How Popular Are Marine Waste Treatment Systems?

[ksanders]

I'm curious...

Just how popular are marine waste treatment systems among cruisers?

I've had one form or another on my boats for many years.

The ones I've used are from Raritan. I've had the electra-san, and the newer electro-scan on boats with salt water heads.

My latest boat has vacuflush heads running fresh water, so I installed a Purasan with their Hold N Treat system. The Rariten systerms uses clorine to kill all the bacteria. With the electro-scan it comes from passing a high current through salt water, With the purasantThe clorine comes from a cartridge that lasts between 6 and 900 flushes.

The hold N treat is pretty nifty. It has a 15 gallon holding tank for when in a NDZ and a USCG approved key operated control panel that will lock the unit out. When not in a NDZ it treats the waste and sends it overboard.

So how many cruisers have one of these type of units, or do you just macerate when offshore?

[rebel heart]

Don't know anyone who has one.

Offshore we just keep the thruhull open. Our head dumps into the top of the tank which is above the waterline, and the bottom of the tank goes to a thruhull. So leave the thruhull open and it drains itself.

In a harbor that's not ndz just open it at night on the outgoing tide. Kind of gross to have that stuff floating around during the day, treated or not. Just my $0.02.

[foggysail]

Why would one want to spend big bucks for a waste system when the environmental wackies have successfully lobbied state governments to create no discharge zones that prohibit dumping of treated waste???

Yeah, right on!!!! No discharge that is except for the municipalities who dump and dump and dump every time a heavy rain occurs. But many towns do provide free pump outs! YUP! Where I dock the town provides free pump outs on Saturday and Sunday mornings except on holidays! CRAZY!!!

Foggy

[rebel heart]

Don't get me started on sewage regulation. Avalon, the city south of us, has a really hardline against discharge (putting dye tablets in the toilets when you show up). While I can understand that, Avalon also has the most polluted water in California because of the *land* sewage situation.

If there are regulations, it's holding tanks all the way. If there isn't, or it just seems stupid to me, I just discharge at night on the outbound tide. There are some harbors on the islands around here that I have no idea what the discharge rules are, but they are empty as graveyards. Leaving them to pump out is a head shaker.

[denverd0n]

Yeah, that's the problem with treatment systems these days--ever increasing no-discharge zones where you have to have a holding tank anyway.

[foggysail]

Yes, pass laws that are impossible to comply with only makes people into law breakers while the wackies pound their chests and feel they have helped Mother Earth! Here where I dock, going 3 miles "off shore" where "off shore" is measured on the other side of our off shore islands means a one way trip of about 15 miles!

I personally would accept the cost of an on board waste processing system and try to be a good doobie if the laws were reasonable. Until then, poop flows where poop goes.

Hey, things for the average guy are only going to get tougher. California is on the verge of Cap & Trade and because Massachusetts requires California to give it hand signals so it does not get its nose broken, I expect a Cap & Trade to soon follow here in Massachusetts.

Foggy

[bstreep]

We are going to install a Purasan unit on our aft head. My understanding is that Raritan JUST (Friday) started manufacturing on a new product. We are going to wait until it's available - it is supposed to clear up some "problems" on the older unit.

We have 2 heads, so in the event we are in a NDZ (Like Clear Lake), we can just use one head.

[ksanders]

Originally Posted by bstreep

We are going to install a Purasan unit on our aft head. My understanding is that Raritan JUST (Friday) started manufacturing on a new product. We are going to wait until it's available - it is supposed to clear up some "problems" on the older unit.

We have 2 heads, so in the event we are in a NDZ (Like Clear Lake), we can just use one head.

I've only had my Purasan for a year now, but there have been zero issues. I really like not having to deal with or smell human waste.

[DumnMad]

[QUOTE=rebel heart;1037725]

"If there are regulations, it's holding tanks all the way. If there isn't, or it just seems stupid to me, I just discharge at night on the outbound tide."

Thats a lot better than what the seals and shags do around our marina. They don't even macerate or care if they leave their dump on the boat ramp!
Surprised the environmentalists don't get on their case.

[bstreep]

I talked with Raritan today about their new Purasan unit. As outlined to me, it has the following improvements:

Chlorine tablets no longer have to be shipped as hazardous materials (new tablets). This results in a much lower cost, since the upcharge was adding significantly to the total cost.

Chlorine reservoir location is no longer as critical, as the chlorinzed water is pumped and metered into the unit (rather than simple gravity feed).

There's now an LED indicator showing when the tablet needs to be replaced.

General improvements adding to the reliability of the system.

I can save a ton of money by buying an older model, but I think I'm going to go with the new unit.

[ksanders]

Originally Posted by bstreep

I talked with Raritan today about their new Purasan unit. As outlined to me, it has the following improvements:

Chlorine tablets no longer have to be shipped as hazardous materials (new tablets). This results in a much lower cost, since the upcharge was adding significantly to the total cost.

Chlorine reservoir location is no longer as critical, as the chlorinzed water is pumped and metered into the unit (rather than simple gravity feed).

There's now an LED indicator showing when the tablet needs to be replaced.

General improvements adding to the reliability of the system.

I can save a ton of money by buying an older model, but I think I'm going to go with the new unit.

Those are some good improvements.

On mine we had to jump through some hoops to place the clorine dispenser. I'm not too flipped out over the cartriges as I bought 6 of them (thinking ahead), but a indication that its time to replace the cartridge would be a nice addition.

[DeepFrz]

Bill, do you need the hold and treat system as well as the Purasan? I see no mention of the lockout switch on the Purasan info. and it doesn't say anything about holding treated waste.

Edit: Never mind, the explanation is in the hold and treat control promo. sheet.

[ksanders]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Bill, do you need the hold and treat system as well as the Purasan? I see no mention of the lockout switch on the Purasan info. and it doesn't say anything about holding treated waste.

Edit: Never mind, the explanation is in the hold and treat control promo. sheet.

I have the hold n treat. The unit has a 15 gallon holding tank.

In my boat the manufacturer in their wisdom placed a 47 gallon holding tank outboard of the starboard engine, all but blocking manitenance activities. We removed that tank at repower time and replaced it with the hold n treat, giving us treatment and great engine access.

I seriously considered just going with the purasan and no holding tank but that would limit my ability to cruise to NDZ areas.

[bstreep]

For those wanting info on the new Purisan unit, Raritan sent me their "draft" documentation. Send me an email: billstreep at gmail dot com

[Bayside Bert28]

I installed the Raritan Hold N Treat and Purasan systems to go with my Raritan Atlantes seawater toilets, existing 25 gallon holding tank and existing Sealand T-24 overboard discharge pump on my Bertram 54. It's a nice system. The key lockout and holding tank keep me legal while in NDZ but my primary reason for purchasing the system is that I didn't feel good about pumping raw sewage into the water I love. This is a nice compromise.