Are pumpout tanks suposed to over flow?

[enviropc]

My pump out tank is overflowing when full.

Is it supposed to do this or is it supposed to stop the toilet flushing when its full?

Its always done this since ive owned the boat and its not very nice

[Guest]

My pump out tank is overflowing when full.

Is it supposed to do this or is it supposed to stop the toilet flushing when its full?

Its always done this since ive owned the boat and its not very nice

 

Surely that doesn't mean it's full but rather over full???

 

I don't think all systems (or indeed any) stop the loo flushing - normally a warning light or a gauge warns when you are nearing the state you describe....

[enviropc]

Surely that doesn't mean it's full but rather over full???

 

I don't think all systems (or indeed any) stop the loo flushing - normally a warning light or a gauge warns when you are nearing the state you describe....

 

The flush button on the toilet has a green led and a red led, i assumed this was some kind of indicator.

 

Next question then...where, how can i stop it simply overflowing and spewing mashed up bog roll ect down the side of my boat?

Is there a system available something like a water level switch that could be fitted to cut power if the tank reaches a certain level? or even just a gauge?

 

Justin

[Guest]

The flush button on the toilet has a green led and a red led, i assumed this was some kind of indicator.

 

When is it red and when is it green???

Edited August 1, 2010 by NB No Deadlines

[enviropc]

When is it red and when is it green???

 

Its always green and has never gone red and has a wavy line by it, thats why i assumed the toilet knew when the tank might be full.

[blackrose]

The flush button on the toilet has a green led and a red led, i assumed this was some kind of indicator.

Next question then...where, how can i stop it simply overflowing and spewing mashed up bog roll ect down the side of my boat?Is there a system available something like a water level switch that could be fitted to cut power if the tank reaches a certain level? or even just a gauge?

 

Justin

 

Quite simply it's illegal to allow your pump-out tank to discharge into the waterway. Whoever installed the tank designed it to overflow (because they put an overflow pipe and through-fitting in the hull), but they shouldn't have done and it needs to be capped. (Unless you mean it's overflowing through the air vent?)

 

I don't know much about pump-out toilets but it might help others to answer your question about the cut-out if you state the make and model of the toilet. Do you have any literature for it?

Edited August 1, 2010 by blackrose

[Guest]

Its always green and has never gone red and has a wavy line by it, thats why i assumed the toilet knew when the tank might be full.

 

Somebody with much better knowledge will be along but I suspect that should be red when it's full....

 

Quite simply it's illegal to allow your pump-out tank to discharge into the waterway. Whoever installed the tank designed it to overflow (because they put an overflow pipe and through-fitting in the hull), but they shouldn't have done and it needs to be capped. (Unless you mean it's overflowing through the air vent?)

 

I don't know much about pump-out toilets but it might help others to answer your question about the cut-out if you state the make and model of the toilet. Do you have any literature for it?

 

I read it as the waste was washing down the inside of the wall....

 

Still not pleasant but not discharging into the waterway .....

[enviropc]

Yes sorry, i do mean overflowing through the air vent in the roof.

[Guest]

Yes sorry, i do mean overflowing through the air vent in the roof.

 

I think I'll 'butt out' as I'm getting confused....

 

in the roof!!! that is certainly one full bog....

Edited August 1, 2010 by NB No Deadlines

[mayalld]

Yes sorry, i do mean overflowing through the air vent in the roof.

 

In the roof????

 

It is a remote tank?

[ymu]

I am reliably informed that they all overflow through the air vent if you fill them too full.

 

Don't fill it too full.

[MrCJ]

I would of thought the red light should come on when full so maybe a loose connection somewhere. But if its overflowing from a roof vent i would of thought it would started coming back up the pan first unless thats on the roof as well.

 

 

if i was you i would just keep checking the tank every now and then to make sure its not to full and getting it empty before it hits the roof.

[Athy]

Oddly enough we were moored last night next to a very smart Napton hire boat crewed by people who obviously knew what they were doing. But from time to time that disconsolate odour of blended chemicals and human waste wafted over from their boat. I did mention it to them this morning, stressing that I was in no way blaming them. I wonder if YMU's post could explain this unwanted aroma. Are they not fitted with a shitometer or whatever such gauges are called?

[Guest]

Oddly enough we were moored last night next to a very smart Napton hire boat crewed by people who obviously knew what they were doing. But from time to time that disconsolate odour of blended chemicals and human waste wafted over from their boat. I did mention it to them this morning, stressing that I was in no way blaming them. I wonder if YMU's post could explain this unwanted aroma. Are they not fitted with a shitometer or whatever such gauges are called?

 

The Napton boat we hired in April (Helena) had a 'shitometer' as you call it...

[Mrs Tawny Owl]

Our boat has no gauge on it's pumpout tanks, but as they are dump through toilets it doesn't need them. You tell if they are full by a quick look down when you flush. Simple but it works.

 

I know from unfortunate experience that when they are overfull they overflow through the toilet bowl, or at least the seal under the bowl with the tank, which is not designed to resist water pressure from the inside as the level should be well below there.

 

Luckily the last time it happened it was because the flushing water valve had failed, and it was all relatively clean water that came out and started running done the boat floor. I'm glad we don't have carpets.

 

Not at all nice, that's why we have changed both loo's, now it doesn't matter if you leave the water valve on.

 

Sue

[Dominic M]

Oddly enough we were moored last night next to a very smart Napton hire boat crewed by people who obviously knew what they were doing. But from time to time that disconsolate odour of blended chemicals and human waste wafted over from their boat.

Or maybe they had picked up a take away from a nearby KFC?

 

On a pedantic note, can an odour be disconsolate?

[Guest]

Our boat has no gauge on it's pumpout tanks, but as they are dump through toilets it doesn't need them. You tell if they are full by a quick look down when you flush. Simple but it works.

 

Helena - was the first boat we had ever hired that had a remote tank with gauge , all the others (include the broads cruisers) did indeed have a straightforward dump through - "gauge the level with your eye" arrangement - simple but effective.

[Tim]

The red light is activated by a 'float' switch in the holding tank, mine comes on at approx 85% full, time to think about emptying! Maybe there's a problem with the float switch - good luck, not a job I'd fancy!

[enviropc]

The red light is activated by a 'float' switch in the holding tank, mine comes on at approx 85% full, time to think about emptying! Maybe there's a problem with the float switch - good luck, not a job I'd fancy!

 

This is what i suspected.

Not a job ill be doing either, ill find a marina willing to have a look. Yuk

[Water Woman]

My pump out has no indicator but over time I have found out how often it needs pumping out before it gets to a level where it 'backs up' after flushing. I have never had anything coming through the vent since the very first time it needed pumping out after I bought her. Just make a rule of pumping out every fortnight or whatever, the thought of it discharging into the cut is not a nice one. Good luck.

[Athy]

On a pedantic note, can an odour be disconsolate?

Dominic, I searched for an appropriate adjective. Fresh sewage has a strong, pungent odour (apart, of course, from one's own), but that contained within boat tanks, be they cassette or pump-out, has a sad, stale air. Perhaps my choice of word was a transferred epithet; or perhaps it was just the wrong one!

Edited August 1, 2010 by Athy

[MikeV]

I assume from the description it must be a remote holding tank. Our remote holding tank has a 3 float system connected to 4 lights that indicate roughly how full the tank is. Less than 50% is green, 1 amber: >50% 2 amber: >75% and red: >95%. There is nothing to stop you continuing to fill it if you ignore the red light.

 

The floats are made of plastic and do sometimes stick, although usually after the tank has been emptied rather than when it is filling up. The effluent is pumped into the tank through non-return valves so I would expect if you ignored the indicators it would overflow through the air vent which exits via a hull fitting. The air vent has a carbon filter in line so only filtered effluent would come out - but still not pleasant I'm sure!!

 

I'm suprised enviropc you don't have a manual that tells you when the red light should come on and whether it should prevent the toilet from being operated?

[Guest]

This is what i suspected.

 

When?????

[ditchcrawler]

Quite simply it's illegal to allow your pump-out tank to discharge into the waterway. Whoever installed the tank designed it to overflow (because they put an overflow pipe and through-fitting in the hull), but they shouldn't have done and it needs to be capped. (Unless you mean it's overflowing through the air vent?)

 

I don't know much about pump-out toilets but it might help others to answer your question about the cut-out if you state the make and model of the toilet. Do you have any literature for it?

I know of a boater who ignored the red light and tried to sue the boat fitter because the sewage ended up in her bilge

[matty40s]

When I first took ownership, we took our boat from brokerage to home marina over a weekend, with lots of family "helping". A red light came on in the next weekendby the loo, and stayed on over subsequent weekends cruises. Eventually I worked out that every time the loo was flushed, the shit came slightly higher up the bog after 15 minutes than the time before and it finally clicked that I neede a pump -out.

i took boat for pump out, and the red light went off, I then realised what said red light was for.

 

However,as you may have seen from another article on here, they sometimes don't work, with obvious consequences. however, when finaly getting to pump out station, it does help if pump out pump pumps out, and not in. As when removed, everything shoots out of the hole under pressure.