What Size Holding Tank? (Merged)

[Hudson Force]

It should be noted that the US regulations are enforcing the head devices and not the specific elimilation of wastes. Many people are quite aware that urine is relatively sterile and environmentally benign. Afterall, urea is simply a compound of carbon-dioxide and ammonia and the balance of urine is salts, minerals and water; therefore, some might recognize that the content of the law does not make it illegal to "Pee" in the ocean, but only illegal to use an unapproved device. Some might extend the function of their holding tanks by being selective in the manner in which they use the head.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by sck5

Good luck finding a pump out in most of the Caribbean. They simply dont exist. No choice but to pump it overboard. But what is the big deal? Its organic isnt it? Far better than some of the nasty stuff people put in their holding tanks to sterilize everything.

Pollution of the Ocean by Sewage, Nutrients, and Chemicals - river, sea, oceans, percentage, types, system, plants, source, marine, oxygen, human, Pacific

It causes blooms of organisms that disrupt the ecosystem that everyone is there to enjoy. It's also disgusting and disrespectful to other boaters who might have sea water pumped into the galley. Not to mention the putrid sight of swimming through a brown cloud in the water.

If there's no pumpouts around, just dispose of it at sea where there really is a lot of water. But dumping in a somewhat enclosed harbor is disgusting.

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by lorenzo b

We have one toilet plumbed directly to a 250 gallon holding tank and with two adults that lasts us 3 to 4 months.
It is really a pleasure and luxury to have such a large tank and not to have to think about it. Every 3 months we go out to deep water 10 miles offshore and pump out.
There are indeed many places where it's ok to dump out small loads, but we all seem to want to be at that special bay or beach.

Holy CRAP!

[lorenzo b]

Originally Posted by Sam Plan B

Lorenzo, what do you use to pump out the holding tank? Did your boat come with some sort of sewage ejector?

A macerator pump at the drain level of the tank, up 4' of head and out the side.

[MikeinLA]

I may never swim again.

Mike

[zeta]

Originally Posted by capngeo

Holy CRAP!

That would be a real poo-luter

[Loquat]

How long does e coli survive in seawater?

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by zeta

That would be a real poo-luter

Or perhaps a Pee-looter?

Confucius say: “He who stands on toilet is high on pot"

[peghall]

Have you ever actually "road tested" any of that???

[peghall]

I have questions...

You say 2-3 people on board for extended periods INCLUDING areas with with no pumpout facilities and NDZs... Ok...

How long at one time IN THOSE AREAS? It's one thing to spend two days in waters where you have to hold and can't pumpout, then move on to waters where you can dump the tank...quite another to spend a week in one.

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by peghall

I have questions...

You say 2-3 people on board for extended periods INCLUDING areas with with no pumpout facilities and NDZs... Ok...

How long at one time IN THOSE AREAS? It's one thing to spend two days in waters where you have to hold and can't pumpout, then move on to waters where you can dump the tank...quite another to spend a week in one.

We did 10 days on the hard last month... lived aboard the whole time. 2 of us, 27 gal tank.... never overflowed

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by capngeo

We did 10 days on the hard last month... lived aboard the whole time. 2 of us, 27 gal tank.... never overflowed

The boatyard didn't have bathrooms?

[Sam Plan B]

Lorenzo,

If I understand you correctly, you installed a through hull below deck level and have a macerator pumb fitted to the holding tank at its lowest end. Do you have an anit-siphon loop on the pump out hose? How high above the water line is your through hull discharge? Is the pump powered through your main panel with a breaker? If so, what size is the breaker?

[lorenzo b]

The through hull is 2' above the water line, other than the shaft log and transducer my boat has no through hulls, it is set up with dry exhaust and rigid keel coolers. When I am not pumping out that through hull serves as a vent for the tank. The pump is the standard 12v Jabsco macerating pump for about $125 and wired the same as all my bilge pumps. The toilet sits on the main deck directly above the tank in the engine room.

[nigelmercier]

Originally Posted by Tom Spohn

30 gal. for a 38' boat.

Surely the size of the boat is irrelevant, what matters is the normal number of persons on board and the time required for storage? My tank is 60 litres: about right for 6 people over a weekend, at 5 litres a flush.