LectraSan and a Holding Tank

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Richard

Head Mistress and Group: Just moving my Florida boat to San Diego. In FL, my LectraSan was a wonderful convenience. But now in San Diego Bay and certain surrounding waters, I must meet "no discharge" requirements. I would like to mate my LectraSan to a holding tank, preserving the LectraSan option off shore to save holding tank capacity. My LectraSan is installed per Raritan specification, with a vented loop between the unit, and overboard discharge (at the water line...a little stinky with the wrong breeze). I'm looking for comments and criticism. My plan is to install a flexible bladder holding tank, after a Y-valve. That way I can pump the head directly to the bladder, or to LectraSan. Installing a rigid holding tank would require some serious carpentry that I would like to avoid. I would like the bladder to be pump-out capable, and direct overboard discharge capable. Installing a bladder also eliminates the need to install an additional vent for the holding tank, as it collapses or fills passively. Only the vented-loop discharge (already in place) is needed. Comments on reliability, longevity, and permeability of waste bladders are welcome. Can I discharge the bladder through the LectraSan, treating and macerating the waste as it passes. How would I plumb this? Wouldn't it be likely to clog the LectraSan, a unit that is "single flush, single cycle"? Are holding tank chemicals compatible with LectraSan (I bet not)? Alternative is to plumb the holding tank parallel to the LectraSan, Y-valved into the shared overboard discharge vented loop. Flip each Y-valve, and I can switch between either system. In this case, I believe I would have to install a downstream pump/macerator for holding tank waste. But at least this gives me a means of dumping raw waste when over 3 miles offshore, and at a pump-out inshore. I humbly solicit your suggestions. Thanks!
 
P

Peggie Hall/Head Mistress

Your plan is fine, except...

for the bladder. Unvented bladders for waste holding are a bad idea because gasses can expand and blow out fittings...vented bladders make odor control almost impossible. I strongly recommend you do the carpentry necessary to install a rigid tank. And it may not be that bad, 'cuz with a Lectra/San you can get by with a much smaller tank than you would if you didn't have it, and you should be able to find one that will fit an easily accessible space from Ronco Plastics (who are in SoCal, btw)...they make TOP quality, thick-walled roto-molded tanks, and have more than 400 shappes and size--over 100 of which are non-rectangular--to choose from..and for a VERY reasonable price. I'd bet they have one you can use. And you can spec your own fittings sizes and locations, to be installed by them when the tank is made. Their catalog is on their website at: http://www.ronco-plastics.com and they're great people to work with. Unfortunately, you can't dump a tank back through the L/S. As you know, it only has a 1.75 gal capacity and discharges by overflowing...and it's designed to treat waste at least twice before it leaves the boat. It can't handle the volume from a tank bigger than 1 gallon...more than that and you'd be discharging untreated waste. Metering out a gallon at a time would work, but it's more trouble than it's worth...'cuz you'd have to run the L/S for each gallon, which takes 2.5 minutes...after about 3 cycles, you'd have to wait for 15 minutes to prevent overheating the L/S motor...it could take you over an hour to empty a 10 gallon tank. You didn't ask, but worth mentioning: going through the L/S into a tank will not make it legal to dump the tank within 3 miles. The L/S is certified for direct discharge...once the waste goes into a tank it's legally no different from untreated waste. My advice: install a y-valve that allows you to choose between flushing through the L/S or going into the tank. You would need a macerator to dump the tank, but that's by far your best option.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.