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Holding tank treatment

  • Thread starter Thread starter madhatter1
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madhatter1

madhatter1

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  1. OWNER - I own a Hatteras Yacht
Hatteras Model
34' CONVERTIBLE (1965 - 1969)
On our 1982 46 we used the holding tank for our keys trip since business needed to be conducted aboard. At our last stop before heading back tried to pump out before we left.Seemed to pump out okay at first but then slowed down but definitly wasn't empty. Slooooowly broke the seal and tried again. Did the same thing. Since I got some out and trip was close to end I figured that the vent was just clogged from non use and I would deal with it at home.

Pulled closet wall out and removed the hose from the fitting. Could see daylight through the hull fixture and vent hose confirmed to not be clogged (don't try this at home boys and girls!).

So something in the tank is clogging up the waste pickup. On my RV we dump what I call the blue goo down the tanks. That does an excellent job of breaking shit (for lack of any better word) down and keeping odor down. Anybody use anything like this? Not sure if it would react to a fiberglass tank. I would think not since the held gas before ethanol and diesel for many many years.

Figure safer to ask fist before I get myself into a "crappy" situation.
 
Hopefully it is a clog and not the pick up tube corroded off. If that’s the case you’ve got a bigger job on your hands. You can look through numerous posts on this site about this. Most recently one by Robert who did a phenomenal narration on how to change out the pick up tube. The post is called (holding tank pick up Replacement). It was completed on 9/21 2019 at 6:07 PM
 
The fellow that pumps out a lot of holding tanks on boats in our region suggested "Odorlos". He said that he used to recommend Happy Camper, but that they changed their chemistry a while back and that it creates its own issues now.

I picked up my first container of Odorlos at West Marine. It was a 68oz bottle with a handy measuring device built-in. I now purchase it off of Amazon in a 168oz size and refill the 68oz bottle from that.

I assume that a fellow who does pump-outs all day 5 days a week would be someone with some insight as to what breaks stuff down in the tank and what does not.

The container says that it is, "Safe and gentle for you, your tank and the environment..."

Nick
 
The only thing I ever found that actually controls the odor is the good old formaldehyde stuff. Any of the eco-friendly stuff and it stinks everytime you flush.
 
The blue goo is Campa-Chem and is the formaldehyde. Is it safe for fiberglass (if anyone knows)?
 
madhatter1 said:
The blue goo is Campa-Chem and is the formaldehyde. Is it safe for fiberglass (if anyone knows)?
Click to expand...

I've used it for 16 years on my Hatt. No problems.
 
SKYCHENEY said:
I've used it for 16 years on my Hatt. No problems.
Click to expand...

Bingo! That's what I needed to know. Just did a bunch of research and found the older fiberglass contained formaldehyde, storage containers for it are made of fiberglass, and read the MSDS.

Will dump some in with some water and pump out in a couple weeks. Thanks.
 
Thetford, the maker of Campa-Chem, has a website dedicated to marine ...

https://www.thetfordmarine.com/us/

There they have Aqua-Kem Marine. The also have (plain) Aqua-Kem on their RV site ...

https://www.thetford.com/us/

Aqua-Kem is supposed to be stronger than Campa-Chem.

I don't see much of a difference (other than price) between Aqua-Kem Marine and plain Aqua-Kem. And plain Aqua-Kem says it can be applied in marine applications. As also does Campa-Chem.

Aqua-Kem has been around for a long time ...

https://books.google.com/books?id=O...ICRAB#v=onepage&q=aqua-kem fiberglass&f=false
 
Last edited:
First, thank you for respecting our fragile Keys.

It sounds as if you rarely use a shoreside pump-out, so you probably rarely exercise your Y-valve. It's possible that it didn't fully open, or has deposits on it that snagged a wad of paper after allowing mostly liquid to pass. Not uncommon.

It's also not uncommon to have to break the suction and then resume pumping. A number of factors could be involved. Since you find the vent open, the issue could be with the pump-out itself. Some require a period of time to build up sufficient suction, some have to also pump uphill to get your deposit into the sewer system [as is the case here in Islamorada]. It's hard to say unless you are a regular customer of that particular location.

Whatever the situation, liquids move easier than solids; natural solids move easier than wads of TP. And the more liquid you put into the tank, the more medium is available to lubricate the passage of solids. Always use septic safe or marine TP.

We have used the powder NeutralizeRX since it was first mentioned on this site several years ago. If memory serves, it was developed by the operator of a pump-out boat in Stuart. It is now available on Amazon for about $100 for a case or six jars. Put one scoop into the head each day. A single jar lasts about 6 weeks with daily usage.
 
Hello - just to clarify, did you confirm that the vent line was open to the top of the tank through the elbow (or other type) fitting? I had the same problem on ours, which turned out to be the vent fitting on the tank top being plugged. The vent hose was open otherwise. Easy fix, just asking to be sure. Good luck-
 
Not much of an endorsement, but I got some aqua-kem at lunch and it does seem to work. What works the best is to keep the tanks pumped out, but it’s a pain to move the boat over to the pump out station. Well, it just hasn’t become routine for me yet.
 
dar636 said:
Hello - just to clarify, did you confirm that the vent line was open to the top of the tank through the elbow (or other type) fitting? I had the same problem on ours, which turned out to be the vent fitting on the tank top being plugged. The vent hose was open otherwise. Easy fix, just asking to be sure. Good luck-
Click to expand...

Pulled the vent hose off the thru hull. Wrapped it in a plastic bag and blew air into it. Went through no problem. Then I know vent hose was clear when back pressure I created blew right back out the hose. Smelled a bit fruity! Blech.
 
madhatter1 said:
Pulled the vent hose off the thru hull. Wrapped it in a plastic bag and blew air into it. Went through no problem. Then I know vent hose was clear when back pressure I created blew right back out the hose. Smelled a bit fruity! Blech.
Click to expand...
Can’t dispute your findings even if your methods are highly suspect.
 
madhatter1 said:
Pulled the vent hose off the thru hull. Wrapped it in a plastic bag and blew air into it. Went through no problem. Then I know vent hose was clear when back pressure I created blew right back out the hose. Smelled a bit fruity! Blech.
Click to expand...

Gives a whole new meaning to "potty mouth"
 
I recently checked the vent lines from the tanks by lightly placing some plastic wrap against the vent fitting on the exterior of the boat while the tank was being pumped out.

I could easily see that the plastic wrap was being sucked inward by the suction of the pump-out hose. That confirmed to me that the vent was working as it should.

Nick
 
I may not be the sharpest spoon in the drawer but I get the job done.
 
Another way is to put a shop-vac on blow and put it into the pump-out opening; then smell the vent.
 
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