Holding tanks

[kefroeschner]

Pretty much the same discussion and conclusions on a thread here at CW as well.

[SailingwithSoul]

I would suggest taking out the toilet and installing a nice flushing portable. That's what I did It has a 5 gallon holding tank and a built in water reservoir for flushing. I use a bio treatment and have not had any smell or issues after 2 months of use (it's not even half full).

Or you could try the composting toilet route. Its more expensive than a portable, but probably the same ultimate cost as a holding tank retrofit, and the end by-product in an environmentally friend/favorable compost.

I would shy away from a holding tank, unless it already came with the boat. I have seen some unpleasant (to put it mildly) re-fits in the past. I say go cheap, go easy, so you can sail now

Cheers and Happy Sailing!

[Ram]

Originally Posted by peghall

Things have changed a bit, they tell me. Turkey's waters are all NDZ--and they enforce it from the air, watching the water for telltale clouds in the water around boats! But last I heard, there isn't single pumpout in the whole country...you have to up anchor and go outside whatever their equivilant of our "3 mile limit" is and dump the tank.

And Greece isn't much different.

-Yes all waters in Turkey are NDZ and some years ago they did watch you from the air-last year I did not see that happen one time-And now there are some pump out stations in some of the marinias-
Greece has never cared or enforced this -

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by kefroeschner

I have just been reviewing a long thread on composting toilets on Sailnet. The consensus seems to be that virtually everyone who has gone that way is "happy as a pig in s**t," to coin an apt phrase. I was skeptical at first as well, but these things seem to really work well -- no mess, no maintenance, and NO ODOR, in spite of what you may think.

The only down-side I came across is what to do with the container of peatmoss and the other stuff, when it is full but the latest addition is still a bit fresh. The simplest answer is to just have two such containers,

We found the rate of aggresive decomposition is so fast that only about two days is needed for the contents to smell and look like a fresh container of night crawlers. Find a wood lot or any secluded spot and empty it. Take a folding spade with you if you feel it proper to bury it. Make sure its where it won't be directly washed into a stream. consider it a minor contribution compared to the farm down the road.

[kefroeschner]

I have ordered parts and plan to build a two-bucket system to try out in our home, then a similar system will go into the boat, with whatever improvements we come up with in the home trials.

We have been running an oxidation pond system (aerobic, but water-borne) for over thirty years with none of the problems associated with septic tank (ANaerobic) systems, but drought worries make the "dry" aerobic system worth pursuing. We have also done compost heaps and agree that the decomposition rate can be really fast, The trick is to keep the moisture content about right and to keep it stirred up and aerated. The stirring sticks and vent systems in the Airhead and others look to be spot-on.

[kefroeschner]

Oh, yeah I like the worm idea as well. I think adding a "starter" to the head consisting of a handful of healthy garden dirt, with some worms, would work well, probably better than the "enzyme" packs which are designed for septic tanks I think.

[peghall]

Or...you could go with maggots. They do a wonderful job of breaking down organic matter. When flies swarm in the head, it's time to replace 'em.

(I'm not kidding...there are companies who supply maggots for just this purpose.)

[kefroeschner]

Then we get to try to get rid of about three pounds of flies. I think I'll stick to worms. But yes I do agree that maggots are wonderful critters -- they have been used on gangrenous wounds -- seems they eat only the diseased flesh and leave the healthy bits of you entirely alone. Sounds icky, but it was common practice in the Civil War and has been recently revived.