I Love the Smell of Chlorine in the Morning

[Breals]

Funny question, but is it OK to use bleach in my dump-thru (now there's a horribly literal term) pump out toilet?

 

The tank's plastic, so I'm not concerned about the bleach causing corrosion. I've started using bleach because the blue (and Odorlos) I have tried are expensive and useless. And blue is carcinogenic!

[salmiron]

Funny question, but is it OK to use bleach in my dump-thru (now there's a horribly literal term) pump out toilet?

 

The tank's plastic, so I'm not concerned about the bleach causing corrosion. I've started using bleach because the blue (and Odorlos) I have tried are expensive and useless. And blue is carcinogenic!

There may be a definitive reply from someone else, however my half penny worth follows.

 

The problem that immediately comes to mind, is the release of chlorine. It is very easy to release chlorine gas from bleach, hence the warning (on the bottle)about not mixing bleach with other cleaners. Even urine will release it. The gas chlorine is heavier than air, poisonous, destructive of lung tissue and corrosive. It was the first poison gas used during the First World War. If it is released into the holding tank it will escape and accumulate, dispersing slowly.

 

Incidently, not all plastics are resistant to bleach, particularly over a long period.

 

In a house bleach is flushed down the toilet and into the sewerage system, away from the house. In a boat it would be carried around with you until the next pump out.

 

IIRC bleach is implicated in the creation of dioxins.

[GUMPY]

Funny question, but is it OK to use bleach in my dump-thru (now there's a horribly literal term) pump out toilet?

 

The tank's plastic, so I'm not concerned about the bleach causing corrosion. I've started using bleach because the blue (and Odorlos) I have tried are expensive and useless. And blue is carcinogenic!

 

The problem with bleach is that it kills ALL bacteria even the good ones.

If you are having problems with smell it could well be that your tank is not vented well enough, the vent should be the same size as the pump out. I know of at least one person who has added a fan to his tank vent thus creating -ve pressure in the tank so stopping the small reaching the inside of the boat.

 

There is an American Lady called Peggie Hall who I believe is the world authority on boat tolets and how to stop them smelling.

 

This is paper that she has written there is a book as well but Ive not seen it for sale over here.

 

http://www.boatbuilding.com/article.php/Ma...nFactvsFolklore

 

The interesting bit is under ODOR CONTROL about half way down

 

J

[bottle]

A pump out, is very similar to a cess pit and it is advised never to let bleach into the pit.

 

As already stated the good bacteria are needed to help in the disposal of the waste and the bleach will destroy these.

 

Perhaps the best procedure now would be to clean the tank thoroughly and start again, someone on here has never used any 'chemicals' in their pumpout and not had any problems.

 

A good venting system will, as already mentioned, help.

[Graham Davis]

Instead of using the blue "Blue" why not use the green one instead.

We have been using this in our caravan's cassette system for a couple of years and find it just as effective and it smells better!!

[Breals]

Well, the bleach works well at eliminating odor (there is none, not even a bleachy smell), and doesn't seem to produce chlorine except when I pee directly onto it! (I squirt a bit under the rim occasionally). But I am concerned about damaging the plastic tank so if this is a real concern, I'll stop using it.

 

Perhaps there isn't enough ventilation. Failing getting a new through-hull fitting, I'll think about whether a fan might be feasible. This would make sense as the main problem is the build up of gases in warm weather - which escape in the direction of your face when you flush the toilet!

 

Or perhaps I should just adjust my eating habits...

[blackrose]

Well, the bleach works well at eliminating odor (there is none, not even a bleachy smell), and doesn't seem to produce chlorine except when I pee directly onto it! (I squirt a bit under the rim occasionally). But I am concerned about damaging the plastic tank so if this is a real concern, I'll stop using it.

 

Perhaps there isn't enough ventilation. Failing getting a new through-hull fitting, I'll think about whether a fan might be feasible. This would make sense as the main problem is the build up of gases in warm weather - which escape in the direction of your face when you flush the toilet!

 

Or perhaps I should just adjust my eating habits...

 

I assume your plastic tank is a proper sanitary grade waste tank? You should check to see if bleach is ok with the manufacturer if you know who it is. If there are any rubber parts, seals, connectors, etc. the bleach may also damage these.

 

As you say formaldehyde in Blue is carcinogenic, but only if you drank it or left your hand dangling in a bowl of it everyday for a while. The same is probably true for bleach. Interestingly, I was told by Lee Sanitation that they don't recommend the use of Blue, Green or anything else in any of their toilets as it promotes sludge formation which can be difficult to get out. They say waste will break down naturally on its own. I took this advice and now don't use anything in my tank. Most people seem to be using these products to offset smells rather than breaking down waste.

 

When talking about pump out toilets, a distinction should be drawn between "dump throughs" where the toilet is on top of the holding tank, and holding tanks located to one side fed through a big diameter sanitary grade hose or rigid pipe.

 

In the case of the latter, gasses formed in the tank will escape through the vent to outside because if it's working properly there should be less resistance that way than trying to get back through the hose/mechanism to the toilet.

 

With a dump through, gasses should also vent outside when it's not in use as long as the toilet is sealing properly. However, as soon as it's opened and anything is put into the tank, an equal volume of gas has to get out of the tank and in many cases the path of least resistance is straight back up into the boat.

Edited October 7, 2006 by blackrose

[Breals]

However, as soon as it's opened and anything is put into the tank, an equal volume of gas has to get out of the tank and in many cases the path of least resistance is straight back up into the boat.

 

Exactly what was happening! There was no smell coming from the toilet between flushes. It is currently sealing properly and holding water in the bowl.

 

It did occur to me that bleach may make the rubber seals brittle over time. Probably not a good idea to squirt the thick stuff down the pan! But I believe bleach breaks down into water and sodium chloride fairly quickly, so is unlikely to damage the holding tank. (Of course, salty water isn't the most ideal thing to have sloshing about on board if it escapes)...

 

I did use to use blue, and I wonder if traces of this, left behind after much rinsing, prevented the Odorlos I tried using from working. Also, I had to use something to clean the bowl occasionally, perhaps this upset my toilet fauna (David Attenborough's next documentary?)

Edited October 7, 2006 by Breals

[Crazy Scheme]

I use this stuff called eco loo - it costs a blimmin fortune (about 8 quid for 6 doses from Uxbridge Boat Centre), but I keep telling myself I don't smoke so this is my little luxury to myself, to have a non smelling toilet.

 

Eco loo, so I'm told is enzymes and fragrance and isn't harmful.

 

We were lucky to inherit a lovely clean, non scratched cassette loo. I use cleaning wipes to keep the bowl clean.