Black water treatment

[Colin Oslo]

Hi,
We heard Turkey and the US are very strict regarding release of blackwater. Sweden also have restrictions. Anyone have experience with black water treatment systems, or how do you solve this issue for live aboard? ( boat size 42-45 ft ).

Cheers, from a grey and wet Norway - longing for spring!!!

[rwidman]

Raritan has a treatment system. or, you could go to a marina with a pumpout station whenever your tank is full.

[Colin Oslo]

Thanks comments.
We were more looking for systems that treat black water ( I think they use enzymes or something ). resulting in the black water is bacteria free and disposed over board, without getting in conflict with local regulations.

[peghall]

Not sure whether the discharge of treated waste is legal in Turkey, but it is in most US coastal waters. Notice I said "most," not all, so you'd need a holding tank too for those areas that have been designated NO Discharge. Fortunately our laws only apply to toilet waste, it's legal to discharge gray water (galley, bath and shower water) directly overboard in all US waters except for a few closed (intrastate) lakes and a small section of the National Marine Sanctuary in the Dry Tortugas off Florida.

Only the discharge from a USCG certified Type I or Type II MSD (treatment device) is "treated" waste. Type I is legal on boats <66'. The Raritan ElectroScanElectroScan owners manualis the current version of the Raritan LectraSan, which has been the most popular Type I MSD since it was introduced in 1974; it can be used with any toilet. It uses no chemicals; instead electrodes charge the ions the ions in salt water, creating a type of chlorine that kills bacteria. Designed for use in salt water, it also can also be used in brackish and fresh water, and with toilets designed to use fresh water by adding the appropriate optional salt feed tank to the system or by manually adding salt to each flush.

In 1992 Raritan introduced the PuraSan ElectroScan owners manual . Although originally designed for use in fresh water, it can also be used, and works just as well, in brackish or salt water. The PuraSan does not have an electrode pack, so it does not produce its own chlorine. Instead flush water passes through a cartridge containing a solid halogen tablet (2 tablets in the newest version of the cartridge), carrying enough chemicial away with it to treat to legal overboard discharge standards. (Raritan insists on calling this cartridge a “tablet dispenser,” which misleads many people into thinking that it delivers chlorine “pills” into the bowl or treatment device. It does not; water flows through the cartridge, washing away a little of the chemical with each flush. (I've given you links to the owners manuals for both because they provide the most information about how to install and operate and maintain them.)

Both the Electro Scan/LectraSan and the PuraSan treat one flush at a time; they are “flow through” devices that discharge by overflowing an amount of treated waste that’s equal to the volume of new incoming waste The LectraSan/ElectroScan runs for approximately three minutes after each flush, and consumes approximately 1.7 amp hours. Because the PuraSan has no electrodes, its power consumption is about half that of the LectraSan or ElectroScan. Neither has any holding capacity, and neither is acceptable for use in "no discharge" waters. Since the chlorine is either created or an integral part of the system, it is not necessary to carry any chemicals for use in either device.

That should be enough information to get you started. You'll find a lot more detail about our laws and system maintenance in my book (see link below), but you're also welcome to contact me directly if you need to discuss in more detail than is practical in open forum.

Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
http://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Bo...dp/1892399784/

[Colin Oslo]

Great info Peggie!
Thanks and regards Colin

[Colin Oslo]

bought the book ! - tks for tip.
Colin

[peghall]

Thank you Colin...I think you'll find it useful!

I just disovered when I re-read my previous post that I accidentally repeated the link to the ElectroScan owners manual instead of posting the link to the one for the PuraSan.
Here's the correct link: Raritan PuraSan EX owners manual

Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
http://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Bo...dp/1892399784/