What's wrong with pump out toilets

[Woodstock]

Hi- I've noticed that there seems to be a dislike of pump out toilets- just noticed a newbie asking for general advice on buying a boat and the first advice was "dont get a pump out loo". We have a pump out loo with a decent size tank-the toilet is a manual pump jabsco which means it doesnt use a lot of water unless you want it to, I use a small amount of chemical in the loo and it has never smelt. We dont have to pump out very often- perhaps because of the size of the tank. So please- what are the reasons behind this fear of pump out loos- I'd sooner pump out once or twice a season than have to empty a cassette every couple of days. Is it if you liveaboard, -the cost of pumping out???

[calamity507]

Nothing at all..we pump out every 10 weeks..no smell. Cant be doing with cassettes. Pumpouts are much better.

[Guest]

Hi- I've noticed that there seems to be a dislike of pump out toilets- just noticed a newbie asking for general advice on buying a boat and the first advice was "dont get a pump out loo". We have a pump out loo with a decent size tank-the toilet is a manual pump jabsco which means it doesnt use a lot of water unless you want it to, I use a small amount of chemical in the loo and it has never smelt. We dont have to pump out very often- perhaps because of the size of the tank. So please- what are the reasons behind this fear of pump out loos- I'd sooner pump out once or twice a season than have to empty a cassette every couple of days. Is it if you liveaboard, -the cost of pumping out???

 

Pros and cons to both systems - it really just comes down to personal preference and what suits your circumstances.

 

If you look at all the numerous threads there have already been on the subject you will be able to see why people prefer their chosen system.

[RLWP]

Hi- I've noticed that there seems to be a dislike of pump out toilets- just noticed a newbie asking for general advice on buying a boat and the first advice was "dont get a pump out loo". We have a pump out loo with a decent size tank-the toilet is a manual pump jabsco which means it doesnt use a lot of water unless you want it to, I use a small amount of chemical in the loo and it has never smelt. We dont have to pump out very often- perhaps because of the size of the tank. So please- what are the reasons behind this fear of pump out loos- I'd sooner pump out once or twice a season than have to empty a cassette every couple of days. Is it if you liveaboard, -the cost of pumping out???

 

You've clearly had a brush with Mrsmelly

 

We have two pump-out loos. Had them for eight years - they're brilliant

 

Pump-out owners watch quietly in smug satisfaction as cassette owners trying to convince themselves that they made the right decision

 

Richard

[jenlyn]

You've clearly had a brush with Mrsmelly

 

We have two pump-out loos. Had them for eight years - they're brilliant

 

Pump-out owners watch quietly in smug satisfaction as cassette owners trying to convince themselves that they made the right decision

 

Richard

lol, sound reply that

[Guest]

You've clearly had a brush with Mrsmelly

 

We have two pump-out loos. Had them for eight years - they're brilliant

 

Pump-out owners watch quietly in smug satisfaction as cassette owners trying to convince themselves that they made the right decision

 

Richard

 

Yes but yours are 'proper' pump out bogs not these new fangled 'high faluting' poo mincing types...

[Albion]

You've clearly had a brush with Mrsmelly

 

We have two pump-out loos. Had them for eight years - they're brilliant

 

Pump-out owners try to watch quietly in smug satisfaction as cassette owners trying to are convinced themselves that they certainly made the right decision

 

Richard

Roger

Edited December 4, 2011 by Albion

[Rebotco]

Yes but yours are 'proper' pump out bogs not these new fangled 'high faluting' poo mincing types...

 

 

And you can't get better than that.....!!!!!

 

Brian

[calamity507]

And you can't get better than that.....!!!!!

 

Brian

agreed.

[nora]

And in my old fashioned humble opinion after years of owning different boats, you cant beat the good old bucket and chucket loo, uncomplicated, easy to keep clean, no fiddly parts to get dirty,we gave a brand new cassette toilet away,and replaced it with said bucket type, also have you ever tried to have a canal side conversation with someone doing a pump out, not a pleasant experience.

[sebrof]

Most of the time, pump-outs are better. However, there are four disadvantages:

 

1 They take up more space - so not good for short NBs.

2 They can go wrong - especially macerating ones.

3 If you are frozen-in with a full tank, you are effectively bog-less.

4 They are more expensive, both to install and to run.

 

Against all that, you avoid the unpleasantness of having to empty a cassette every few days. And cassette-lovers lie and lie and lie when they tell you that this task is not sometimes rather nasty. MUCH nastier than pumping out.

 

I have both on my boat, so am impartial. The PO is used daily, and the cassette is there as a standby against items 2 and 3 above.

[Starcoaster]

Pumping out reeks. I don't like the idea of having a giant box of floating turd under my bed.

 

The first time I emptied my cassette, I messed it up (didn't have the lid on the outlet pipe when I first tried to move it!) and believe me if you'd have heard/ seen the state of me then, for two pins I would have been crapping in the woods forever after, there was nobody who hated their cassette more than me at that point!

But since then, and doing it correctly, I have never had a problem. I wear rubber gloves to empty it but it's not messy, stinky or splashy, unless you're doing it wrong!

Edited December 4, 2011 by Theo
Language, please. There are gentlemen present. Nick

[Guest]

Pumping out reeks. I don't like the idea of having a giant box of floating turd under my bed.

 

The first time I emptied my cassette, I fucked it up (didn't have the lid on the outlet pipe when I first tried to move it!) and believe me if you'd have heard/ seen the state of me then, for two pins I would have been crapping in the woods forever after, there was nobody who hated their cassette more than me at that point!

But since then, and doing it correctly, I have never had a problem. I wear rubber gloves to empty it but it's not messy, stinky or splashy, unless you're doing it wrong!

 

The other thing that can catch you out is pressing the vent button before you properly invert the tank. Obviously because it's used to let air in it can also let the contents out if it's not in the correct position. -

[Guest Quo Vadis]

Had our basic dump-though / pump-out 1 year.

Never smells, and only had to empty once (odourlessly) by our marina, cost a whole £10.

Haven't found a single reason for dissatisfaction.

[mrsmelly]

And in my old fashioned humble opinion after years of owning different boats, you cant beat the good old bucket and chucket loo, uncomplicated, easy to keep clean, no fiddly parts to get dirty,we gave a brand new cassette toilet away,and replaced it with said bucket type, also have you ever tried to have a canal side conversation with someone doing a pump out, not a pleasant experience.

 

Im glad to see a sensible post from a female, just goes to show how many male wimps are on this forum who cant do the easy simple task of emptying a cassette. As a long time user of boat bogs of all kinds I have had 2 boats with pumpouts on and upgraded my boat by taking them off. And yes you are right and even pumpout owners know its a FACT that the stench from pumpout emtying is worse and lasts longer than 20 seconds from a cassette.

Still let em keep buying them it makes those of us who have proper boat bogs laugh..............especialy the pumpout brigade who nearly all have a SPARE porta potti onboard JUST IN CASE..... :lol:

 

Had our basic dump-though / pump-out 1 year.

Never smells, and only had to empty once (odourlessly) by our marina, cost a whole £10.

Haven't found a single reason for dissatisfaction.

 

Try using the boat

[Graham Davis]

On the caravanning forums the only complaint about emptying cassettes is that is always we men have to do it, and never the ladies!!

[Starcoaster]

Unfortunately that works out less well for the single ladies, Graham!

 

Also pump out emptying costs, and elsan is free.

And if you get frozen in you can walk with a cassette but if you can't move the boat and your pump out is full, you're stuck.

[churchward]

It must be Christmas we are discussing loos!!

 

I guess it is all down to personal preference what system you have on a boat. I have had boats with both. A dump through system on a share boat and cassette on my own boat.

 

Having used both I do find the Cassette system just fine and suits us well. I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with a pump out system I just don't like it much and there is the extra cost of paying for pumpouts.

 

Emptying cassettes doesn't bother me I don't find the smell too bad and it is brief. However, I was partly brought up on a dairy farm so I have been desensitised to such things. Well, you can't be too squeamish when you have had your arm up a cow and then had it poo all over you!!

[Guest Quo Vadis]

 

Try using the boat

 

I recon the vast majority of canal boats are used for leisure, not live-aboard.

My boat is used for leisure, 2 weeks solid cruising plus every available evening and week-end all through the year (not just fair weather)... constitutes use for us.

On several occasions during the year, we had 8 or so people aboard all day, and the pump-out loo was brilliant in that it just wasn't an issue.

I recon one or two of the onboard parties we had would have filled at least 1 cassette on their own, and, despite being in no way squeamish, I NEVER want to have to empty a single one of them. I will probably never want to handle my own pump-out either, especially when I can pay a nice lady at the marina £10, once a year to do it for me.

Horses for courses I suppose ...... but I can see how it may not suit boaters who live aboard.

Edited December 4, 2011 by Quo Vadis

[Keeping Up]

Pump out loos do not need to be associated with smells in any way, either when in use or when being pumped out. They smell far less than emptying a cassette.

 

It all comes down to personal choice; 'mrsmelly' prefers a cassette and answers "get a cassette" to almost any question (whether it is about toilets or not) and unfortunately many newbies here do not realise the context of that.

 

Personally I prefer a prefer a pumpout but I also keep an example of my second choice (ie a cassette) as a backup which has been needed a couple of times in the last 20 years.

Edited December 4, 2011 by Keeping Up

[Starcoaster]

I haven't found that my cassette smells at all?! Not when emptying or at any other time.

I always notice a grim smell in the air when someone is pumping out though.

[jonk]

Isn't it strange that each 'camp' finds the other smelly yet cannot smell their own? Is it that the owner becomes desensitised to their own type I wonder. I have used boats with both types and would say that neither type is perfect but that neither smells much, if at all, if done correctly. I think that the pump-out is a generally more convenient system but I could equally well live with a cassette system. Perhaps a composting loo is the answer!!!

 

John

[alan_fincher]

Pumping out reeks.

Particularly if you are based at Braunston Marina!

 

It must have taken sheer inspiration to put the (leaking) mechanism for the pump out in the launderette area.

 

I'm not daft enough to condemn all pump-out on the basis of one location, but trying to use that launderette facility whilst pump outs are in progress can only result in more votes for bucket and chuck it loos.

 

Actually I can't ever recall being near anywhere where there was a pump out going on when no smell was detectable. I think those who say the process is odourless probably have grown immune to the pong over time!

[Guest]

I think both processes are 'whiffy' to be honest. Even with the correct amount of blue in the cassette doesn't render the contents completely odourless, not to the point that you'd want to bottle it in 40cl bottles to be dabbed behind one's ears darling at least.

 

I think the difference is the length of time each one takes. Cassettes contents are down and gone in seconds and flushed away and any odours quickly disperse. (Though don't do what I did once and forget to put blue in leave the tank few days and then empty it - created a nice stink around Fradley junction cafe/shop that did.....)

 

With a PO the process is lengthier and there is more time for the odour to build and spread much further.

 

None of the above of course is based on any sort of scientific evidence... just my sneck....

[BlueStringPudding]

If the equipment at the marina isn't maintained so it smells, it doesn't mean the boat's pumpout loo or tank itself has an odour problem. Similarly a poorly maintained or poorly cleaned Elsan disposal will honk. That's the fault of the marina not the toilet choice.