Toilet Holding Tank Bacteria…Powdered Milk

[Shockabilly]

My brother in law, an experienced marine engineer and previously a Chief Petty Officer in the RN was chatting to me about my boat's holding tank (strange subject to be having a chat about but bear with me), he was telling me that on most ships he worked on they usually had a similar non-macerator simple dump through system and relied upon anearobic bacteria to break the content down (we also got onto aerobic bacteria as well), they never used any chemicals whatsoever and instead relied upon feeding the bacteria powdered milk when it became weak and smelly due to lack of air circulation, apparently it worked a treat…has anyone else used powdered milk to feed the bacteria in their holding tank?

[magnetman]

I have not done this but I have always had portable holding tanks which don't have enough time to really reek

[Grace and Favour]

We use simple bakers yeast - - it obviously feeds on the sugars within the tank - rather effectively!

 

No smells, no problem

[bostin01]

We use simple bakers yeast - - it obviously feeds on the sugars within the tank - rather effectively!

 

No smells, no problem

 

Do you reckon it would be safe to drink after?

 

I can't be only one who thought that, or do I need to see a councillor?

 

Bostin!

 

EDIT :- Misread it as 'brewers' yeast. I'll retire back to my bottle book.

Edited March 26, 2014 by bostin01

[Shockabilly]

We use simple bakers yeast - - it obviously feeds on the sugars within the tank - rather effectively!

 

No smells, no problem

Sounds good…I take it that you just sprinkle a bit in after every visit?

[Grace and Favour]

Sounds good…I take it that you just sprinkle a bit in after every visit?

After pump-out, i dose the tank with 20gm of yeast, 10gm sugar dissolved in warm water, (left for a few mins to start fermentation)

 

That's it.

[jacko264]

This is very interesting as my Son has a cesspit tank at home and it some times smell's it is a bacteria tank

I will have to tell him about this post and using powdered milk

Thanks

Graham

[Shockabilly]

After pump-out, i dose the tank with 20gm of yeast, 10gm sugar dissolved in warm water, (left for a few mins to start fermentation)

 

That's it.

Sounds like my home brew…I've just pumped out my tank and have no desire to keep using chemicals so will give it a whirl, so thanks for the tip!

[adam1uk]

(strange subject to be having a chat about but bear with me)

 

No, it's one of the most popular subjects for boaters to talk about. In fact a conversation isn't complete without some kind of toilet talk.

[sueb]

I don't believe you can beat Bio magic. We had 25yrs to try various cures

[Wanted]

When we bought our boat the previous owners had just installed a new tank, they used 'green' products so it had never seen formaldehyde. Reading this thread has reminded me that I haven't used anything in it for months and months, I seem to have forgotten to buy anything and all is working fine without a whiff.

 

I have a breather cap which I leave off for ventilation and it looks as if nature is doing its job(by)

 

If it does kick off though I will try ae powder milk. Cheers for the tip.

[mango]

We use simple bakers yeast - - it obviously feeds on the sugars within the tank - rather effectively!

 

No smells, no problem

I doubt there are any sugars in the content of a sewage tank. Baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is very restricted in what it will grow on, so I reckon that it is the bacteria in the sewage that are doing the job.

[patty-ann]

Right so is it powdered milk or brewyers yeast? Or both? If one is good are both better. I ask this as I am considering moving to a small house with cesspit in middle of no where so have my boat in one place and a solitary shell elsewhere for holiday let.

[jelunga]

My brother in law, an experienced marine engineer and previously a Chief Petty Officer in the RN was chatting to me about my boat's holding tank (strange subject to be having a chat about but bear with me), he was telling me that on most ships he worked on they usually had a similar non-macerator simple dump through system and relied upon anearobic bacteria to break the content down (we also got onto aerobic bacteria as well), they never used any chemicals whatsoever and instead relied upon feeding the bacteria powdered milk when it became weak and smelly due to lack of air circulation, apparently it worked a treathas anyone else used powdered milk to feed the bacteria in their holding tank?

All the ships I was on discharged straight overboard. But then this was the early 70's !

After pump-out, i dose the tank with 20gm of yeast, 10gm sugar dissolved in warm water, (left for a few mins to start fermentation)

 

That's it.

No wonder your beer tastes like sh1te!

[ditchcrawler]

All the ships I was on discharged straight overboard. But then this was the early 70's !

 

Just like all the rigs and platforms I worked on.

Right so is it powdered milk or brewyers yeast? Or both? If one is good are both better. I ask this as I am considering moving to a small house with cesspit in middle of no where so have my boat in one place and a solitary shell elsewhere for holiday let.

We have a tank on the boat and a septic Tank at home. We don't put any additive ether.

[Black Ibis]

I've been wanting to try yeast in our cassette, but we have been using Green up until now. Will traces of this remaining in the cassette kill off the yeast, does anyone know?

Edited March 27, 2014 by Black Ibis

[Grace and Favour]

I've been wanting to try yeast in our cassette, but we have been using Green up until now. Will traces of this remaining in the cassette kill off the yeast, does anyone know?

It all depends upon what the active ingredients of the 'Green' are.

 

Lets assume as a worse case scenario, any remaining traces of green kill off the yeast.

Then just use yeast/or/nothing

Over a number of uses, the traces of green will diminish

How long that will take I have no idea - I'm afraid

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

I use Enzymes I get from a company called Homezyme, They come in a 'Tea Bag' type size bag, but made of a Bio Plastic that desolves in water, so I started using 3 bags flushed down the loo, in an empty holding tank, then After a Pump Out I used 2 Bags, then after another Pump Out I used 1 Bag.

I now use 1 Bag Every other Pump Out. They smell like Marzipan,& it has worked Fantastically for me. I've even put a remains of a can of coke or lemonade down the loo now and again,

Result for me is No Smell EVER,.

So stick to what works !.

[Grace and Favour]

Which of their products are you using Paul - they feature a few on their website...

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Homezyme Bio-Active Chemical Toilet Treatment 10g bags.

I'm not saying it's Cheeper or better than anything els suggested, but I think they are great.

I'm not clever enough to put a pic in a post yet,but will add one to the Pic Banner on the main page via the Gallery.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Paul's Nulife4-2

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

I'm not a Tree Hugger, but as a livaboard very conscious of what leaves the boat.so try and do my bit. All wast is Double Macerated, Held, Aireated & Treated with Enzymes until it's just like a Liquid Fertilizer (in my mind) before Pump Out.

All 'Clean' Cardboard and Paper is shredded, bagged and can be used as animal bedding, or then mixed with wood chips from the Chain saw and compressed into logs with the help of a wee bit of Wallpaper Paste for Burning. I then Barter these for whatever els while I travel the Coast, got a book of about 18 regular people that I bump into for the odd nights entertainment and Bartering talks.

The current rate of exchange is 15 logs for a Bottle of Homemade Pair wine.with one mate and 4 bags of Guineapig bedding for 8 Filleted sides of Fish (What ever he has caught as a professional Fishermen) from another mate Both at this Marina.

 

Oops sorry I'm waffling, I love Bartering.

 

Right Back to Bogs.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Paul's Nulife4-2

[JayDub]

I've been wanting to try yeast in our cassette, but we have been using Green up until now. Will traces of this remaining in the cassette kill off the yeast, does anyone know?

I changed my cassettes from Blue to bacteria a couple of months ago. I washed them out with plain water as thoroughly as I could and then started using baking yeast and a bit of sugar. I had a slight whiff from them for the first few 'cycles', since then the only smell is when you empty the cassette. Best remedy for that is, don't breath in for the 30 seconds it takes to empty.

[davidc]

I use a cupful of hand bio washing powder every week I have a macerator toilet never a smell, the holding tank is emptied once a month

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

I use a cupful of hand bio washing powder every week I have a macerator toilet never a smell, the holding tank is emptied once a month

Really,,That's interesting, I wouldn't have thought of that,. Even though it's 'Biological' is it actually alive like yeast or Enzymes ?. I bet it smells better than yeast.

But again as I said,use what works for you.

[Machpoint005]

I use a cupful of hand bio washing powder every week I have a macerator toilet never a smell, the holding tank is emptied once a month

 

Nice one! Do you have a recommended brand? We don't use bio washing powder so I'll have to buy it specially (we have a macerator bog too).