Cost of emptying a holding tank

[peterboat]

3 minutes ago, TheMenagerieAfloat said:

I don't know - I was genuinely asking which hole menstrual blood should go down? Can't find the info on manufacturers' sites... regarding kids the only answer I've found is 'fine once they can use an adult sized seat'...

 

Out of interest does your compost actually get used for horticulture?

You can get a child seat I believe.I do use it in the garden I have a composting bin which everything goes in, other moorers throw there veg matter in as well,  at the moment it's getting leafs in its it all seems to rot down so fast, 10 years and no poisoning as yet 

[Guest]

So, I nearly agree with @mrsmelly... except we need three disposal points

1) garden (fantastically available, particularly to liveaboards/anyone in the S East/a metropolis/etc)

2) elsan (for liquids if you don't use the garden/ever cruise from it)

3) mystery third place for the stuff no one can tell me which hole takes?

 

I have found a child seat now though @peterboat - available for a mere 65quid from somewhere up north for anyone wanting to rush out to buy one...

Edited December 7, 2019 by TheMenagerieAfloat

[peterboat]

38 minutes ago, TheMenagerieAfloat said:

So, I nearly agree with @mrsmelly... except we need three disposal points

1) garden (fantastically available, particularly to liveaboards/anyone in the S East/a metropolis/etc)

2) elsan (for liquids if you don't use the garden/ever cruise from it)

3) mystery third place for the stuff no one can tell me which hole takes?

 

I have found a child seat now though @peterboat - available for a mere 65quid from somewhere up north for anyone wanting to rush out to buy one...

I have a separate villa in my boat the wee I have always poured on the grass because it's full of nitrogen and is a good fertiliser, so no need to put in an elsen  solids every 3 month's again no problems as I have 3 buckets. I would never go back to a pump out and cassettes are so heavy and emptied every few days nightmare for me, and anybody that is getting on in life must hate it? However toilets are our own choice and people must have what ever suits them 

[Guest]

Kind of personal choice - but also... I've never owned a garden in my life and I do think tipping wee straight onto the grass on the tow path/in a local park is a bit antisocial?

 

I was (child seat issues aside) happy to use one when somewhere with land - it just doesn't work in an urban centre/for those without their own property. And where I am a garden would cost a heck of a lot more than 20quid (or whatever) a shot pump out :-)

[peterboat]

3 minutes ago, TheMenagerieAfloat said:

Kind of personal choice - but also... I've never owned a garden in my life and I do think tipping wee straight onto the grass on the tow path/in a local park is a bit antisocial?

 

I was (child seat issues aside) happy to use one when somewhere with land - it just doesn't work in an urban centre/for those without their own property. And where I am a garden would cost a heck of a lot more than 20quid (or whatever) a shot pump out ?

I am lucky I have a large garden,  and a load of waste land near me, whilst cruising it's no issues up north nobody will be walking where the wee goes and the grass does grow greener?

[nbfiresprite]

Urine has high levels concentrations of nitrogen, Too much nitrogen can turn the grass brown (Nitrogen burn). Hence the brown patches of grass seen on the towpath, parks, fields and lawns.

 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/lawn-garden/a27354/urinate-on-lawn/

Edited December 8, 2019 by nbfiresprite

[Boater Sam]

Why not cut out all the containers bit in the middle and P and crap straight outside? Seems with a composter that's exactly how it ends up anyway.

[Sea Dog]

6 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

Why not cut out all the containers bit in the middle and P and crap straight outside? Seems with a composter that's exactly how it ends up anyway.

It does seem that there's quite a lot of truth in this, particularly in the case of boats where one vital element of the compositing process is missing - time.

[peterboat]

10 hours ago, nbfiresprite said:

Urine has high levels concentrations of nitrogen, Too much nitrogen can turn the grass brown (Nitrogen burn). Hence the brown patches of grass seen on the towpath, parks, fields and lawns.

 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/lawn-garden/a27354/urinate-on-lawn/

 

8 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

Why not cut out all the containers bit in the middle and P and crap straight outside? Seems with a composter that's exactly how it ends up anyway.

 

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

It does seem that there's quite a lot of truth in this, particularly in the case of boats where one vital element of the compositing process is missing - time.

Yet I have no brown grass and compost with no issues. Most beats on our moorings are occasionally used the few livaboards use either composting or cassette, pumpout is a non starter as the pump out is 2 days travel there and back,  I was lucky when I had mine as my mate did it for me.

[BlueStringPudding]

19 hours ago, TheMenagerieAfloat said:

On some boats that is what counts as a 'gauge'!

Yup. That is literally how it's gauged on a Black Prince boat circa 1997

[Guest]

I think the thing is that you're not really using a compost loo on a boat @peterboat. You're using 'compost loo + large garden (+ wasteland)'. So, you're happy becasue you (with your + large garden) can compost and, (with your + wasteland) can empty wee in a variety of spots so it doesn't kill off grass in one patch (I know there are horticultural uses for wee but think it is mostly dilute/processed in some way).

For those of us with more of a '[some kind of boat] loo + couple of plant pots aboard/on pontoon + busy and largely paved towpath' type set up composting would never happen and liquids really would have to go in an elsan.

 

However I'm not really using just a pump out loo. I'm using a 'pump out + pump out machine on home mooring pontoon' (there is an elsan, but it is around the corner and near a loo I'd rather use than a cassette in emergencies). So, neither of us anyway are really 'self sufficient' aboard. Probably only sea loos are really...

Edited December 8, 2019 by TheMenagerieAfloat

[Iain_S]

14 hours ago, nbfiresprite said:

Urine has high levels concentrations of nitrogen, Too much nitrogen can turn the grass brown (Nitrogen burn). Hence the brown patches of grass seen on the towpath, parks, fields and lawns.

 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/lawn-garden/a27354/urinate-on-lawn/

Alrgough that's usually of canine rather than human origin. Dog pee tends to be less diluted, and they tend to favour the same spots.

[Guest]

https://nwedible.com/how-to-use-pee-in-your-garden/

 

Most of these applications are not 'tip a whole cassette load in one place, repeatedly'.

[Jerra]

All this tipping of urine in hedges I hope the towpath doesn't end up smelling like some of the lay-bys near here.   Possible I think in popular mooring places if "composting" toilets become more popular.

[peterboat]

2 hours ago, Jerra said:

All this tipping of urine in hedges I hope the towpath doesn't end up smelling like some of the lay-bys near here.   Possible I think in popular mooring places if "composting" toilets become more popular.

This is the UK mate the amount of water that falls from the sky soon dilutes what I pour on the grass!?

[Jerra]

2 minutes ago, peterboat said:

This is the UK mate the amount of water that falls from the sky soon dilutes what I pour on the grass!?

This is the Lake District famous for its long dry summers!    The lay-bys stink.

 

EDIT to add only about 20 miles from thewettestt place in the UK.

Edited December 8, 2019 by Jerra

[Detling]

I recon water weed growth, which is proliferating is not just due to global warming but excess nitrogen, not all of it run off from the fields.

[peterboat]

2 minutes ago, Jerra said:

This is the Lake District famous for its long dry summers!    The lay-bys stink.

 

EDIT to add only about 20 miles from thewettestt place in the UK.

I get what you are saying mine when on the move is normally spread over a distance, and lightly visited it is diluted when the bowl is sprayed after use 

1 minute ago, Detling said:

I recon water weed growth, which is proliferating is not just due to global warming but excess nitrogen, not all of it run off from the fields.

In our case it's run off from the sewage treatment centre the mess after the flood was horrendous 

[Jerra]

3 minutes ago, peterboat said:

I get what you are saying mine when on the move is normally spread over a distance, and lightly visited it is diluted when the bowl is sprayed after use 

I am sure responsible use particularly when you have somewhere to compost would be fine.   Unfortunately the world is getting fuller and fuller of irresponsible people and as I said I fear for popular mooring places.

[peterboat]

2 minutes ago, Jerra said:

I am sure responsible use particularly when you have somewhere to compost would be fine.   Unfortunately the world is getting fuller and fuller of irresponsible people and as I said I fear for popular mooring places.

Yup and they will dump the contents of their cassettes wherever as well! It's all very sad 

[nbfiresprite]

Just now, peterboat said:

Yup and they will dump the contents of their cassettes wherever as well! It's all very sad 

All to often over the wall, fence or hedge in to someones garden or just tip it over the side into the cut.

[BlueStringPudding]

5 hours ago, Jerra said:

All this tipping of urine in hedges I hope the towpath doesn't end up smelling like some of the lay-bys near here.   Possible I think in popular mooring places if "composting" toilets become more popular.

In some places I've moored, it does. People think their p*sh don't stink on a hot summer's day. Only everybody else's ?

[sueb]

On 07/12/2019 at 11:26, dmr said:

Prices are creeping up but £18 to £20 looks to be the going rate though there are still a few really cheap ones about. Some go into the main sewer, some into a septic tank so the costs for the supplier are variable There is also the cost of stripping the pump to remove blockages when boaters to silly things.

 

A big factor is value for money, some pumpouts do a good job, some are terrible. I much prefer the ones where I go do the job myself.

Assuming a once per month cycle then the cost is about £25 per year which is not a big part of the total cost of boating.

 

I believe CRT are looking at the future at their pumpout machines. A good alernative would be to provide a standard BSP fitting to the sewer so that boaters can do an easy and clean (and I assume free) self pumpout.

 

and tell smelly that a Pumpout is a Proper bog, anything else is pooing into a plastic "boaters briefcase"

 

.................Dave

BW talked about a fitting for fitting to the sewer many years ago. It may take a few more years for CRT to think about it

[dmr]

11 hours ago, sueb said:

BW talked about a fitting for fitting to the sewer many years ago. It may take a few more years for CRT to think about it

I think I also suggested it to them a few years ago to. I know that they move slowly, but they move a lot quicker where saving money spent on boaters facilities is concerned. They recently said that supporting the current number of rubbish compounds is "unsustainable" and that every use of their pumpout machines costs them £85 (or some similar large figure. Seeing how often their machines are broken/awaiting contractors I can believe this figure.

 

We carry a manual self pumpout kit for emergencies but generally I prefer to pay to use a machine, though if there was a nice convenient BSP type fitting I would be happy to do a self pumpout.

 

................Dave

[Dave123]

On 07/12/2019 at 10:17, jddevel said:

Just a personal point of view. Out of personal choice I`ve a holding tank on our boat which incurs a charge for emptying. Can be up to £25 I believe in some locationd.This would not occur if we had a Elsan. Although I recognise that there is a cost in both labour and fuel in emptying my tank do I not subsidize those who use a Elsan when it comes to the marinas tank cost to empty their tank? I feel I do. Flack expected.

If you are talking specifically about charges at private marinas then you are wrong, many will charge up to £4 to empty an elsan , some even if you are spending a lot of money or taking a temporary mooring!