea). Thetford makes a nice one, available at West Marine for about $100. And, if a marine cop wants to check the holding tank for contraband, please post a picture of that for us to see! Most of them don't even want to do head checks, and if they do, it's usually only to put colored dye in the bowl and have you flush it to see if any color shows up outside the boat.

[Scaramanga F25]

It depends on how much fresh water you use.

[TrentePieds]

Capt. Steve1:

Statistical has it right. How do I know? I know because 1/2 USGallon per flush is what I reckon with. Why so? Because you can do the numbers quite easily. Wie so: Assuming you have a cheapie Jabsco "manual" loo, it will take three strokes to prime the loo for use. Assuming a pump bore of 1.5" and a stroke of 10", that comes to 16 cubic inches to prime.

Those of us who are of sufficient antiquity to have developed a good relationship with our GPs, and if our GPs are conscientious, will know that the volume of excreta per average defecation is about 4 Cubic Inches.

Assuming that 15 strokes of the pump are required to evacuate the bowl post eventum, we arrive at a total throughput for the joker valve of 100 CuIn (approx).

100 CuIn approximates .43 USGallons.

Therefore 1/2 gallon per "Standard #2 Flush" is a reasonable working figure.

A "Standard #1 flush" in actual, practical terms takes no priming but has a volume of urine of something like 40 cubic inches. Evacuation of urine can be done without flushing water, though introduction of, say, three strokes of the pump after all urine has been evacuated, is sound practice. Thus a "Standard #1 Flush" will amount to something like 60 Cubic Inches or about 1/4 USGallon.

The above numbers obviously need to be augmented with numbers representing the number of people, and the quantity of beer, aboard. But now you can work the numbers for a "combo job" for yourself, and you need never wonder about you required holding tank capacity again :-)

During some 50 years of sailing in small boats I have found, not only in myself, but also by observation of crews, that being at sea tends to induce constipation. How to modify the above calculations to adjust for that phenomenon, I don't rightly know, but generally speaking, in "no discharge areas" I think a "loo allowance" per person of one "#2" use and three "#1" uses per 24 hours suffices. It's just like the use of potable water, or the use of electric power from your batteries. What you have has to be rationed :-)!

For a quick and dirty estimate of required holding tank volume just use 1 gallon per person per day.

Cheers

TrentePieds

[OS2Dude]

I sail on a fresh water reservoir (Lake Lanier) and black water discharge is required by law to be physically disabled. (Not just locked out, but physically impossible to do.) My first boat here was an O'Day 23, and it had a Porta-Potty. Never had an issue with it, even when I was inspected. Our current vessel is a Catalina 30 with a built in 18 gallon Black Water tank. I do not miss having to haul the porta potty out to dump it, but the black water tank has no gauge to tell how full it is, so it is a guessing game. Our marina gives free pump-outs to slip holders, so I try to pump out once a week or when I leave to come home.

[SVPP]

.

Am guessing you aren’t talking about the gray water discharge as that would be proportional the amount of water you use and that would be like asking, does my arse look fat in this? There is no right answer.

If you are talking about the holding tank, it’s a great question. For an exact answer to that, may I ask how big is your poo - In terms of volume not mass.

Once we all know that we then need to know how often you are going to number 1 and 2. Maybe you should create a graph.

Also, we would like to know the east number of sheets toilet paper you are using

Please don’t send pictures as that would be gross

Eagerly awaiting a reply so I can work it out for you.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Capt. Steve1

woops my bad yes my portable shower drains into my bilge, and yes we we goe's overboard.

If you mean urine goes overboard, therein lies a rub... so to speak.

Within the 3-mile limit in most places not otherwise further regulated.... you can whiz over the side, with no intermediate receptacle... but you can't pee in a bottle (or toilet, or whatever) and then dump that overboard.

A Porta-Potti solves that; empty it in approved facilities on land...

-Chris

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

Capt. Steve1:

Statistical has it right. How do I know? I know because 1/2 USGallon per flush is what I reckon with. Why so? Because you can do the numbers quite easily.........

For a quick and dirty estimate of required holding tank volume just use 1 gallon per person per day.

Cheers TrentePieds

Some useful sums which coverts to 3.7L. So calling it 4 litres per person a day gives a figure to aim for.

However, on a 23ft yacht, the porta potti would be my option if you are unlikely to be in a position to discharge more than 3 miles offshore. Means you can take it home, clean and bleach the living daylights out of it as necessary.

Pete

[Capt. Steve1]

I'm starting to like the cassette type, what type of deteroant is added to the cassete toilet.
don't foresee regisisting to over night because I never know what the weather is permitting or not permitting. so couldn't I just change location in same vicinity. I could be forced to move

whats so cool about boating you can just ride away from the storms.

this is actuely the first I heard about having to register w/ a city that I will be overnighting for more than the 48 hour time maybe 72 hours.the waters are free just like the USA is free to boat/camp anywhere just as long as the anchors still in water correct.

I'm thinking the police use toilet inspection time is a excuse to search the vessel though my smelly bait hooks,tackle eveything all over the place.ect.


I'm starting to think some people that are past the 5 mile from shore area use the turds as chum.doe's the casset require refilling w/ water for the next turd.

one response was curious made excellent points about being constipated which I admit to.

my seasickness prevention method.

before a 3-4 weekend I will consume huge amounts of food 3 times the normal amount kindof like a marathon runner doe's prior to a race.
I can create constipation w/ potatoe or thick starchie bread or pasties. so when the turds start there like giantic turds like twice the size of the reglurgle it's like a workout releaseing those GTs.
I also have anti dirreah pills in shower gag. they will block you up quick if you suddenly get the diarrhea which can be a seriously condition.

CS1.

w/ the death flu scare haven't been on even one expedition yet. hopping to go to Gulf for a few long weekends on the water cruising.thanks Guy's

[sailingchiro]

How much beer do you drink? The poo needs to be stored. Urine is sterile. I don't know if we need to stow urine. I will leave it to the gallery to comment. We have two heads. We use one for offshore and it dumps over. The other goes to the black tank.

[rsn48]

Urine is sterile is a myth. I don't know if you have seperate area for a head but if you do a composting toilet would work, the pooh is seperated from the pee, two seperate tanks. For pooh, you can go 2 weeks to a month with two people. The pee bottle will fill up in two to three days, but you can get another bottle.

But there is a small vent as a fan is on continuous when you are out and about - burns about 2 amps/day.

Here is a short vid by "Gone with the Wynn's:" [They have two longer ones if you become interested]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E2xOoNov9s

The toilet in their video is a Nature's Head and the problem for tight spaces is the top leans back and when it does that, it needs more room. Airhead comes straight up and thus a little bit less room, both operate on the same principle.

The only adjustment you need to make is that men need to sit down to pee, you will see those little holes and its important that the great majority of the pee goes down there.

For the tightest room, Airhead is best.

"Gone with the Wynn's" moved out of their RV and purchased a 40 + Catamaran and have been sailing on it for about 4 years now. In their boat, with two heads, they converted one to a composting toilet and kept the second one as a normal marine head so guests wouldn't feel awkward using a composting toilet.