Raritan Electro Scan Hold-and-Treat Systems

[Geoduck]

Does anyone out there have anything good or bad to say about this set up?
I have a holding tank system now. If I install the electro scan between the head and tank is this going to make it legal to pump overboard?
Supposedly if you buy their hold & treat system it is legal.
What's the general opinion?

[peghall]

It's an excellent system...and works VERY well when installed operated and maintained according to directions. And yes, in your waters the discharge of treated waste IS legal. In fact, except for a very few well meaning but misguided marinas and one very small harbor off SF Bay, legal on the whole west coast north of Santa Barbara

[h20man]

Originally Posted by peghall

It's an excellent system...and works VERY well when installed operated and maintained according to directions. And yes, in your waters the discharge of treated waste IS legal. In fact, except for a very few well meaning but misguided marinas and one very small harbor off SF Bay, legal on the whole west coast north of Santa Barbara

Peggy,
my understanding is that the 'misguided marinas' are defined as:


Mission Bay
San Diego Bay-Less than 30 feet mean lower low water
Oceanside Harbor
Dana Point Harbor
Upper and Lower Newport Bay
Sunset Bay-Inland of Pacific Coast Highway Bridge
Huntington Harbor
Channel Islands Harbor
Avalon Bay Harbor
Richardson Bay

and the legion of bureaucrats are deciding that even treated waste is not good..

Would a holding tank not be better for cruising?



Thanks...


ps. I was stunned when I saw a sea lion off the coast of California complete a discharge in pristine calm and clear waters.

The cloud that emanated from his aft was AMAZING in size and lack of opaqueness. I was surprised that any sea lion remained. Discharging my holding tank of 45 gallons was negligible in comparison.

[bstreep]

We have friends that added one to their boat. They've been so happy with it, they added a second for their other head.

[HopCar]

If you decide to buy the Raritan Electro Scan, I'd love to have the opportunity to quote you on it.

[Geoduck]

Originally Posted by HopCar

If you decide to buy the Raritan Electro Scan, I'd love to have the opportunity to quote you on it.

I need to be convinced of it's reliability first. How long have these been around?
How many have you sold? How many happy campers are there out there? etc, etc.

[roverhi]

We had the predecessor model, the LectraSan. Cruised for 2 years with it and never a problem. Believe the people we sold the boat to used it for two long cruises to SoPac after us.

[peghall]

There isn't a single MARINA on your list...only harbors. And Richardson Bay--small harbor off SF Bay--is the only one north of Santa Barbara. Avalon, which has been a strictly enforced NDZ for decades, recently received the dubious honor of being named the most polluted harbor in the country because the island's sewage system is dumping millions of gallons of raw sewage into the water. Where are the contents from all the holding tanks going? To that sewage treatment facility! Allowing onboard treatment would do a better job of keeping untreated toilet waste from boats out of Avalon harbor than "no discharge" is doing. And because of runoff, bilge discharge etc, treatment is actually cleaner than the water in ANY marina.

Poiticians love to position "no discharge" as affecting hundreds of boats...when in fact, because treatment devices are pricy and have high power needs, "no discharge" actually only impacts about 5% of boat owners--those who've installed, or would install, a treatment device. The other 95% should already be using a tank as required by a law requiring all vessels to hold or treat that went into effect in 1980.

Would a holding tank not be better for cruising?

No... Onboard treatment is a much cleaner solution inside the 3 mile limit...outside it, waste can go directly overboard from the toilet. Holding tanks just add to maintenance problems.

[peghall]

The ElectroScan is the latest version of the LectraSan, which Raritan introduced in the mid-70s--BEFORE there were any marine sanitation laws. When installed, operated and maintained according to directions, it should provide 10-15 years of reliable service. The only UNhappy campers are those who don't install, operate and/or maintain 'em..

Btw...if your toilet uses onboard pressurixed FRESH WATER, the PuraSan Raritan Purasan is a better choice because it doesn't need salt...the ElectroScan does.

[sdowney717]

so why do the politicians do that? It is a control issue. That way they legally have a single control point for the waste even if they just pump all the nasty city waste out poorly treated or not.
Your individual choices and freedoms are steadily going up in smoke today.
there is no trust extended to people when the letter of the law binds you in force. My lectrasan works well but they dont know it so easier to just outlaw all of them.

[rjbwahsoune]

How do I update this discussion and localize it to the MD area of the Chesapeake?

[Pirateking]

I don't know about the Chesapeake but as to usability, I had the old version on my Pearson 10m for years and it worked flawlessly. I put one on our Island Packet 44 last spring when the aluminum holding tank gave up and I would have had to chainsaw out the forward head to replace a 30 gallon holding tank. So I only took out the forward stateroom floor out and had a custom 15 gallon tank fabricated, installed the electrosan with the salt water adding since I use fresh water vacuflush toilets.

Has worked fine. It has settings for automatic, manual, and no discharge.

[Pirateking]

And let me add I just saw Peggy Halls post above and recommend a copy of her book on this subject. I have now retrofitted two boats with proper marine sanitation, and her book is great.

[rjbwahsoune]

Originally Posted by Pirateking

And let me add I just saw Peggy Halls post above and recommend a copy of her book on this subject. I have now retrofitted two boats with proper marine sanitation, and her book is great.

Thanks for the comeback. Great info and have received some from users in the Chesapeake and the legalities, and info from Raritan.
Appreciate the answers.
Rich

[Sand crab]

Here they all are.
No Discharge Zones by State | Vessel Water Discharge | US EPA