Pump out toilet advice for leisure boaters

[Spudwynk]

Hi

We're looking for out first boat and initially until we retire we will be leisure boaters. We ideally want a cassette loo but if we end up with a pump out what's the advice on emptying if we only stay on it at weekends. Do we need to pump it out every time we stay on board or would we be OK waiting till the tank was approaching full? How smelly would it get if it was a couple of months between pumps outs or are we better steering clear or converting the facilities to cassette yo meet our needs better?

Thanks

[Tony Brooks]

Providing the holding tank is adequately vented, few are, then as long as you are using a biological additive or no additive then in my view, you can leave it until it is full. However, with inadequate venting the smell may make you pump out more often. The maccerator and vacuum toilets tend to keep any smell outside the boat at the expense of more and more complicated maintenance plus the electrical demand. Dump throughs are simple but do tend to vent smaells into the boat when the shutter is activated.

 

FWIW I used to leave my dump through tank partially full throughout the winter because I used the boat as accommodation when running courses.

[Slim]

1 hour ago, Spudwynk said:

Hi

We're looking for out first boat and initially until we retire we will be leisure boaters. We ideally want a cassette loo but if we end up with a pump out what's the advice on emptying if we only stay on it at weekends. Do we need to pump it out every time we stay on board or would we be OK waiting till the tank was approaching full? How smelly would it get if it was a couple of months between pumps outs or are we better steering clear or converting the facilities to cassette yo meet our needs better?

Thanks

If it's a reasonable installation there is no smell and the holding tank can be left for several months with no issues. I suspect that most smelly installations are a result of time expired hoses. A simple replacement and amazingly odour free. 

[Tony Brooks]

4 minutes ago, Slim said:

I suspect that most smelly installations are a result of time expired hoses. A simple replacement and amazingly odour free. 

 

Or bad pipe/hose routing so effluent sits in the hose, especially on maccerator or vacuum toilets. Also, far too many installers use hose throughout rather than rigid pipe where possible.

 

I disagree that in "most" cases it is a hose problem. Much depends on the type of holding tank toilet, if any additive and the type used. In all too many cases there is insufficient ventilation for the holding tank leading to oxygen  depletion and anaerobic decomposition of the waste. Ideally tanks will have a large breather at each end. Say 1" i.d. minimum with 2" being far better.

[howardang]

2 hours ago, Spudwynk said:

Hi

We're looking for out first boat and initially until we retire we will be leisure boaters. We ideally want a cassette loo but if we end up with a pump out what's the advice on emptying if we only stay on it at weekends. Do we need to pump it out every time we stay on board or would we be OK waiting till the tank was approaching full? How smelly would it get if it was a couple of months between pumps outs or are we better steering clear or converting the facilities to cassette yo meet our needs better?

Thanks

Hello and welcome to the forum. I am sure that you will be getting plenty of advice about toilets so I won't add to them; it is a frequent generator of questions,  and responses which will, I am sure will be helpful.

I was intrigued by your introduction "...initially until we retire we will be leisure boaters." Does this mean that you have other plans after retiring? Surely, all boaters are leisure boaters after retiring unless they intend to set up a waterborne business. 

 

Happy hunting in your search for a suitable boat.

 

Howard 

[MrsM]

5 minutes ago, howardang said:

Hello and welcome to the forum. I am sure that you will be getting plenty of advice about toilets so I won't add to them; it is a frequent generator of questions,  and responses which will, I am sure will be helpful.

I was intrigued by your introduction "...initially until we retire we will be leisure boaters." Does this mean that you have other plans after retiring? Surely, all boaters are leisure boaters after retiring unless they intend to set up a waterborne business. 

 

Happy hunting in your search for a suitable boat.

 

Howard 

I presume the OP means they will holiday on their boat until they retire, at which point they can move on board full time?

[Spudwynk]

1 minute ago, MrsM said:

I presume the OP means they will holiday on their boat until they retire, at which point they can move on board full time?

Yes that's right. Just haven't got the lingo right yet and influenced by ringing marinas and asking for leisure moorings 

[MrsM]

Welcome to the forum. We are leisure boaters with a pump out. When we finish our last trip of the year in the late Autumn/early Winter we do a pump out. We then use the loo lightly over the winter when we check on the boat and it is fine until our first trip of the Spring. We never have any issues with odours. 

 

[Nightwatch]

When we were ‘leisure’ boaters before moving onboard we just emptied the loo tank as and when. We always carry a Porta loo for those times we misjudge where we might be near a pumpout facility. I say this because once or twice we have left the boat with a full(ish) tank with no issues. We used bio washing liquid from Tesco, Morrisons and the like. Their own brand seems to be as good as if not better than a well known brand. But this is my experience, and others may contradict me.

I wish you well with your search for your boat. Ask away if there’s something you’re not sure about. There is always someone willing to pass on their knowledge and advice. Including my good self.

[howardang]

1 hour ago, MrsM said:

I presume the OP means they will holiday on their boat until they retire, at which point they can move on board full time?

Which surely makes them retired live aboard leisure boaters ?

🤒

Whatever, I hope they find what they are looking for.

We had pump out toilets on all our boats we part owned and have never had issues on the occasions when the boat has been left unattended for prriods of a couple of months or so with no issues as long as there was sufficient water in the holding tank and a dose of Blue.

 

Howard

 

[PNB116]

How about getting a portable cassette toilet for the weekends away? Then you don’t need to use the tank 

[jonathanA]

It's a non problem we have and do leave ours in various states from empty to full from weeks to months without issue. 

The only thing that would worry me would be a build up of sludge at the bottom of the tank but some agitation from boat movement and a good rinse seems to work for us

Ours is a macerator which I think helps a lot. 

 

If your looking for a first secondhand boat then you are unlikely to find one that has exactly everything you want, so compromise is inevitable. Only you can decide whether the toilet type is a deal breaker or not. 

[blackrose]

18 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Or bad pipe/hose routing so effluent sits in the hose, especially on maccerator or vacuum toilets. Also, far too many installers use hose throughout rather than rigid pipe where possible.

 

 

On my previous vacuum toilet the 3m of Vetus sanitary hose remained full of effluent for nearly 17 years. That's how it was designed to work. The hose never smelled but it was a proper barrier sanitary hose. I wouldn't want to use a cheaper non -barrier hose even if it was thick walled. 

 

There's a very easy test you can do to see if odours are coming from a hose. Just wipe a damp cloth over the hose, go outside and smell the cloth. 

[blackrose]

48 minutes ago, jonathanA said:

 

The only thing that would worry me would be a build up of sludge at the bottom of the tank but some agitation from boat movement and a good rinse seems to work for us

 

 

I very much doubt that any boat movement is agitating the sludge in your pump out tank unless perhaps you're out on tidal waters regularly. The truth is that pump out tanks are not easily rinsed of sludge. Whatever comes out comes out and some stays in there even if the owners think they're clean because nothing else is coming out after a rinse. 

[Alan de Enfield]

47 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

I very much doubt that any boat movement is agitating the sludge in your pump out tank unless perhaps you're out on tidal waters regularly. The truth is that pump out tanks are not easily rinsed of sludge. Whatever comes out comes out and some stays in there even if the owners think they're clean because nothing else is coming out after a rinse. 

 

 

We have a 9" diameter plastic hatch covers incorporated into the top of our black & grey water tanks so they can be easily washed out, (or even pressure washed if needed).

 

 

 

 

[MrsM]

And you can see what you had for dinner! 😄

[jonathanA]

2 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

I very much doubt that any boat movement is agitating the sludge in your pump out tank unless perhaps you're out on tidal waters regularly. The truth is that pump out tanks are not easily rinsed of sludge. Whatever comes out comes out and some stays in there even if the owners think they're clean because nothing else is coming out after a rinse. 

I suspect your right  I tend to rock the boat when I'm rinsing to stir things up a bit. No idea if it makes a difference but I like to think it does. Our tank is across the beam of the boat. There will always be a bit left in the tank because clearly the end of the pickup pipe has to be above the bottom of the tank. Which is another reason I rock the boat to try to get as much out as possible....  

[OldGoat]

There used to be several discussions on here about reducing the odours in pump out systems I found some hospital grade washing machine detergent some years ago and that removed all the smell. 'Trouble is it's not on general sale so some research is needed. An 'alrernative' nearly as good is (sold in Tesco) is Oxy-gen.