Bit of an Elsan rant.....

[Wanderer Vagabond]

Fortunately it doesn't happen thatoften, but when it does it really riles me. Today I took the cassettes to the nearby Elsan point for emptying and have to say that the state of it was beyond disgusting. I have every sympathy with CRT, marinas and others who operate these Elsan points for our benefit (there is hardly money it is there?) and all that they ask is that we keep them clean, why is it that some 'boaters' have difficulty with this?

 

I can even understand someone perhaps having some unfortunate accident whilst emptying their cassette but the owner of this particular Elsan even leaves a mop and bucket in there for such an eventuality so there is no excuse whatsoever in leaving the unit itself and the floor & wall of the room covered in sh*t! The smell in the place was obviously stomach-churning despite the fact that the offender had 'considerately' left the door open so the smell had spread far and wide.

 

The reason that this sort of behaviour really riles me is firstly it is another boater that is responsible, not some drunken half wit, teenage vandal or any other sort or ne'er-do-well, so someone that I would have expected better from. And secondly it is not the sort of thing that can be left; I cannot leave an Elsan in that state even if the offender feels comfortable doing so, so I find myself having to waste half an hour of my life that I'll never get back cleaning up someone else's sh*t so that I am then able to actually use the unit. It would be fair to say that by the time I had finished I was livid. If CRT started cutting down on the numbers of Elsan points because of this sort of abuse there would be an outcry, but repeatedly unblocking them and cleaning up other people's crap should not be in their remit. In 5 years of liveaboard I have never even come close to blocking one and would certainly never leave one in the state the one today was in, we should reasonably be able to use these things with almost no maintenance requirement from CRT but they are regularly blocked by half wits who don't understand that tipping anything other than bodily waste into them will block them, I just wish such people would feck off back to some land based hovel?.

 

.....and breathe, rant over!

[MtB]

Sounds to me like a self-pump-outer wasn't attending the elsan end of their pipe.

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

.....and breathe, rant over!

Did you ever see the photos from 3 or 4 years ago where a self pump-outer had had a 'blow-back, let go of the end of the hose, it jumped out of the 'pan' and it had been thrashing about squirting everywhere until the pump could be switched off.

 

Cannot remember who posted them - was it 'nearly there yet' ?

 

Its little wonder that SPO have a bad name.

[ditchcrawler]

7 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Sounds to me like a self-pump-outer wasn't attending the elsan end of their pipe.

Or someone who looks the other way while trying to poor it down the pan.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

There is a notice on this particular Elsan saying no SPO's, but that aside, should the worst happen and it does spray everywhere, what sort of animal just leaves the place covered in sh*t for someone else to clean up (better stop here, can feel another rant coming on)

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

There is a notice on this particular Elsan saying no SPO's, but that aside, should the worst happen and it does spray everywhere, what sort of animal just leaves the place covered in sh*t for someone else to clean up (better stop here, can feel another rant coming on)

 

A self pumper-outer, obviously. 

 

3 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Or someone who looks the other way while trying to poor it down the pan.

 

Hard to imagine how that can result in shit up the walls. More power is required for that!

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Or someone who looks the other way while trying to poor it down the pan.

Difficult to get it up the walls with your eyes turned away.

 

16 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

............….there is no excuse whatsoever in leaving the unit itself and the floor & wall of the room covered in sh*t!...……………..

 

[TheBiscuits]

So just remind me why the separated waste from a "composting" loo is bad. 

 

When we use an elsan point, the worst we can do is drip urine on the floor if we are careless.   Maybe rinse water if stupid. 

 

This thread is about either a cassette or a pumpout loo and an antisocial boater. 

 

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Did you ever see the photos from 3 or 4 years ago where a self pump-outer had had a 'blow-back, let go of the end of the hose, it jumped out of the 'pan' and it had been thrashing about squirting everywhere until the pump could be switched off.

 

Cannot remember who posted them - was it 'nearly there yet' ?

 

Its little wonder that SPO have a bad name.

I wonder whatever happened to Dean-s.

 

Nice chap.

[The Bearwood Boster]

??

36 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

Fortunately it doesn't happen thatoften, but when it does it really riles me. Today I took the cassettes to the nearby Elsan point for emptying and have to say that the state of it was beyond disgusting. I have every sympathy with CRT, marinas and others who operate these Elsan points for our benefit (there is hardly money it is there?) and all that they ask is that we keep them clean, why is it that some 'boaters' have difficulty with this?

 

I can even understand someone perhaps having some unfortunate accident whilst emptying their cassette but the owner of this particular Elsan even leaves a mop and bucket in there for such an eventuality so there is no excuse whatsoever in leaving the unit itself and the floor & wall of the room covered in sh*t! The smell in the place was obviously stomach-churning despite the fact that the offender had 'considerately' left the door open so the smell had spread far and wide.

 

The reason that this sort of behaviour really riles me is firstly it is another boater that is responsible, not some drunken half wit, teenage vandal or any other sort or ne'er-do-well, so someone that I would have expected better from. And secondly it is not the sort of thing that can be left; I cannot leave an Elsan in that state even if the offender feels comfortable doing so, so I find myself having to waste half an hour of my life that I'll never get back cleaning up someone else's sh*t so that I am then able to actually use the unit. It would be fair to say that by the time I had finished I was livid. If CRT started cutting down on the numbers of Elsan points because of this sort of abuse there would be an outcry, but repeatedly unblocking them and cleaning up other people's crap should not be in their remit. In 5 years of liveaboard I have never even come close to blocking one and would certainly never leave one in the state the one today was in, we should reasonably be able to use these things with almost no maintenance requirement from CRT but they are regularly blocked by half wits who don't understand that tipping anything other than bodily waste into them will block them, I just wish such people would feck off back to some land based hovel?.

 

.....and breathe, rant over!

 

[Wanderer Vagabond]

The closest to the same level of annoyance I have experienced in the past was at the Elsan point at Dundas where I was waiting for something like 20 - 25 minutes for the user before me to finish what he was doing and only after he had gone did I realise that he'd blocked the unit by using his cassette only for solids which was why it had taken him so long to empty it (and block the unit). Once again the stench was stomach-churning and he had then left it for someone else to sort out.

[Arthur Marshall]

My least favourite is the one at Great Hayward run (now) by the hire boat place, which is always filthy, usually overflowing and they still charge you a quid for it.

[peterboat]

And now you know why I have a composting toilet my sympathies lie with the innocent party who comes along to find s""t everywhere!

[cereal tiller]

6 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

My least favourite is the one at Great Hayward run (now) by the hire boat place, which is always filthy, usually overflowing and they still charge you a quid for it.

On several occasions I saw the Elsan at Cowley Lock being used by Men that arrived in Vans and tipped Umpteen 25 litre plastic Containers down it ,I think they were from a Local Construction Site or similar?

 

[Movin' on]

8 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Sounds to me like a self-pump-outer wasn't attending the elsan end of their pipe.

That is exactly what I thought as I read it...…………..totally agree with the OP but at least its a rare occurrence

[cuthound]

Makes me glad i have a pump out ?

[Phil.]

59 minutes ago, cuthound said:

Makes me glad i have a pump out ?

Yes, stories like this, make me glad that I too will never have to endure the daily ritual of slopping out. I mean, we don't even make the prisoners do it anymore.

[Clodi]

What I don't understand is that having traveled extensively in France by Motorcaravan staying in the numerous free or 5 euros at most 'Aires' most of them provide elsan points and I cannot recall ever finding a 'discusting' one.

And we, as a nation, like to call the French 'dirty' .

[haza]

seems to me some of you are surprised at some of the things boaters get up to. like in any walk of life .dirty horrible scumbags .being on a narrowboat makes it no difference .two different boaters where traveling together ,both used the elsan ..i went in after they both used it .i confronted them about the state they left it in ...no it was not us ...any way the one moron said they get cleaned every day anyway ...

[BWM]

I heard from a friend a couple of days ago that there is no more access to the services at Cowley marina for anyone other than berth holders, I think it's safe to assume that this is probably the result of similar behaviour. 

[pearley]

41 minutes ago, BWM said:

I heard from a friend a couple of days ago that there is no more access to the services at Cowley marina for anyone other than berth holders, I think it's safe to assume that this is probably the result of similar behaviour. 

Facebook says it's the result of the marina being sold. Except we're moored at another BWML marina and there is no sign yet of any sale being confirmed. 

[BWM]

1 minute ago, pearley said:

Facebook says it's the result of the marina being sold. Except we're moored at another BWML marina and there is no sign yet of any sale being confirmed. 

It may well be, but having been in the Uxbridge area for close to 20 years until earlier this year, the abuse of the elsan and water tap there had become the norm. The smashing of locks and the protective cover happened so often that these were left broken after a while, and the elsan left in a disgusting condition constantly-the scourge of the wet wipes hanging like little turdy ghosts on the grill, fitted in an effort to stop objects being put down were particularly annoying. 

[Alan de Enfield]

31 minutes ago, pearley said:

Facebook says it's the result of the marina being sold. Except we're moored at another BWML marina and there is no sign yet of any sale being confirmed. 

There is a buyer and they have been going around all the marinas doing surveys & 'due diligence' and seeing what they are getting, but I have not yet heard that the sale is going thru'.

[pearley]

16 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

There is a buyer and they have been going around all the marinas doing surveys & 'due diligence' and seeing what they are getting, but I have not yet heard that the sale is going thru'.

Latest rumour here at Kings is that it is the company that own Mercia but can't see it myself. 

[ditchcrawler]

16 hours ago, MJG said:

I wonder whatever happened to Dean-s.

 

Nice chap.

We needed him for the thread about Manchester boat as well