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Completely true story of the exploding bog

CygnusV

By CygnusV
in General Boating

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CygnusV

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What follows is slightly scary, but absolutely true...

 

Shortly after buying this early1950's wooden boat I took her to Goole for a full marine survey. This was necessary for me to get fully comp insurance to satisfy the marina where the boat was moored (may G+d rot their socks). The boat was checked by Colin Danby (based in Hull) and he was kind enough to give the boat a clean bill of health. While the boat was in Goole boathouse for 6 weeks, I asked the very nice people there to strip, paint and antifoul the hull. Excellent job they did too, she looked lovely.

 

At that time I was working away a lot and on the boat in between. Months went by and I used the 'sea type' toilet very little. The loo had a 15 gallon holding tank and could be either pumped into the sea, or emptied via an external disposal point. I wasn't totally in the picture on this subject.

 

As time went by I started to notice a very slowly increasing pressure when I pumped away the soil from the loo, it meant nothing to me at the time, until all was revealed. All of this may have been a full year after the job in Goole.

 

One evening I came back to the boat after an hour or two in the pub and needed the loo. Pumping the loo clean I heard a 'gurgling' sound. Damned right I did! Pressure in the tank finally overcame the seals on the loo and most of the contents of the holding tank hit the roof (I am NOT exaggerating I promise you) and totally covered me, head to foot, in my own excreta. It was not pleasant.

 

The point of this true tale is 'If you paint your bloody boat DO NOT block the vents of your holding tank!!!'

 

 

 

 

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Doodlebug Rising Star

Doodlebug

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Haha, a similar experience happened to me on a train once.

 

I had used the train toilet. It was somewhat blocked, I.e. there was dirty water still in the base of the toilet, but I used it anyway since it was the only one on the train.

 

I pushed the flush button.

 

A few bubbles came up from the base of the toilet.

 

Nothing.

 

Pushed the button again.

 

Whoosh. Brown liquid started rising rapidly in the bowl. Bubbles were coming up from below, making the toilet splatter over the walls. I panicked and was fumbling with the door as the liquid rose faster and the bubbling got worse.

 

Ran out into the carriage and slammed the door behind me just as the toilet started to overflow. I could hear the bubbles and splashes from the other side.

 

Thank god I got out in time. I dread to think what faced whoever went in next. :P

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nb Innisfree Veteran II

nb InnisfreeDonate to Canal World

Posted
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I once had to use a 'toilet' on a building site, I say a toilet but in reality it was jusr a hole in the ground full of shit.. I went in and took my coat off, hung it up then sat on the 'crossbar' seat, when had finished I went to grab my coat, fumbled and Iit fell into the hole and sank out of sight. I spent one of the worst 10 mins of my life retrieveing it. Succeded in the end though.

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junior Veteran

junior

Posted
Posted

What follows is slightly scary, but absolutely true...

 

Shortly after buying this early1950's wooden boat I took her to Goole for a full marine survey. This was necessary for me to get fully comp insurance to satisfy the marina where the boat was moored (may G+d rot their socks). The boat was checked by Colin Danby (based in Hull) and he was kind enough to give the boat a clean bill of health. While the boat was in Goole boathouse for 6 weeks, I asked the very nice people there to strip, paint and antifoul the hull. Excellent job they did too, she looked lovely.

 

At that time I was working away a lot and on the boat in between. Months went by and I used the 'sea type' toilet very little. The loo had a 15 gallon holding tank and could be either pumped into the sea, or emptied via an external disposal point. I wasn't totally in the picture on this subject.

 

As time went by I started to notice a very slowly increasing pressure when I pumped away the soil from the loo, it meant nothing to me at the time, until all was revealed. All of this may have been a full year after the job in Goole.

 

One evening I came back to the boat after an hour or two in the pub and needed the loo. Pumping the loo clean I heard a 'gurgling' sound. Damned right I did! Pressure in the tank finally overcame the seals on the loo and most of the contents of the holding tank hit the roof (I am NOT exaggerating I promise you) and totally covered me, head to foot, in my own excreta. It was not pleasant.

 

The point of this true tale is 'If you paint your bloody boat DO NOT block the vents of your holding tank!!!'

 

 

I'm sorry, but that's just a load of shit.

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Beaker Rising Star

Beaker

Posted
Posted

I once had to use a 'toilet' on a building site, I say a toilet but in reality it was jusr a hole in the ground full of shit.. I went in and took my coat off, hung it up then sat on the 'crossbar' seat, when had finished I went to grab my coat, fumbled and Iit fell into the hole and sank out of sight. I spent one of the worst 10 mins of my life retrieveing it. Succeded in the end though.

 

Did you go home in it?

 

Coat! laugh.png

 

It is good to get a load off your mind ..... To come clean

 

(And just think, oh deep joy to find such a nice jacket in the charity shop .... )[/quote

 

I didn't really drop my coat, it was just a joke, I was waiting for a fall guy but one didn't appear.

 

Oh, yes he did! smile.png

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sueb Veteran II

sueb

Posted
Posted

Blisworth tunnel boats had a similar experience. A boat called in for a pump out and the person doing it didn't realise the tank had been pressurised. He undid the fitting and it went woosh. The contents shot up the height of the tree and as the saying goes - what goes up must come down.

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Peter Reed Proficient

Peter ReedDonate to Canal World

Posted
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I once had to use a 'toilet' on a building site, I say a toilet but in reality it was jusr a hole in the ground full of shit.. I went in and took my coat off, hung it up then sat on the 'crossbar' seat, when had finished I went to grab my coat, fumbled and Iit fell into the hole and sank out of sight. I spent one of the worst 10 mins of my life retrieveing it. Succeded in the end though.

Were the sandwiches in your coat pocket ok?

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pelicanafloat Community Regular

pelicanafloat

Posted
Posted

 

It is good to get a load off your mind ..... To come clean

 

(And just think, oh deep joy to find such a nice jacket in the charity shop .... )[/quote

 

I didn't really drop my coat, it was just a joke, I was waiting for a fall guy but one didn't appear.

LOL, and I didn't think it would end up in a charity shop either .... ebay or perhaps 'bumfree' would be more tasteful ;)

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Ray T Veteran II

Ray TDonate to Canal World

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Slightly smiley_offtopic.gif But paint over a vent hole can have serious consequencies, HM Submarine Thetis. The yard had painted over an inspection hole in one of the inner bow torpedo tube doors. A crew member opened the inner door thinking the tube was empty. Thetis subsequently sank in Liverpool bay whilst on her sea trials.

 

Lieutenant Frederick Woods, the torpedo officer, opened the test cocks on the tubes. Unfortunately, the test cock on tube number 5 was blocked by some enamel paint so no water flowed out even though the bow cap was open. Prickers to clear the test cocks had been provided but they were not used. This combined with a confusing layout of the bow cap indicators — they were arranged in a vertical line with 5 at the bottom - 1,2,3,4,6, and then 5; and the shut position for tube 5 on the dial was in a different position from those of the other torpedo tubes — led to the inner door of the tube being opened. The inrush of water caused the bow of the submarine to sink to the seabed 150 ft (46 m) below the surface.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Thetis_(N25)

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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

Bit fishy, the commander was actually Kptlt. Hermann Zander

 

http://uboat.net/boats/u1205.htm

 

Nerds rule ok. captain.gif

I believe there were probably more deaths and injuries in submarines due to misuse of the very high pressure compressed air controls that force flushed the contents out through the pressure hull when the boat was submerged rather than when they were in action against an enemy.

Edited by bizzard
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Mike Todd Veteran

Mike ToddDonate to Canal World

Posted
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Your story may have been a wind-up but this is not:

 

Late 1960's we took a group of cub scouts on a fairly primitive 70ft narrow boat. The toilet, as was common at the time, was a simple elsan bucket. When full you used the provided shovel to dig a hole behind a suitable hedge and dump the contents, carefully covering with the earth removed from the hole.

 

One of the lads managed, in the night, to drop his lit torch into the toilet and none of us was brave enough to retrieve it. However, when I came to empty it, the torch emerged, still lit and I was able to clean(?) it and return to said lad.

 

 



It is good to get a load off your mind ..... To come clean

(And just think, oh deep joy to find such a nice jacket in the charity shop .... )[/quote

I didn't really drop my coat, it was just a joke, I was waiting for a fall guy but one didn't appear.
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spannerman Contributor

spannerman

Posted
Posted

Slightly smiley_offtopic.gif But paint over a vent hole can have serious consequencies, HM Submarine Thetis. The yard had painted over an inspection hole in one of the inner bow torpedo tube doors. A crew member opened the inner door thinking the tube was empty. Thetis subsequently sank in Liverpool bay whilst on her sea trials.

 

Lieutenant Frederick Woods, the torpedo officer, opened the test cocks on the tubes. Unfortunately, the test cock on tube number 5 was blocked by some enamel paint so no water flowed out even though the bow cap was open. Prickers to clear the test cocks had been provided but they were not used. This combined with a confusing layout of the bow cap indicators — they were arranged in a vertical line with 5 at the bottom - 1,2,3,4,6, and then 5; and the shut position for tube 5 on the dial was in a different position from those of the other torpedo tubes — led to the inner door of the tube being opened. The inrush of water caused the bow of the submarine to sink to the seabed 150 ft (46 m) below the surface.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Thetis_(N25)

Thankfully, NB Thetis wasn't fitted with torpedo tubes

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