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Iced in and Pump out full...

Dread Fairy

By Dread Fairy
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Dread Fairy Gongoozler

Dread Fairy

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hey all

 

I have recently brought my 1st narrow boat :rolleyes: but dont no any boaters with pump-outs...so really hoping someone can help me!?!

I've stayed in her for the last two weekends (about six days) and already my pump-out toilet is full!! Surely we couldn't of physically filled the loo that quickly!? thinking the previous owner didn't empty it and the marina didn't realise (I hope)...

 

Last weekend was planning to go for a cruise fill her up with water and empty the toilet...But my real dilemma, as all you live-aboards will no, i am iced in!!! and it doesn't look like it will be clearing anytime soon.

I'm based in Milton Keynes and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? or does anyone know if there is anything similar to those mobile pump-out vehicles, for all them land held portaloo's in building sites, festivals etc, but for boats??

Am thinking will have to buy a cassette toilet for emergency's like this in the future, but until then please help...

 

Lots of thanks to all xx

Edited by Dread Fairy
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Midnight Rider Rising Star

Midnight Rider

Posted
Posted

Hello Dread Fairy & welcome.

 

No, unless you have had an army on your boat using the facilities then it was part full when you started.

 

It goes without saying that unless you knew the tank was empty then a pump out was a good idea when you bought the boat.

 

Do you know what the capacity of the tank is?

 

I would suggest that with the weather as it is, if you cant get a pump out, then a porta potty will be needed & would be a good standby in any case.

 

Tony

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Biggles Veteran

Biggles

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I suppose you could get a pump and container to empty it a bit at a time if theres a disposal point or public loo near by.

 

If you are somewhere with vehicle access you could try one of those site toilet firms and see if they can suck it out.

 

I would be on the phone to the brokerage / owner that sold you the boat about picking up the tab for this.

 

Biggles

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DestinyKathy Gongoozler

DestinyKathy

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Hello.

 

I have a pump out on my boat but also have a porta potty as a back up. Simply because it may not always be just the weather that prevents you from moving the boat, engine trouble or stoppages could also leave you unable to reach a boat yard to empty your loo. The BW pump out points are considerably cheaper than any boat yard I have as yet come across though purchasing the cards is not always easy either unless you have an address to have them sent to. I love the luxury of my pumpout but sleep easier knowing I have a backup as I spend more time on the water than I do on land. My tank will usually give me and my two kids three weeks cruising before I need to pump out so it must have been almost full when you got your boat, unless it has a teeny weeny tank. Hope you get something sorted soon and welcome to the wonderful world of Britain's beautiful canal network. Best wishes and happy cruising.

 

Kathy

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Guest

Guest

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Welcome to the forum,

 

As suggested above,

 

Surely the only real practical option you have got here is to google your nearest chandlers and/or caravan shop and get your self a porta loo/cassette as a fall back for the future too.

 

That is of course if you do not want or cannot face peeing and dumping in a lidded bucket with some toilet blue in, which you could probably get from a hardware or DIY store.

 

It does indeed sound as though your tank was not empty when you collected your boat or it is a very small tank. The Tank size should be in the manual for the boat (assuming it's still with the boat and it's new enough to require one).

 

As to if you can chase the owner or the broker for any costs - I doubt this TBH, I agree ideally the tank should have been pumped out when you got the boat (ours was) but I don't believe there is an obligation on either the broker or the owner to ensure it has been.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

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sueb Veteran II

sueb

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Can you turn of the water supply to the loo? If the water pump keeps cutting in or running you have a leak. Also how enthusiastic are you when flushing? It is easy to fill a tank quickly this way. If it is a dump through it is easy to lower the level with a cheap hand pump & remove in a suitable container. I don't know how other pump outs work. It is also possible to use other containers as temporary toilet receptacles they don't have to be as large as a porta potty.

Sue

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Chris Pink Veteran II

Chris Pink

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Posted (edited)

 

Last weekend was planning to go for a cruise fill her up with water and empty the toilet...But my real dilemma, as all you live-aboards will no, i am iced in!!! and it doesn't look like it will be clearing anytime soon.

 

Whereas the immediate solution is, of course, to find something else to go in. It occurs to me that you may be able to find a boater near you who has experience of moving through ice. I don't know how thick it is where you are but it's a bit early in the year to be completely stuck.

 

 

Oh and Sue's advice above - be very mean about what you put in it. Most don't pee into pumpout loos (potty or bucket over the side or in the hedge), and if you get the dump through open before doing your business you can get away with very little flushing. Put toilet paper into a separate bag.

 

Isn't it wonderful that boaters are probably the only social group in England who have no taboo about discussing such matters? (if you'll excuse the pun)

Edited by Chris Pink
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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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Whereas the immediate solution is, of course, to find something else to go in. It occurs to me that you may be able to find a boater near you who has experience of moving through ice. I don't know how thick it is where you are but it's a bit early in the year to be completely stuck.

A valid point.

 

We are not far down the GU from Milton Keynes, and boats were moving past us on Monday, at least.

 

Perhaps it's a bit worse a few miles to the North, I'm not sure ?

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RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

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Posted

Can you turn of the water supply to the loo? If the water pump keeps cutting in or running you have a leak. Also how enthusiastic are you when flushing? It is easy to fill a tank quickly this way. If it is a dump through it is easy to lower the level with a cheap hand pump & remove in a suitable container. I don't know how other pump outs work. It is also possible to use other containers as temporary toilet receptacles they don't have to be as large as a porta potty.

Sue

 

 

Whereas the immediate solution is, of course, to find something else to go in. It occurs to me that you may be able to find a boater near you who has experience of moving through ice. I don't know how thick it is where you are but it's a bit early in the year to be completely stuck.

 

 

Oh and Sue's advice above - be very mean about what you put in it. Most don't pee into pumpout loos (potty or bucket over the side or in the hedge), and if you get the dump through open before doing your business you can get away with very little flushing. Put toilet paper into a separate bag.

 

Isn't it wonderful that boaters are probably the only social group in England who have no taboo about discussing such matters? (if you'll excuse the pun)

 

Combining these two, when we first got Tawny Owl we could fill the tank fairly quickly because the bowls were being automatically filled, and the seals in the bottom of the bowls leaked. We fitted an on-off tap in the water feed to the loo, and replaced the seals in the bowls (you can get a kit for this, and it's quite easy to do).

 

We also adopt some of Chris's practices, for example if you are going to pee in the loo, don't fill the bowl with water. Having the on-off valve in the water supply makes this possible

 

Meanwhile, it's nice weather for a bit of ice-breaking, go boating.

 

Richard

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Ange Veteran

Ange

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<SNIP> I don't know how thick it is where you are but it's a bit early in the year to be completely stuck.

 

I'm not sure where the OP is but here on the Lancy the ice is two inches thick next to the back of our boat where the cooling water comes out and therefore partly melted from when we've run our engine. We're guessing it's thicker away from the boat. We're fairly inexperienced but we don't think we would be able to move.

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jelunga Influencer

jelunga

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I cannot help with emptying your tank, but I know that our pump-out, which is about 45 gallons, lasts two of us at least one week, but please note we are heavy users. The amount of beer and wine consumed has to go somewhere:cheers:

 

However, I have a spare Bi-pot porta-potti type device surplus to my requirements that you can have for a purely nominal sum. Our boat is moored just north of Milton Keynes and we intend to visit on 9th December. If you are interested, PM me and we can arrange to meet and deliver said P/P.

 

NB It is not new but has had little use, since it was for a caravan we previously owned somewhile back.

 

K

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted
.

 

We also adopt some of Chris's practices, for example if you are going to pee in the loo, don't fill the bowl with water. Having the on-off valve in the water supply makes this possible

 

Richard

I fitted one of these valves in line with our toilet flush.

If you fill the bowl with water like a domestic loo when you flush it, you will fill the tank in days.

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

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"Put toilet paper into a separate bag"? Oh dear! As the Americans would say, "Gross"!!!

I notice that Dread Fairy has not posted since making her original query. Perhaps she's still wandering around looking for a public loo?

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mrsmelly Veteran II

mrsmellyDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Hey all

 

I have recently brought my 1st narrow boat :rolleyes: but dont no any boaters with pump-outs...so really hoping someone can help me!?!

I've stayed in her for the last two weekends (about six days) and already my pump-out toilet is full!! Surely we couldn't of physically filled the loo that quickly!? thinking the previous owner didn't empty it and the marina didn't realise (I hope)...

 

Last weekend was planning to go for a cruise fill her up with water and empty the toilet...But my real dilemma, as all you live-aboards will no, i am iced in!!! and it doesn't look like it will be clearing anytime soon.

I'm based in Milton Keynes and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? or does anyone know if there is anything similar to those mobile pump-out vehicles, for all them land held portaloo's in building sites, festivals etc, but for boats??

Am thinking will have to buy a cassette toilet for emergency's like this in the future, but until then please help...

 

Lots of thanks to all xx

 

Hi Dread Fairy

 

Sorry to hear your dilema, first thing to do is buy a portaloo of some description to get you going then as soon as weather/funds permit get rid of the useless pumpout loo they are a liability to anyone other than someone attached to a permenant pumpout machine. There are various types of proper boat toilets of which you can empty at massively more places than a pumpot looe you can even throw it in the boot of the car or whatever to take it to dispose. You will find most people with a pumpout loo also have a SPARE portapotti but none of us with a cassette loo have need of a SPARE pumpout loo.

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

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Posted (edited)

Buy yourself a small submersible pump, some hose pipe, hose clips, croc clips and length of two core wire.

 

Im sure the rest is obvious

 

 

Yes it is - it just about guarantees that the weather will turn much warmer and the canal will thaw out the very next day.

"Hose" or "Nose" clips?

Edited by Athy
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