Peggy: Our home lake is fresh water and, like most freshwater lakes, prone to alge growth throughout the summer. Sometime back, I was advised to not introduce lake water into our flushing process and instead to use a couple of cupfuls from our freshwater tank to rinse and flush the bowl. The logic was that the lake water contained these various algae which would find fertile breeding conditions in our holding tank and could produce a nasty contamination problem. I am beginning to question this logic since we use a chemical tank treatment each time we pump out. Therefore, I am considering reattaching the pump to the thru-hull and enjoying the convenience of simply flipping the pump lever to rinse the bowl. Do you have any advice or comment regarding this matter?
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Sheer nonsense
There's so much bacteria in waste that any more in the flush water wouldn't even be noticed in the holding tank. The only reason to flush with fresh water is to clean out any organisms in the water trapped in the head INTAKE...which pouring water into the bowl doesn't help at all because nothing in the bowl is recirculated through the intake...it just goes out the discharge. (coming to you today from Seattle)
There's so much bacteria in waste that any more in the flush water wouldn't even be noticed in the holding tank. The only reason to flush with fresh water is to clean out any organisms in the water trapped in the head INTAKE...which pouring water into the bowl doesn't help at all because nothing in the bowl is recirculated through the intake...it just goes out the discharge. (coming to you today from Seattle)
Rationale
People shut down their intake so that lake water or seawater doesn't stand in there all week long. That's what causes the smell when you first board the boat. I keep a gallon of freshwater in the sink for flushing a quart at a time.
People shut down their intake so that lake water or seawater doesn't stand in there all week long. That's what causes the smell when you first board the boat. I keep a gallon of freshwater in the sink for flushing a quart at a time.
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