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Poo sticks (verb)


Opener

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Every time I go home from the boat, I empty and rinse the cassette, regardless of volume and specification of contents. 

I got to thinking that, when cruising, we often run with a filled cassette sitting on the bathroom floor while we look out for a disposal. So, would there be any practical problem in leaving a partially filled cassette in situ with the boat unoccupied. What does the jury think - practical or aesthetic issues? 🙄🤔☹️. Any experience. Would weather forecast influence your view?

Edited by Opener
Clarification - unoccupied boat
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9 minutes ago, Opener said:

Every time I go home from the boat, I empty and rinse the cassette, regardless of volume and specification of contents. 

I got to thinking that, when cruising, we often run with a filled cassette sitting on the bathroom floor while we look out for a disposal. So, would there be any practical problem in leaving a partially filled cassette in situ with the boat unoccupied. What does the jury think - practical or aesthetic issues? 🙄🤔☹️. Any experience. Would weather forecast influence your view?

Unlikely though it is they can freeze in very cold weather with the potential for splitting caused by the freeze and alternatively in hot weather the pressure inside can become a tad high with I suppose similar results

 

I've never seen one go bang but I have seen one frozen and one distorted by internal pressure, so I now try to empty as soon as I can, to clarify this was cassettes stored on the roof, I imagine left inside the boat the above is even less likely 

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I don't tend to leave ours when it is freezing but the rest of the year I often leave a partially filled cassette in situ when we go home. I tend to find one or two weeks is ok but any longer the cassette tends to turn a bit like sludge.

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3 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I don't tend to leave ours when it is freezing but the rest of the year I often leave a partially filled cassette in situ when we go home. I tend to find one or two weeks is ok but any longer the cassette tends to turn a bit like sludge.

Any thoughts on why that should happen? I was thinking that, with the 'flap' in the closed position, the cassette should be effectively sealed so no exit by water vapour (sludgification) or odour. Would only be left for a couple of/few weeks and in neutral or warmish weather. Sits in its cupboard on the boat centre line.

Would cassette contents be desludgified by joggling on the way to be tipped?

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We usually empty our cassette when we get back from a trip but may spend the odd day on the boat between trips when the boat loo is ‘nur pinkeln’ Never had a problem not emptying it over the winter. 

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Just emptied my rather full cassette after a period of six months. Yes, I know I should have emptied it when it was full. No odour in the past six months when visiting the boat, and it emptied easily, in a liquified state. Quite impressed. Oh, and I use Elsan Blue.

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9 hours ago, RAP said:

Just emptied my rather full cassette after a period of six months. Yes, I know I should have emptied it when it was full. No odour in the past six months when visiting the boat, and it emptied easily, in a liquified state. Quite impressed. Oh, and I use Elsan Blue.

I'm also in this camp. Life's too short to be constantly emptying a cassette when it's not near full. The elsan is also an hour plus cruising distance away from my mooring. Have always operated like that even in a marina with an elsan fifty yards away. It would take quite a few daytime visits to check the boat over a number of months before the loo required emptying. When actually out, I'd only head for the elsan point once I'd got a full cassette and had swapped onto the empty one. Have used elsan blue usually but bio washing liquid or even toilet cleaner liquid if no blue left. Never had any problems with bad smells but in an unheated GRP boat one winter on a lake, where even the cabin interior was sub-zero, the contents of the loo did start to freeze. I imagine heat or cold expansion/deformation could be an issue with ones left outside in winter/high summer but inside have never had any problems in the near 50 years we've used a porta-potti on a canal boat.

Edited by BilgePump
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14 hours ago, Rob-M said:

I don't tend to leave ours when it is freezing but the rest of the year I often leave a partially filled cassette in situ when we go home. I tend to find one or two weeks is ok but any longer the cassette tends to turn a bit like sludge.

1 hour ago, Opener said:

Any thoughts on why that should happen? I was thinking that, with the 'flap' in the closed position, the cassette should be effectively sealed so no exit by water vapour (sludgification) or odour. Would only be left for a couple of/few weeks and in neutral or warmish weather. Sits in its cupboard on the boat centre line.

 

Sludge... Without going too deep into this - :lol: - is all to do with the settlement of suspended solids.  It has nothing to do with evaporation of water but separation of water and solids by gravity!  And along with the (natural) bacteria and heat - if present, sludge that contains a high proportion of "food - i.e. human waste" for the bugs to eat provides the near perfect conditions for anaerobic digestion.  The dear little darlings like a warm environment and become more active when the temperature of the sludge rises therefore the climate can have an influence on the natural process. 

 

 

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Hmmm! Many thanks for your comments and experience - somewhat to my surprise you reinforce my bone idle proposal.

Not sure I accept David's comment about pump-outs - I would have thought they have a deal more complicated plum-bing between bowl and tank than my 'dump it and chuck it' setup.

I always use an additive so should be protected to an extent by that and would only be leaving unemptied during the season and not over Winter.

So, thanks guys - the jury strikes again!

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I started off following instructions on the Blue, but found it much better to start with some blue, then add a good splash of diluted blue when necessary, much better outcome. If leaving boat I'd go for an  extra splash of diluted blue on top

 

Edited by LadyG
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11 hours ago, Opener said:

Not sure I accept David's comment about pump-outs - I would have thought they have a deal more complicated plum-bing between bowl and tank than my 'dump it and chuck it' setup.

No more complicated plumbing if you have a dump through toilet sat directly on top of the tank. But even if you have a macerator or vacuum toilet which transfers the waste to a remote tank, its still the same mix of poo, pee, water and blue (if you use it), with the same tendency to settle out if left for a period of time.

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3 hours ago, 70liveaboard said:

OP I don't think there would be much of a problem leaving a porti loo half full, other than smell maybe.

I hope you are wrong. Smell was my original concern. Comments above suggest I shouldn't worry. I suppose if I do it once and I'm wrong I've got plenty of doors and hatches I can open. 🥺🥴😟🤢🤧

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It won't smell until you open it to deposit some more waste or to empty it. Then it will stink. I live alone and don't empty my cassettes for a couple of weeks sometimes. It's no problem at all apart from it smelling from continued use without emptying. Having said that I think they start to smell after a couple of days whatever chemical you happen to add. Others can't seem to smell theirs but I think that's either denial or nose blindness.

 

I'm currently experimenting with a cassette venting system.

Edited by blackrose
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4 minutes ago, blackrose said:

It won't smell until you open it to deposit some more waste or to empty it. Then it will stink. I live alone and don't empty my cassettes for a couple of weeks sometimes. It's no problem at all apart from it smelling from continued use without emptying. Having said that I think they start to smell after a couple of days whatever chemical you happen to add. Others can't seem to smell theirs but I think that's either denial or nose blindness.

 

I'm currently experimenting with a cassette venting system.

 

4 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

 

I'm currently experimenting with a cassette venting system.

You sit on the front deck to use it??😁

  • Greenie 1
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