It seems that the capacity of our holding tank on our 1996 Mark II Catalina 34 is SO much less than our old Catalina 30. The boat sat for several years with little use, and I have a theory that our holding tank is partially full of hardened crud that just is not making it out when we do the pump-out. Is this possible? If so, what should I use to break it up? Seems like I saw a "recipe" several years ago to help break up hardened "deposits" in the tank.
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Check out this stuff. I do not know much about it, but they claim it will disolve the tank crud.
http://uniquedistributors.com/digcon1.html
http://uniquedistributors.com/digcon1.html
I am told by some local guys that "calgon" and a few gallons of water left sitting will do the trick.....no idea if it really works...
I have used ice cubes and a windy/bouncy day in an older boat to do the trick...may need, or be easier to replace the tank in question.
YMMV
I have used ice cubes and a windy/bouncy day in an older boat to do the trick...may need, or be easier to replace the tank in question.
YMMV
No way there could be that much sludge in the tank
'Cuz if there were, it would cover and block the discharge port, preventing you from pumping ANYthing out.
There's nothing that can dissolve sludge that's hardened into "concrete" that won't also damage the tank and/or plumbing...the stuff at the link Steve posted is no different from Raritan K.O. or any other live bacteria or enzyme tank product...they all do what that product claims to do, which is emulsify (liquify) "mud" and toilet paper that chemical tank treatments prevent from doing that. RidX does the same thing in a septic tank.
Your problem is due to one of two things:
1. a blocked tank vent that's only allowing the pumpout to pull a couple of gallons out before it causes the pumpout to pull a vacuum that won't let it pull any more out, but CAN implode the tank if it's a particularly strong pumpout. It's a common problem, especially in the spring and on boats that have sat unused, that requires ongoing preventive maintenance. Search the previous discussions in this forum for "blocked tank vent" for instructions to clear the blockage and how to keep it clear.
2. The tank may actually BE smaller than the one on your previous boat. If you don't know the capacities of both tanks, find out! If it's a rectangular tank, it's easy to measure: L x W x H in inches / 231 (the no. of cubic inches in a gallon). If it's not rectangular, call Catalina and ask 'em.
Or...If the toilet is new, it may be pumping a lot more water than the one on your previous boat. Or...you may be spending more time aboard. So, let's do some more math: the average adult uses the toilet 5x/day...avg flush from a manual toilet: .6 gal. So each person will put approx. 3 gal/day into the tank. That should give you enough information to figure out how many days it takes to fill up your tank.
Btw...in addition to spending some time reading previous discussions in this forum, you might want to check out the link in my signature. Both will help you learn how to maintain your system to prevent 99% of problems and solve 100% of 'em.
One more thing...there's an excellent C-34 discussion forum here: Catalina 34 forum
Many C-34 owners including Stu Jackson, who moderates it, participate here AND there.
'Cuz if there were, it would cover and block the discharge port, preventing you from pumping ANYthing out.
There's nothing that can dissolve sludge that's hardened into "concrete" that won't also damage the tank and/or plumbing...the stuff at the link Steve posted is no different from Raritan K.O. or any other live bacteria or enzyme tank product...they all do what that product claims to do, which is emulsify (liquify) "mud" and toilet paper that chemical tank treatments prevent from doing that. RidX does the same thing in a septic tank.
Your problem is due to one of two things:
1. a blocked tank vent that's only allowing the pumpout to pull a couple of gallons out before it causes the pumpout to pull a vacuum that won't let it pull any more out, but CAN implode the tank if it's a particularly strong pumpout. It's a common problem, especially in the spring and on boats that have sat unused, that requires ongoing preventive maintenance. Search the previous discussions in this forum for "blocked tank vent" for instructions to clear the blockage and how to keep it clear.
2. The tank may actually BE smaller than the one on your previous boat. If you don't know the capacities of both tanks, find out! If it's a rectangular tank, it's easy to measure: L x W x H in inches / 231 (the no. of cubic inches in a gallon). If it's not rectangular, call Catalina and ask 'em.
Or...If the toilet is new, it may be pumping a lot more water than the one on your previous boat. Or...you may be spending more time aboard. So, let's do some more math: the average adult uses the toilet 5x/day...avg flush from a manual toilet: .6 gal. So each person will put approx. 3 gal/day into the tank. That should give you enough information to figure out how many days it takes to fill up your tank.
Btw...in addition to spending some time reading previous discussions in this forum, you might want to check out the link in my signature. Both will help you learn how to maintain your system to prevent 99% of problems and solve 100% of 'em.
One more thing...there's an excellent C-34 discussion forum here: Catalina 34 forum
Many C-34 owners including Stu Jackson, who moderates it, participate here AND there.
Here's a particularly interesting topic from our C34 message board about head hoses:
http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5738.0.html
http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5738.0.html
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