Toilet Water

[Trojan]

Where do you guys get your water to flush? I am presently using water from the lake to flush. I am thinking of changing over to use My fresh water holding tank water. I am told that the smell from the holding tank will be less and the bowl water will not stink after setting for a week. I don't know. What due you guys think?



BILL

 

[Beckytek]

You can't go wrong by using fresh water from your tank. I had a pump toilet in my last boat that used raw sea water for flushing. It stunk to high heaven and that's before I used it. Bought a Vacuflush toilet with fresh water flush and no more problems. Ron

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Bill,
I just pulled my old GalleyMaids and installed new Raritans. The old toilets used seawater and the new ones use domestic fresh water. Just remember that if you switch to fresh water, use should use a vacuum breaker to keep toilet water from syphoning back into the fresh water system. You will probably also need a solenoid valve hooked into the circuit as well, since the old raw water pump cannot be used to let in the fresh water.

 

[MikeP]

Well, I'm perfectly happy with the original galley maids using seawater. My previous boat used fresh from the water tank and I didn't like using up FW for that purpose. We haven't had any problems with head odor at all but maybe that's because the water here in LI sound is not too warm and I clean the heads every week or two - 5 minutes with a rag and some vinegar. Incidentally, I NEVER buy "boat cleaning" products - they are like buying "boat toilet paper" - money for nothing.

When we first got the boat, I seriously thought about switching to modern heads/freshwater but the oems are extremely simple - no moving parts in the head itself - and work well.

Of course, the amount of water per oem flush can be an issue depending on how many people are on the boat, where you are operating, and the size of the holding tank(s). There are only two of us on the boat 90% of time so this isn't an issue for us at all. All three of our heads' discharge are processed with either Lectra San or GM chlorine waste processing systems. So the odor associated with waste is eliminated since the bacteria is killed. However, given enough time without pumping, I assume that bacteria will reestablish in the holding tanks.

On a related item, I have always been amused by the concept that you can legally pee (or whatever) over the side but you can't do the same thing in your head and flush it even though it ends up in the same place. That being said, I am not proposing that everyone should do their business over the side! BUT on a further note - that's no more bizarre than the fact that commercial treatment plants dump effluent into Long Island Sound while, at the same time we are not legally allowed to dump the waste from a Lectra San which is cleaner than what the treatment plant is dumping. I realize there are issues involving the fact that treatment plant output is supposedly monitored/certified by somebody while the Lectra San operation/use is not. Seems an easy thing to accomplish with a periodic required check...

Uh, oh, I see I'm getting perilously close to stepping onto one of my soapboxes...

 

[REBrueckner]

Please move away from the soapbox to make room for others to ascend...

 

[Maynard Rupp]

Just watch the lake freighters on the great lakes, dump their toilet flushings directly into the lake water, or watch them apply the tin based bottom paint. Rules are not for everyone, just some. OK next on the soap box please.

 

[captddis]

We have the same nonsense here. Every so often the city will dump a few million gallons of raw sewage into the bay. Do not swim warnings go up for a few days, then they say it dissapated with no harm. The Govt. uses tin paint on their boats as well. Whenever a law is passed the Govt. always exempts itself. end of rant for now.

 

[Trojan]

I don't have a real problem with using the lake water. I have an extra 70 gal plastic tank that I thought I would use if I went to the fresh water system. But I wanted to be sure that it would be worth while. I believe in the KISS system. I get free pump-outs at the yacht club so I don't let the holding tank stay full or get too full for very long. I usually pump-out every time I get fuel. I just though that I would run it by the thought factory. There are a couple of die-hards here at the club that are emphatic about it. From the forums thoughts I think I will just stay with the lake water. I don't think the cost to convert over is worth the money or pain or gain. Thanks guys.


BILL

 

[dwaynec]

Holding tank pumpout has always been a pet peeve of mine too. Our marina has free pumpout as long as the pumpout is working. Problem is that it frequently does not work. The next closest pumpout is in the next pool above us. Only about six miles away, but since we have to lock through, the round trip can take as long as six hours. I realize that there is a certain amount of bacteria in untreated sewage, but when you factor in the parts per billion of sewage that a boat can dump into the water, even if it has large holding tanks, I am sure that it is quite negligable. Gee, I wonder where the commercial tow boats get their holding tanks pump???
Dwayne

 

[Bob Bradley]

Any room open on the soapbox?

Actually Mike, if you take it a step further, after you pump your head, they truck it to the treatment plant, dump it there, and then dump it back into the Sound. Of course, we treat our holding tanks, so our stuff is cleaner when it gets to the plant than when it eventually gets dumped back into the Sound.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I agree that the GalleyMaids are well built units, but for me it was time for a change. The old units used way too much water and filled the tanks too quickly. They were also noisy. Since the Admiral wanted to "remodel" the heads anyway, it was time to update the sanitation system as well. So, after all winter of pulling out the old and installing new hoses, new tank monitor, new flooring, new wallpaper, new lighting, new headliner, I finally think I'm ready to try 'em out. Boat goes in week of april 25. Can't wait!

Also, I still have a 32v GM head pump left if anybody needs one.

 

[Trojan]

My boat went in the water April first and I have been staying on it ever since. I love it.



BILL

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Sure, rub it in why don't you.

 

[Maynard Rupp]

Our 36C "Unity" is going in next tuesday and I can't wait. I rebuilt the Groco head. I guess after 20 years it is about time for new rubber parts. I was impressed how long that thing worked. I sure can't get that kind of service from my house toilets. I was interested in the comments here about using ship's water instead of sea, or in our case lake water. I never considered using onboard water as I figured the head uses lots of water. Of course the Groco's water use is dependent on the flusher eh? Does the holding tank odor come from using sea water in fresh water also? If so, I will surely switch the thing over to ship's water. I have been using toilets for 65 years, but I never really got close to them if you know what I mean.

 

[Genesis]

The smell is indeed from the seawater flush.

I have a Vacuflush head and it is odor free - running off ship's water. Having had that in my 45C, I'll never have a seawater flush system. I've worked on and been on more than a few boats with them and they ALL stink unless used daily. Lock up for a week and come back and pppphhhheeeewwww!

 

[bateau beau]

Last season I installed one of those high tech, programmable, heads in the forward head, flushing with fresh water, and couldn't be happier. No smell, and the guests seem much more comfortable just pushing the button and they're done.

This season, I'm going to change the aft head to the same system. And most important, the Admiral likes it.....

 

[Trojan]

Genesis put right. Let it set for a week in a hot boat. I always add a little bleach to the bowl before I leave the boat. But the fresh water is supposed to help stop the stink. It is supposed to help prevent the growth of bacteria in the bowl water if there is any left. That's why I'm asking about it here.


Bill

 

[jim rosenthal]

Beau, which brand of head did you install? I am looking at new ones. Has anyone bought a Tecma or had any experience with them?

 

[Traveler 45C]

Incidentally, I NEVER buy "boat cleaning" products - they are like buying "boat toilet paper" - money for nothing.

So what is it about boat toilet paper? Why shouldn't I buy it? Is it just that same as regular paper?

 

[Maynard Rupp]

So what is it about boat toilet paper? Why shouldn't I buy it? Is it just that same as regular paper?

I was surprised to see the member that said he uses regular toilet paper. I was always told that you have to use bio-degradable toilet paper for a holding tank or a septic tank system...I still need to know if that smell is only associated with salt water or does fresh great lakes water do the same thing?