Holding Tank

[boatpoker]

[/QUOTE]Thanks Chris. I plan on travelling for about 8 months sometimes in some areas that wont have marinas. My current tank fills in about 2-3 days. The tank has the fittings on the end and the tank lies flat. I dont have room to turn it on its end and use dip tubes. I will remember your suggestion though if I find a different shape tank that might work with dip tubes
Ken[/QUOTE]

I don't think you've told us where you will be travelling for 8 months. That could make a huge difference in the quality of advice you receive.
However if staying in Canadian waters I believe your system is legal and all the rules are clearly stated in Transport Canada TP1332 .

This site will not let me post the document as it is too large. You can request a copy to be emailed to you from Transport Canada at https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-trans...l-vessels-2010

or PM me an email address and I'll send you a pdf copy.

[peghall]

What's the make/model of your toilet, Kenny?


--Peggie

[kennys]

Thank you all for your input. I think at this point I will put my original holding tank back which isnt hard to do. In the system I will add a valve that I can attach one of my chlorine pales to allow me to remove some waste if I have access to an on shore toilet. All this can be done with the schedule 40 compresion fitting that I already have so there is no chance of spilling. I am sad to remove what I set up because I believe it was better but getting in trouble with authorities at any point would sure ruin my trip. And yes I had all the venting in place. Thanks for the great information.

[rwidman]

You either have a very, very small holding tank, you are using too much water to flush or you have a serious medical condition.

If you want to empty your holding tank into another container without any modifications to your system, you can buy a standard macerator pump and screw it into the deck fitting on your boat. Find a way to supply power to the pump (I used a cigarette lighter plug). power up the pump and it will pump your sewage into whatever you connect to the output of the pump.

This is how I used to empty my holding tank at home on a trailered boat.

BTW: It's technically not illegal (at least by maritime law) to urinate (or defecate) directly overboard as long as you don't use any sort of container.

[midnightlace]

can't imagine why you would deal with all this complexity when a composting toilet would be the best solution.

[Cheechako]

[QUOTE=kennys;3819404]

Originally Posted by ranger58sb

Fairly long trip? No pump-out stations anywhere along the way?


Thanks Chris. I plan on travelling for about 8 months sometimes in some areas that wont have marinas. My current tank fills in about 2-3 days. The tank has the fittings on the end and the tank lies flat. I dont have room to turn it on its end and use dip tubes. I will remember your suggestion though if I find a different shape tank that might work with dip tubes
Ken

Most places dont have pump outs like the US and Canada and others do. You dump overboard once you are outside the legal mile limit, just like the whales do. My opinion is using a storing buckets is a very poor solution. It's difficult enough to find a place to take your garbage much less your sewage. Most consciencious cruisers try to store the sewage when in harbor and get rid of it outside if it comes to that. There are often solutions for storage tanks, but it takes some work and ingenuity.

[steffan]

After a few seasons of deliberation, we switched to desiccators on both our boat and RV. Since there is enough room in the boat's head we went with a $100 cobbled-together solution and left the wet head in as a backup. Dealing with the waste is no less pleasant or convenient than a pump-out IMO and we are no longer limited by black tank capacity when remote on the north shore. In the RV we replaced the toilet with an expensive one (OGO) due to space constraints and operational requirements.

[sinnerman]

I would think you would risk having vile sewage leak into the bilge when you disconnect the hose to change containers....

My two cents

[peghall]

Kenny, If I know the make/model of your toilet, I might also know of some ways reduce the amount of flush water needed so your tank won't fill up quite so fast.


--Peggie

[I36guy]

The one question I have is whether you are in, or plant to be in, a no-discharge-zone. I recently installed a Purasan in my boat. It is legal pump the treated waste directly overboard - EXCEPT in a no-discharge-zone. It's relatively compact but far from cheap.

[JBP]

There are some people on the Great Lakes who prefer a "composting" toilet and they carry multiple "liquids" containers which are pretty easy to dump onshore in appropriate places. The "solids" container last much longer, but it is also easily disposed of properly as needed.
You could occasionally pump your holding tank into your buckets when a pump out is not available, but yuck. I've done it in an emergency.
Almost every marina in the Great Lakes has cheap or free pump out services since almost everyone needs it.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by JBP

Almost every marina in the Great Lakes has cheap or free pump out services since almost everyone needs it.

$28 - $40 for a pumpout in Canadian waters of the Great Lakes.

[JBP]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

$28 - $40 for a pumpout in Canadian waters of the Great Lakes.

Jeepers! Come across the lake and get it for free.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by JBP

Jeepers! Come across the lake and get it for free.

Thats why I spend 6 months per year in US waters.
I bought a 1.75 liter bottle of spiced rum yesterday in Cape Vincent NY
for #13.22 ... that same bottle in Canada is $68.95. Diesel, meat, dairy and everything else is dramatically cheaper on the US side.

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by JoeRobertJr

From a technical standpoint, I don't see how buckets of sewage stored in a way that does not allow overboard discharge would be any different than a holding tank or the pee jug and poop bin of a desiccating toilet. So, you might be OK with the CG.



I'd be more concerned about the odor created by those buckets of stored sewage and the risk of an internal spill, such as when the contents heat up and expand, popping the lids off, but that is not what you asked about. Maybe you have the expansion/venting thing figured out.



Is your "fairly long trip" mostly within a 3-mile limit of shore?

On a small boat holding tanks are not very successful..eventually there will be a spill or leakage..the whole boat will stink.
Chlorine injection sort of works.
How do I know?
I am working in boatyards and regularly come across foul smelling holding tanks and hoses..
We get million dollar yacht with sewer problems...
Different on large craft with ample tank volumes and some sort of treatment.