No more stinky cassettes...

[Nautihamstern]

After testing every bloody product on the market to get rid of the nauseating smell of dead rodents wrapped in putrid fish sometimes emanating from our porta potti, I found one that actually works! The price of this stuff is naturally high so I checked the ingredients.

The active ingredient is calcium nitrate, the same stuff you can use on your lawn or whatever. It's just common fertilizer. Don't use ammonium nitrate, by the way.

Forget commercial products, especially those containing enzymes. One big bag of fertilizer costs a tenner and will last for ages. Just pour in a big handfull of granules and a pint of water after you've emptied out the thing and voila! No more smelly cassette.

Edited September 10, 2012 by Nautihamstern

[Mac of Cygnet]

After testing every bloody product on the market to get rid of the nauseating smell of dead rodents wrapped in putrid fish sometimes emanating from our porta potti, I found one that actually works! The price of this stuff is naturally high so I checked the ingredients.

The active ingredient is calcium nitrate, the same stuff you can use on your lawn or whatever. It's just common fertilizer. Don't use ammonium nitrate, by the way.

Forget commercial products, especially those containing enzymes. One big bag of fertilizer costs a tenner and will last for ages. Just pour in a big handfull of granules and a pint of water after you've emptied out the thing and voila! No more smelly cassette.

 

Have you actually used the calcium nitrate by itself? There are several products using calcium nitrate which claim that their other ingredients enhance the effectiveness of the the CaNO3 and that the latter needs a high dosage when used by itself. Incidentally, which product are you using?

[Grace and Favour]

After testing every bloody product on the market to get rid of the nauseating smell of dead rodents wrapped in putrid fish sometimes emanating from our porta potti,......................................................................................... voila! No more smelly cassette.

 

Have you considered changing your diet??

 

 

 

 

 

()

Edited September 10, 2012 by Grace & Favour

[bowten]

We are using a bio detergent and it seems to work ok.

[Nautihamstern]

Have you actually used the calcium nitrate by itself? There are several products using calcium nitrate which claim that their other ingredients enhance the effectiveness of the the CaNO3 and that the latter needs a high dosage when used by itself. Incidentally, which product are you using?

Yep, just calcium nitrate and nothing else. Calcium nitrate doesn't have a very long lasting effect compared to enzyme based products, but it doesn't matter. If you check the dosage recommendations on the commercial products, they say you should add more every whatever day. Thatäs easily done with this stuff, just throw in a handful more, it really doesn't cost anything...

 

The product I used is a common fertilizer in granule form. I bought a 25 kg bag of the stuff at the local shop for farmers. Here, they call it "kalksalpeter" or "Norwegian saltpeter". Wikipedia knows more.

 

Have you considered changing your diet??

 

 

 

 

 

()

 

Hell, no! I just discovered Indian cuisine ...

[Grace and Favour]

Have you considered changing your diet??

 

 

 

 

 

()

 

 

 

 

Hell, no! I just discovered Indian cuisine ...

 

Ah we are of common eating habits then.....

 

I suggest you quickly uprate your curries to either 'Tindaloo' or 'Phal' - - levels.

 

These effectively scour one's internal system fairly quickly, and regularly - ensuring that no traces of rodents droppings, or other wayward foodstuffs, remain within.

 

Moreover, the higher Scoville rating of these dishes also ensure that nothing remains (even remotely) alive within the cassette, ensuring only inert and stupefied contents require disposal.

 

(or, for a similar effect - pour neat refined nuclear waste into the Elsan)

[smileypete]

The active ingredient is calcium nitrate, the same stuff you can use on your lawn or whatever. It's just common fertilizer. Don't use ammonium nitrate, by the way.

Forget commercial products, especially those containing enzymes. One big bag of fertilizer costs a tenner and will last for ages. Just pour in a big handfull of granules and a pint of water after you've emptied out the thing and voila! No more smelly cassette.

Calcium nitrate fertilizer may also be called 'nitrate of chalk' A bit of googling may turn up a Canadian patent for BioMagic which gives the ingredients including various nitrates.

 

They work by the nitrate breaking down and releasing oxygen to stop the sh!t going anerobic and smelling. Not very green itself though as it releases nitrates into the environment.

 

What I do with my porta-loo is leave the flap half open and drape an old T shirt over the top of the loo. Keeps any random flies out (doesn't seem to attract them) and lets oxygen in to help stop the waste going anerobic. I don't add anything as such and don't rinse the loo out after emptying.

 

I think some of the enzyme based products like Roebic actually contain waste eating bacteria, might try one of these and some calcium nitrate to see how it works out.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[Bob the welder]

After testing every bloody product on the market to get rid of the nauseating smell of dead rodents wrapped in putrid fish sometimes emanating from our porta potti, I found one that actually works! The price of this stuff is naturally high so I checked the ingredients.

The active ingredient is calcium nitrate, the same stuff you can use on your lawn or whatever. It's just common fertilizer. Don't use ammonium nitrate, by the way.

Forget commercial products, especially those containing enzymes. One big bag of fertilizer costs a tenner and will last for ages. Just pour in a big handfull of granules and a pint of water after you've emptied out the thing and voila! No more smelly cassette.

get a pumpout tank. if it dose smell its only outside.bob

[Starcoaster]

I must admit as a diehard cassette enthusiast the reference to "the nauseating smell of dead rodents wrapped in putrid fish" made me view pumpouts a lot more charitably too!

I have a porta potti, I have just replaced it with a new one after not quite a year bcause I just got a shiny new bathroom and wanted a shiny new bog, and probably will continue to get a new one every year as they are cheap and a new bog now and then is appealing.

But mine never smelled of anything nasty or was that offensive in the whole time I owned it, and if it did, I'm fairly sure I'd have been looking for an alternative before now!

[mrsmelly]

I must admit as a diehard cassette enthusiast the reference to "the nauseating smell of dead rodents wrapped in putrid fish" made me view pumpouts a lot more charitably too!

I have a porta potti, I have just replaced it with a new one after not quite a year bcause I just got a shiny new bathroom and wanted a shiny new bog, and probably will continue to get a new one every year as they are cheap and a new bog now and then is appealing.

But mine never smelled of anything nasty or was that offensive in the whole time I owned it, and if it did, I'm fairly sure I'd have been looking for an alternative before now!

 

Funnily Starry in well over 20 years of this life ours never smells either and we have had many a curry I think its probably people who are hobby boaters so the thing isnt emptied as often as ours ? not sure realy. We use whatever the place we buy it at sells be it , blue, green or sky blue pink, never seems to matter

 

Tim

Edited September 15, 2012 by mrsmelly

[MtB]

After testing every bloody product on the market to get rid of the nauseating smell of dead rodents wrapped in putrid fish sometimes emanating from our porta potti,

 

I agree with the others, there must be something badly wrong with your bog!

 

In my experience Porta Pottis only stink if you cheapskate on chemicals, i.e. buy the cheapest 'blue' in the shop or don't put any/enough in. Aquachem is by far and away the best in my experience...

[n.b.Goldie]

We are using a bio detergent and it seems to work ok.

 

Us too, biological washing liquid is brilliant. Breaks down the solids, no nasty smells just a faint smell of washing and the inside of the cassette is spotlessly clean.

 

Formaldehyde is nasty stuff (as Bloo and others are usually based on) and not to be breathed in.

 

Regards

Ditchdabbler

[MtB]

....either that or you have never actually smelt a genuine, rotting rat carcase...

[Nautihamstern]

I've never actually tried biological washing liquid, but most other products, and a couple of them do work but, as I said, they cost a lot of money in the long run. I also don't want to fill up precious space in the tank with watered down solutions.

Shit stinks. Hence, probably, the expression "smells like shit". Calcium nitrate is probably the cheapest way to deal with that fact. An old t-shirt might do the trick for some people, but the idea of having litres of refuse sloshing around in the boat in an open container, very close to both the dining area and the sleeping area simply isn't a good idea in my book...

[sueb]

Us too, biological washing liquid is brilliant. Breaks down the solids, no nasty smells just a faint smell of washing and the inside of the cassette is spotlessly clean.

 

Formaldehyde is nasty stuff (as Bloo and others are usually based on) and not to be breathed in.

 

Regards

Ditchdabbler

Any particular brand?

[Mike Tee]

Just to raise the level of this subject, how do you stop the flushing tank on a porta potti growing mould?

 

I've managed to clean it out, but would like to stop a repeat (when pushing the flush pump, black flakes come out with the flush liquid - I think it is mould!)

[saltysplash]

Just to raise the level of this subject, how do you stop the flushing tank on a porta potti growing mould?

 

I've managed to clean it out, but would like to stop a repeat (when pushing the flush pump, black flakes come out with the flush liquid - I think it is mould!)

 

 

Use Elsan Pink in the flush tank, or similar flush tank additive, Ive heard reports that the Thetford pink still lets the black spot grow for some reason

[MtB]

Use Elsan Pink in the flush tank, or similar flush tank additive, Ive heard reports that the Thetford pink still lets the black spot grow for some reason

 

I've found using Thetford's 'Pink', even just once, results in black tea leaves in the flush water for ever more after leaving a bog unused for a few weeks. I've twice had to buy new bogs to stop this effect.

 

Not tried Elsan Pink as I don't really see any point in adding it. I only added the Thetfords Pink as it comes with a new bog.

[Nautihamstern]

I've found using Thetford's 'Pink', even just once, results in black tea leaves in the flush water for ever more after leaving a bog unused for a few weeks. I've twice had to buy new bogs to stop this effect.

 

Not tried Elsan Pink as I don't really see any point in adding it. I only added the Thetfords Pink as it comes with a new bog.

How about rinsing the flush tank with vinegar (or even mould remover) once in a while?

[NB Alnwick]

Just to raise the level of this subject, how do you stop the flushing tank on a porta potti growing mould?

 

I've managed to clean it out, but would like to stop a repeat (when pushing the flush pump, black flakes come out with the flush liquid - I think it is mould!)

 

Only ever put clean fresh tap water in the flush tank - it has just enough chemical content to prevent mould but nothing that will cause harm the tank or the environment.

[blackrose]

get a pumpout tank. if it dose smell its only outside.bob

 

Really? I used to have one and it stank inside the boat.

 

After testing every bloody product on the market to get rid of the nauseating smell of dead rodents wrapped in putrid fish sometimes emanating from our porta potti, I found one that actually works! The price of this stuff is naturally high so I checked the ingredients.

The active ingredient is calcium nitrate, the same stuff you can use on your lawn or whatever. It's just common fertilizer. Don't use ammonium nitrate, by the way.

Forget commercial products, especially those containing enzymes. One big bag of fertilizer costs a tenner and will last for ages. Just pour in a big handfull of granules and a pint of water after you've emptied out the thing and voila! No more smelly cassette.

 

I use Odorloss. A bottle costs less than a tenner and lasts me about a year.

Edited September 22, 2012 by blackrose

[pinkoi]

Just to raise the level of this subject, how do you stop the flushing tank on a porta potti growing mould?

 

I've managed to clean it out, but would like to stop a repeat (when pushing the flush pump, black flakes come out with the flush liquid - I think it is mould!)

 

We have had this happen too using clean water for the flush and the thetford pink stuff too. We found that thetford sell something in a small bottle with a turquoise lid which is designed for cleaning your flush tank. It takes 24 hours to work though and you have to then empty the cleaner stuff away. It seemed to work and atleast made the flush water smell less

[Rob99fla]

After testing every bloody product on the market to get rid of the nauseating smell of dead rodents wrapped in putrid fish sometimes emanating from our porta potti, I found one that actually works! The price of this stuff is naturally high so I checked the ingredients.

The active ingredient is calcium nitrate, the same stuff you can use on your lawn or whatever. It's just common fertilizer. Don't use ammonium nitrate, by the way.

Forget commercial products, especially those containing enzymes. One big bag of fertilizer costs a tenner and will last for ages. Just pour in a big handfull of granules and a pint of water after you've emptied out the thing and voila! No more smelly cassette.

 

I have only had my boat a year. It has the Thetford 200 flushing fresh water. I fitted a new seat when we got the boat. I gave it a clean but it was immaculate anyway. At first I tried the bio type fluids. Despite the claims, it did smell a bit after a days or so (it lasts about 2-3 days when we are both aboard). I changed to standard fluid and this worked better. I sometimes use a little more that directed though. But, this is the thing. We did still have a bit of a smell before the carpet was taken up in the bathroom and replaced with vinyl. (This was fitted by the excellent Mike Jerome Carpets of Southam, by the way) He took the Thetford out and fitted vinyl underneath and everything was siliconed at the edges. Guess what? We no longer have any smell whatsoever. We have just spent 3 weeks aboard with no smell. My partner has a very sensitive nose but she had no complaints. So, perhaps if there are smells, it might be worth looking under and around the loo itself

 

Cheers

 

Rob

[Taslim]

Mank in the flush tank can be prevented by putting a drop of Milton (other sterilizers are available) when you fill up.

 

taslim.

[blackelle123]

"nauseating smell of dead rodents wrapped in putrid fish" - Thats funny!!! My husbands convinced it smells of garlic and swears and curses every time he trundles up the path to the emptying point with the cassette strapped to his little trolley. Comes back swearing and cursing even more because "the bloody wind was in the wrong direction - again!!!!". All I can say is - He's my hero!