Narrowboat Toilets

[blackrose]

8 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have never seen an attendant at a CRT pumpout machine 

 

I have.

[Paul C]

11 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

It yet again needs reiterating that no one has to " Traips around " anything. When you empty the cassette you do exactly the same as when emptying a pump out tank. You pull up at the mooring adjacent to as you do with a tank and carry the cassette a few yards from the boat to the elsan, the whole operation is completed and you are on your way before the pump out boater has unwound the hose of the pumpout machine. Of course you can moor four mileas away from the elsan if you are kinky enough and wheelbarrow the cassette down there but why would you. Having had both types over 30 odd years full time living aboard I know which I vastly prefered and it wasnt some poxy tank jobby, ive owned dump through and macerater types. Its obs a personal choice but for years I have had to reiterate that a four mile walk with a cassette doesnt come into the equation. Would you put your boat on a trolley and wheel it down to the pump out point to empty or would you motor it there?

 

You could moor 4 miles away from the elsan, then empty a cassette when you're passing. If you're cruising enough, it becomes a non-issue.

[magnetman]

10 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

I have.

Was this a BWML marina?

[wandering]

7 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

It yet again needs reiterating that no one has to " Traips around " anything. When you empty the cassette you do exactly the same as when emptying a pump out tank. You pull up at the mooring adjacent to as you do with a tank and carry the cassette a few yards from the boat to the elsan, the whole operation is completed and you are on your way before the pump out boater has unwound the hose of the pumpout machine. Of course you can moor four mileas away from the elsan if you are kinky enough and wheelbarrow the cassette down there but why would you. Having had both types over 30 odd years full time living aboard I know which I vastly prefered and it wasnt some poxy tank jobby, ive owned dump through and macerater types. Its obs a personal choice but for years I have had to reiterate that a four mile walk with a cassette doesnt come into the equation. Would you put your boat on a trolley and wheel it down to the pump out point to empty or would you motor it there?

Indeed, nobody is forced to traipse anything around but the number of times I've seen folk with a set of wheels and a stack of cassettes on the towpath on the hunt for the Elsan point is quite remarkable, so much so that it must be masochistic. That plus the frequency of emptying it doesn't appeal to me. I agree with you though, why would you wander for miles, especially in the cold and rain? But people do, in fact, do that. I've witnessed it with my eyeballs. Makes no sense to me but, for them, I suppose their mooring 4 miles away is more precious than getting up close and personal with the Elsan point. Chacun à son goût. Must be a lot of kinksters on the network.

 

 

 

 

[magnetman]

1 hour ago, MartynG said:

Speak for yourself .🙂

Figurative. 

 

 

6 minutes ago, wandering said:

Indeed, nobody is forced to traipse anything around but the number of times I've seen folk with a set of wheels and a stack of cassettes on the towpath on the hunt for the Elsan point is quite remarkable, so much so that it must be masochistic. That plus the frequency of emptying it doesn't appeal to me. I agree with you though, why would you wander for miles, especially in the cold and rain? But people do, in fact, do that. I've witnessed it with my eyeballs. Makes no sense to me but, for them, I suppose their mooring 4 miles away is more precious than getting up close and personal with the Elsan point. Chacun à son goût. Must be a lot of kinksters on the network.

 

 

 

 

I do believe that people do not want to see it twice. 

 

I remember only too well in 1993 when my mother bought a narrow boat from Pyrford marina on the Wey which had an Elsan lavatory on it. We exited the marina and had a tour of the Wey before returning to our riverside house at Hampton Wick. 

 

I emptied the suitcase on the way back in one of the National Trust elsan disposal points and on returning to the boat I explained that this was 'the way to do it'. A couple of yars later we were both living on our own boats and traveled around the canals for a decade. It was interesting to note that she had a dump through with about half a tonne of [word removed] under her bed and I had an Elsan bucket. 

 

Some people probably do prefer the pumpout for the reason of not seeing the contents more than once although to be fair to my dear mother she did ask Kingfisher marina how much it would be to haul all the gear out and put in a sensible loo and their price was shocking. 

 

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by magnetman
correction

[wandering]

10 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Figurative. 

 

 

I do believe that people do not want to see it twice. 

 

I remember only too well in 1993 when my mother bought a narrow boat from Pyrford marina on the Wey which had an Elsan lavatory on it. We exited the marina and had a tour of the Wey before returning to our riverside house at Hampton Wick. 

 

I emptied the suitcase on the way back in one of the National Trust elsan disposal points and on returning to the boat I explained that this was 'the way to do it'. A couple of yars later we were both living on our own boats and traveled around the canals for a decade. It was interesting to note that she had a dump through with about half a tonne of [word removed] under her bed and I had an Elsan bucket. 

 

Some people probably do prefer the pumpout for the reason of not seeing the contents more than once although to be fair to my dear mother she did ask Kingfisher marina how much it would be to haul all the gear out and put in a sensible loo and their price was shocking. 

 

 

Aye, I think you might be right. I'll admit having the tank below my bed isn't the most beautiful of mental imagery but it does save me having to deal with it again or look at it. I can barely look at the pump while it's doing its thing... When I bought my boat, I didn't think about the toilet. I just assumed I'd carry on whatever tradition the original owner had in mind when they built it. I'm sure if I bought a boat today that had a cassette, I'd soon adopt that tradition without much fuss too, probably... 

[David Mack]

24 minutes ago, wandering said:

When I bought my boat, I didn't think about the toilet. I just assumed I'd carry on whatever tradition the original owner had in mind when they built it

Which is the best advice for anyone buying a boat.

[IanD]

1 hour ago, Tigerr said:

Mind you, benefit of experience - made sure we now have a stainless tank, minimal piping distance from loo, and solid piping. 

Our previous boat had long (12 yr aged) those awful flexible pipes, a big lift, and hot water piping adjacent. Basically a sewage brewery setup but we didn't know. Mid boat bathroom, 3m rear bed cabin and tank under the steps to the stern. Seriously bad design issue. 

The integral steel tank rusted internally - only a matter of time before my curry acids ate through that. The cast off rust sheets and rusticles had also started to be a problem when we did pumpout, passing through the pump. Like sticks. 

It was a Reeves boat. A chum with a similar Reeves 5 years older, had the tank rust though, which they discovered when the effluent started leaking into the back cabin. Had to have a serious bit of welding done and replace a lot of woodwork.

Our back cabin bed bed stank though, and eventually had to replace not just the pipes but then also all the woodwork in the rear cabin bed because the volatile elements had fouled the varnish into the wood itself. Literally seeped into the wood. I fixed the problems, but it took a few years, and a lot of work. 

Despite that, I'm still not up for lugging cans of shit to a foul elsan point. A pumpout costs about 3 pints in the pub and it's more satisfying. 

 

None of which is a problem if you do it properly with rigid solvent-welded piping and a stainless steel tank with proper ventilation.

 

A cheapo corner-cut pumpout installation is indeed a disaster waiting to happen. One done properly (at higher cost...) is a lot less effort and mess than cassettes, always ssuming there are pumpout stations where you live/travel and you don't mind paying a cost of a couple of pints a week for emptying it... 😉

Edited August 25, 2023 by IanD

[magnetman]

On a moving boat I would always carry a [word removed] suitcase as well if the boat had a pumpout lavatory. 

 

I can get technical and the last thing most people would want contemplate would be to 

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

A cheapo corner-cut pumpout installation is indeed a disaster waiting to happen.

This gave me a mental image of those fires designed to be mounted in a corner. I initially thought you meant the shape it had been cut to rather than the quality of installation quality. 

 

 

 

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

Just get into the routine of emptying your cassette toilet at every Elsan point next to a lock, even if it’s half full. The new cassette’s now have wheels so no hardship to pull 50-100m. I often see pump out boaters wheeling 2-3 25Ltr plastic drums to the Elsen point, which they have taken out of their holding tank by hand pump, to give them space till they get to a Pump Out station.

[magnetman]

13 minutes ago, IanD said:

...a disaster waiting to happen. 

This is an interesting expression. How long is it going to wait? It could be a lifetime. Is there a timescale for this. 

 

 

It reminds me a bit of the expression  'It is like a slow motion car crash'. 

 

I would definitely rather be in a slow motion car crash than a normal one as it seems a heck of a lot less dangerous so why is this viewed as a Bad Thing? 

 

 

I do not understand. 

 

 

[MtB]

3 hours ago, magnetman said:

The best one I have had considering the fact I have my children to deal with from time to time is the Shires loo with the low profile cistern and the U bend. On a boat on top of a holding tank.  100% reliable and in an emergency you can pump the waste into a beer keg and cart it to the elsan disposal point. 

 

 

 

 

OR....

 

Take it there in the boat!

 

 

 

[HenryFreeman]

14 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have never seen an attendant at a CRT pumpout machine 

 

I've not seen one on a CRT pumpout machine (not to say there aren't any) but I've seen plenty of poo (and diesel/coal etc.) boats with a poo boat attendant who do the work for you.

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, HenryFreeman said:

 

I've not seen one on a CRT pumpout machine (not to say there aren't any) but I've seen plenty of poo (and diesel/coal etc.) boats with a poo boat attendant who do the work for you.

 

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

4 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

 

I don't think they still have it.

[magnetman]

That was for sale as a boat a number of yars ago. Not sure the business went with the boat. 

 

Lavender boats are potentially interesting. I have seen one of the London lavender boats offloading via a canalside drain. Not sure how cool that is. 

 

 

[GUMPY]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I don't think they still have it.

No its down at Blackthorn Marina on the Nene, or was when I left there.

[Iain_S]

16 hours ago, magnetman said:

(snip)

 

Lavender boats are potentially interesting. I have seen one of the London lavender boats offloading via a canalside drain. Not sure how cool that is. 

 

 

If it's a Foul Water drain, then no problem. 

[magnetman]

2 hours ago, Iain_S said:

If it's a Foul Water drain, then no problem. 

That is interesting. I would have thought lifting manhole covers was something only legally allowed by contractors or householders. 

 

So are you saying that if one were to operate a lavender boat one could arrange it so that one's own disposal costs were zero? 

 

I did not expect a yes to be the answer. 

 

Equally could I self pump out into a sewer by simply lifting the cover up and sticking the hose in it? 

 

 

 

[haggis]

37 minutes ago, magnetman said:

That is interesting. I would have thought lifting manhole covers was something only legally allowed by contractors or householders. 

 

So are you saying that if one were to operate a lavender boat one could arrange it so that one's own disposal costs were zero? 

 

I did not expect a yes to be the answer. 

 

Equally could I self pump out into a sewer by simply lifting the cover up and sticking the hose in it? 

 

 

 

I know it happens but it is illegal for anyone to lift a sewer drain hole cover and put anything down it. Iain is usually pretty hot on legal things but this time I think he is wrong 🙂 . He is away driving the trip boat in Edinburgh so I can't ask him! 

[Alan de Enfield]

15 minutes ago, haggis said:

I know it happens but it is illegal for anyone to lift a sewer drain hole cover and put anything down it.

 

Just think - if it was legal, the 'ease of disposal' for the Cray Twins, Myra Hindley etc.

Good job its not legal.

[Peanut]

I don't think they were too concerned about the legality of their actions.

[Mike Todd]

5 hours ago, Iain_S said:

If it's a Foul Water drain, then no problem. 

I suspect it would need a licence/contract for which payment is demanded. Waste disposal is an expensive business these days.

[Alan de Enfield]

9 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

I suspect it would need a licence/contract for which payment is demanded. Waste disposal is an expensive business these days.

 

It is.

 

When "Septic Sid" (actually cesspool Sid) used to empty our tank it was £150 and it went to be used (injected) into agricultural land, when the laws were changed such that the tankers could now only unload at certain MAIN sewage treatment plants (because 'local' sewage works would be overwhelmed by a tanker load) in means a Journey of 30 miles each way, plus the new 'discharge' cost. The last time we had it emptied it had gone to over £350.

 

 

 

Sid Tempest, pictured above, began emptying septic tanks for the Lincolnshire County Council and in 1989 decided to go it alone and become 'Cesspool Sid'.  He was well known for his funny number plates ("Loo Two" and "Turd Taxi") and his witty adverts in the local paper which read:

 

"Cesspool Sid is my name,

Emptying cesspools is my game,  

When you're full and overflowing,

Send for Sid and he gets you going,

Cesspool Sid is still about,

So let him come and clean you out!".

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by Alan de Enfield

[Jon57]

4 hours ago, magnetman said:

That is interesting. I would have thought lifting manhole covers was something only legally allowed by contractors or householders. 

 

So are you saying that if one were to operate a lavender boat one could arrange it so that one's own disposal costs were zero? 

 

I did not expect a yes to be the answer. 

 

Equally could I self pump out into a sewer by simply lifting the cover up and sticking the hose in it? 

 

 

 

Often done by certain boaters who know where the main sewer manholes are near the canal. Some have been tack welded to prevent it I believe up north. By the way I'm a cassette user but know of it been done by certain boaters.