Composting Lavatoirs

[Bargebuilder]

Hi again Rusty69,

You bring back memories. I don't live on the Blackwater, but I sailed there for about twenty years. I could never see what people liked about Samphire, but incredibly expensive in posh London restaurants. Much of the shore of the river is now a SSSI and harvesting the plant is no longer permitted. It always flourished, no doubt in part because of the fertiliser that all the sailors pumped overboard.

You are, I'm sure, aware of the flourishing oyster industry that centres around the Mersea, Blackwater area. Oysters are filter feeders which is why one has to be very careful that they are harvested from clean waters and flushed through correctly. Also they are eaten raw, so any pathogens are not killed by cooking. Interestingly, despite the many, many, hundreds of boats in the area pumping raw sewage directly into the sea, the government agency that takes water samples and issues oyster farm licences are happy to class the water as clean. Fortunately, nature is wonderfully capable of digesting any nasties, particularly since Mersea has a very popular bathing beach.

 

 

 

 

[rusty69]

3 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

You bring back memories. I don't live on the Blackwater, but I sailed there for about twenty years. I could never see what people liked about Samphire, but incredibly expensive in posh London restaurants. Much of the shore of the river is now a SSSI and harvesting the plant is no longer permitted. It always flourished, no doubt in part because of the fertiliser that all the sailors pumped overboard

Me too, good memories of Blackwater, Colne, Stour and Orwell. Keep the boat elsewhere now, where you are allowed the samphire. 

Think the shellfish at Mersea started getting bigger (and glowing) after they commissioned Bradwell power station

[Bargebuilder]

I spend two or three months every Summer on my canal boat, but in that time I don't accumulate enough solid waste to face the problem of where to store it or where to bury it. I just pop the sealed lid on and take it back home to mature and fully compost.

For couples who spend no more than 3 months on board over the Summer, whether in one stretch as I do, or even better in weekends and the odd fortnight giving even more time for the manure to dessicated and compost, composting is the perfect choice. 

What could be more 'green' than taking your waste home with you and burying it in your own garden? More so that pumping it out and leaving it to the authorities to process.

The case for composting is so strong that anyone researching the matter and sifting out the facts from the scare mongering and accusations of illegal dumping will, I'm sure, give it serious consideration.

At around £100 for a home built separating/composting toilet, even as an experiment to see if it is right for them, they haven't got much to lose, but potentially a whole lot of advantages to gain.

 

[Bargebuilder]

Hi Rusty,

What a brilliant sailing area. Anchoring in muddy creeks, Pyefleet and many others. A glass of your favourite tipple watching the Sun go down and watching the seals heads popping up whilst searching for fish; idyllic!

The locals must be worried about the proposed new Chinese power station. The proposal is to have 7, huge, cooling towers on the headland; sad. Still, they will be a good landmark to aim at as you sail down the Wallet.

[rusty69]

3 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

Hi Rusty,

What a brilliant sailing area. Anchoring in muddy creeks, Pyefleet and many others. A glass of your favourite tipple watching the Sun go down and watching the seals heads popping up whilst searching for fish; idyllic!

The locals must be worried about the proposed new Chinese power station. The proposal is to have 7, huge, cooling towers on the headland; sad. Still, they will be a good landmark to aim at as you sail down the Wallet.

Ive spent many nights anchored at Pyfleet, lovely spot. Love West Mersea, but I guess a bit busy these days. Walton Backwaters too. Maybe I should move the boat back again, although would miss the sand. 

[Bargebuilder]

Rusty,

Walton Backwaters does get busy and on nice weekends Pyefleet does too, but the Blackwater and off the coast of West Mersea always seems quiet.

All this mooring to the canal bank is okay, but you can't beat swinging to anchor in a deserted creek.

I really enjoy being on the canal network on our cruiser as it is completely different, but it sure is busy! We have done the Llangollen, Anderton, Marple and the length of the River Nene this year. We have already done more than 400 miles and will have done well over 500 by the time we get back to base: More than we ever sailed in a Summer. 

Are you just coastal or do you the canals as well?

 

[rusty69]

2 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

Are you just coastal or do you the canals as well?

A narrowboat(inland)  and a small sailing boat(on the coast ) 

[Bargebuilder]

Best of both worlds. Good for you.

[Steilsteven]

On 04/08/2017 at 07:34, frangar said:

That post saved me some typing! 

My pump out tank has minimal smell when emptying and none in use due to not adding chemicals apart from a Sealand sachet once in a while that encourages good bacteria....and I have a ports potti as a back up in case I get iced in. 

My dump through wasn't expensive...is simple and easy to use...and doesn't get blocked.

Im afraid I still don't get composting toilets for a boat....they do seem like Axiom propellers....the users won't say they have been sold snake oil...

But then the same could be said for owners of pump out toilets who keep protesting that their's doesn't smell.

Keith

[Bargebuilder]

I'm assuming that the average 'black' tank must have a volume of quite a few hundred litres, otherwise the pump-out trips would be anoyingly frequent and very expensive. 

My 'black' tank (before I discovered the advantages of composting) cost £400 ten years ago and occupied 800 litres of boat space. My two maturing compost lidded buckets cost £10 and are just 20l each, 1/10 of the space and 1/40 of the cost of the old 'black' tank: Quite a potential space and money saving for a new fit out. 

I've had the misfortune of smelling both and believe me, the liquid sewage is magnitudes worse than the maturing compost in its bucket and there is so little of it.

Remember too, that although the buckets have a volume of 20l, they are at worst 1/2 full: One could decant the contents into smaller lidded containers of any shape or size.

 

[Steilsteven]

I know of 2 boats that had to have their pump out tanks replaced due to them splitting or corroding. In both cases the effluent leaked out and under the floor without the owner being aware for a very long time. Anyone who thinks that the contents of a compost loo is disgusting should compare that with having to clean out the bilges of either of these boats and the amount of corrosion caused to the baseplate. Another thing that has occurred to me is ( as steel boats rot from the inside if left unprotected ) how does anyone get to the inside of the hull when there is a tank in the way?

Keith 

[florimondo]

On 1/4/2006 at 10:40, Bones said:

Having heard Carrie mention composting it has got me thinking again. My bathroom is going to be the next victim of my creativity and I am wondering about the pheasability of said loo. My bathroom is about 5ft at the mo. can anyone tell me about them and fan requirements?

Ive had one on my boat for some time now...built it myself for under £100.....works fine ...doesnt smell....AT ALL....go for it

 

[Bargebuilder]

Given the urea and ammonia that occurs in such effluent, I would be astonished if a built-in steel tank didn't corrode much quicker from within than the (hopefully dry) exposed bilge. I suppose that a high-tech interior epoxy coating would help to avoid the problems that you describe, but who is going to unbolt the inspection hatches wearing mask and breathing apparatus in order to check the integrity of the coating every 5-10 years? Not to mention the fun of scraping out the interior and washing it for inspection and then re-painting it if needs be. 

I have also heard of people who have had terrible problems with stainless steel tanks, particularly around the weld areas.

Polypropylene is the material of choice for custom built 'black water' tanks as it is particularly resistant to the permeation of smells, but it can only be welded and it is these welds that can become a problem with the slight flexing caused by constant filling and emptying. High density polypropylene is okay if you want an off the shelf tank, but it is said to be inferior to polypropylene where smells are concerned: Not something I've ever tested myself.

If you have a plastic tank that rests on the steel base plate, then the thin film of condensation that will form between the two may also encourage corrosion if the paint job isn't perfect.

How many years would it take to realise that one's built-in steel 'black water' tank was perforated? It might take longer than expected to fill, or might fill up quicker than expected after a pump-out. Either way it's not nice!

Of course, the alternative of two small lidded buckets of compost would eliminate these worries entirely.