I own a 1975 Oday 25 with a marine head that has been installed by previous owner. My lake does not have a pump out facility so I have not used it yet. It has a 6 gallon water tank and a 6 gallow waste tank. The deck fittings are Scandvick 11.5 threads per inch. I have ordered a Sealand NozAll screw in fitting to screw into the deck fitting. The toilet is vented properly waste exit is at the bottom of the wast tank. My question is would a small shop vac dedicated to that purpose work and evacuate the waste? I could buy a Whale manual pump but then I would also need to but some kind of holding also like what you see at an RV park. Would a small general purpose pump work that used garden hose size tubing. The toilet will not get used that much at our lake and bigger lakes have pump out facalities. I am just trying to figure out the easiest way to get rid of the waste as I will not dump it into the lake. Thanks for any suggestions.
Marine Head poo removal???
- Thread starter SteveSam
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Good grief. Suck it out with a shop vac!!!!! Yeecccchhhhh. Why not just pee in the lake? What do you think the thousands of muskrats, beavers, eagles, osprey, not to mention fish and snakes are doing? Worrying about holding tanks????
Sorry about the sarcasm, this just got to me.
Sorry about the sarcasm, this just got to me.
Might be time to go back to using a porta potti, at least it's easy to carry off the boat. They make a 5 gallon one that can also hook up to your deck fitting just in case you do have pumpout available at some time.
I guess my idea of siphoning it out with a hose, into a bucket would be unacceptable then. If you're real careful, you can almost tell when it gets too close to your mouth..
Very interesting responses. I guess that if I had to wait until I was 3 miles of the coast I would be legal. I would prefer to at least attempt to follow the law about dumping etc. I was mostly interested if my idea would work and was hoping that I would get a response that would validate it or if someone had a better idea that I could consider. I could take out the head and install a porta potti but why? I guess that none of the responders ever had to clean a dirty bottom on a kid. Why not try and give a useful response other than yuch!
Serious.
I would have stayed with the port-a-head; my first cruising boat, about that size, had a port-a-head and it was fine. However, since you are in the fix you are...
I would ditch the shop vac idea. It will stink and may not have the raw suction power to lift (they move a lot of air but with limited suction power to lift a column of water). I would try fitting out some sort of cart I could roll down to the dock, with a Whale pump, a bucket or small tank, and a drain valve on the bottom.
But first I would ask what others do.
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Yup, it's only poo.
One option would be .....
...Wag Bags/Double Doodie Bags in the present head while on that lake and use the head as designed if you go elsewhere. How we use them...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/MacgregorTrips-3-Powell09/09-10-16-Powell-09.html
I also can't see using the shop vac,
Sum
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...Wag Bags/Double Doodie Bags in the present head while on that lake and use the head as designed if you go elsewhere. How we use them...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/MacgregorTrips-3-Powell09/09-10-16-Powell-09.html
I also can't see using the shop vac,
Sum
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Our Endeavour 37
Our MacGregor 26-S Pages
Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida
Mac-Venture Links
well the best thing you could do if you want to keep the system you have is to install a macerating pump for self pump out..... you can then liquify all of it as you pump it into a 5gallon bucket with a snap on lid.... dump it later.
you seriously do need to think about possibly using your bail bucket to urinate into and disposing of it sooner rather than later.... it fills the holding tank unbelievably fast. with a 6 gallon waste tank, two normal people can use it about a week, give or take a day or two, before it needs to be dumped. but when you use it every time you have to just pee, it can fill up in about half that time...... this is just a guideline for starters, you will figure out what works for you once you get to using it regularly....
you seriously do need to think about possibly using your bail bucket to urinate into and disposing of it sooner rather than later.... it fills the holding tank unbelievably fast. with a 6 gallon waste tank, two normal people can use it about a week, give or take a day or two, before it needs to be dumped. but when you use it every time you have to just pee, it can fill up in about half that time...... this is just a guideline for starters, you will figure out what works for you once you get to using it regularly....
Do you have waste in the tank at present, or are you just contemplating future options?
A dirty-bottomed kid will pose special problems - you can't just use acres of paper products and chuck it all in the head. Sumner's suggestion is maybe the only answer there.
A dirty-bottomed kid will pose special problems - you can't just use acres of paper products and chuck it all in the head. Sumner's suggestion is maybe the only answer there.
ROFLMAO.... I would pay money to watch you from a distance as you test the suction of your shop vac as you suck the sh*t from a holding tank with it... and then try to empty it....
Install a masacrator pump at bottom of your holding tank with a discharge fitting just above or at tank full level . Then when ever you pull into a pump out station and they give you some lame excuse that they can not pump you out because their pump as been broken for about 3 months because there are no fines or penalties for them to keep it properly maintained. But you and I on the other hand is a different story. Sorry I just had to vent.
Usually their hose is still good. Just demand they hand over the hose so you can pump it your self into their dedicated sewage line for that purpose. If they decline then call the sheriff and have them arrested. Were the poop can then go to the local defective dirt dewller treatment plant were it can then be dumped back into the local stream and lake. You are wanting to keep clean. Sorry I just had to vent again!!
I did this with mine after I got tired of putting in at different pumping stations all along the texas coast and it was alway the same. Pump broken but hose good. What is really nice about this set up is. Water hose at one end and discharge at other allows you to to really flush the tank out.
Good luck with your project.
Usually their hose is still good. Just demand they hand over the hose so you can pump it your self into their dedicated sewage line for that purpose. If they decline then call the sheriff and have them arrested. Were the poop can then go to the local defective dirt dewller treatment plant were it can then be dumped back into the local stream and lake. You are wanting to keep clean. Sorry I just had to vent again!!
I did this with mine after I got tired of putting in at different pumping stations all along the texas coast and it was alway the same. Pump broken but hose good. What is really nice about this set up is. Water hose at one end and discharge at other allows you to to really flush the tank out.
Good luck with your project.
I have cleaned more than my share of clogged sanitary hoses, macerators and holding tanks and because of that I recommend you go with the simplest, tried and proven solution to your problem. I understand your idea about using a dedicated wet/dry vac for the job but I don't know if the suction will be strong enough to lift the waste or how easy it would be to carry the unit to a toilet or disposal facility. It would obviously have to be flushed and cleaned after use. You mention a small shop vac but I think you may need to consider a powerful one with a large tank. Those are a little pricey and if it does not work you may end up with a smelly shop vac and still have the boat problem. Don't know how often you may get to the bigger lakes but an unusable head in a boat becomes an ornament occupying scarce real estate. For less than the price of a shop vac you may purchase a porta potty with a portable discharge tank. That is a tried and proven solution. Removing the head and closing up the holding tank is not that big of a job and you could always re-install it in the future. Unproven ideas or innovative solutions could get messy.
No, this is one of the responders who's cleaned many a dirty bottom and there was nothing about my response to you that was not serious.....and legal. You mentioned that one of your choices was to wait until you visited a larger lake to pump out and I agreed with that as a good choice. Since you didn't get more specific I assumed that you COULD make a point to visit there reasonably often in order to not only enjoy a larger lake to sail in but also dump your head.
We have many times been in situations where we could not get to a pump out either because they were all being serviced, it was too late, etc....... and twice I called and had the 'on the water pump out service' do it for us after we left the boat. It was an emergency type situation in my mind and it cost alot ( $35 the first time, $50 the last) but it was past due. If you have such a service available, they give regular customers a much better deal.
The responder who suggested the porta potty did not sound to me as if they were telling you to get rid of what you have and install one.....they were just trying to suggest a solution that would work if filling up your holding tank (with no good way of emptying it) was not a going to be solved any time soon.
Lastly, we do not dump outside of the 3 mile mark, no matter legal or not...... I don't even understand your comment about that because it sounded like you have only access to small lakes and the occasional larger one that offers pump out services.
I am the keeper of our head and take pride in keeping our system really clean and healthy.....but I would have serious difficulties if a shop vac were part of my routine....... so honestly, a strong background in dirty bottoms is not enough to consider that option for me so I'm sticking with my original yuck!
OK. I will try to answer your last question and give a useful response other than yuch!
Ahhhhhh . . . . . YUCH!
I guess I failed for today. I feel so $hitty about this poo, errr, too. What was I thinking?
Thanks for all good responses. I am going to take a minute or two or three to respond. First as most sailing gear sails, bottom paint, whisker pole (just bought one 500.00) the cost does add up quickly. But that is just part of sailing. I try and figure out how to be as efficient and effective with any purchases as possible. I also want all the systems and parts to work properly if for safety, convenience, and even liveability.Being new to sailing I realize that I have much to learn. My situation is that I am on a lake with no pump out method. Other sailors put a bucket and plastic liner in their marine head with a lid. That is a decent solution. Some use the head and then pump into the lake which is against the law. Duke suggested a composting head but that is rather expensive. At least two people indicated the problem with being able to pump out due to broken pump out facalities or completely full holding tanks. As a pilot we try to anticipate and practice and prepare for any problem that might occur. We try and learn from mistakes and prevent them in the future. So determining how much of a water column a vac could pull is a great idea. It could be tested quite easily. Installing a masacrator and a discharge fitting like onecoolair suggested is another great idea. Using a manuel Whale Mark 5 sanitary pump and discharging into a rolling container like what the RV people use is another idea. It would use no electricity be hygenic and could be discharged in the park that usually is part of many lakes. I do not think that I should have to derig the boat to go to a lake that might have a functioning pump out facility. I have taken to boat to Destin and they have pump out ability so no problem there. It is just the other times that present problems. I will eventually comment on what I have done and what works. Thanks for all the many interesting and helpful ideas.
cinch top bags
Get a box of tall kitchen cinch top garbage bags use as head liner fits around bowl under seat.
Go, cinch bag cloesed then put in some other container\
As for pee
put a few paper towel in the bag first then just go same way as above.
End of day take bag of bags to trash can
or dumpster
Did this for a week at home while sewer line being re done
works just fine not nearly as " distastful" as pumpout ideas.
Get a box of tall kitchen cinch top garbage bags use as head liner fits around bowl under seat.
Go, cinch bag cloesed then put in some other container\
As for pee
put a few paper towel in the bag first then just go same way as above.
End of day take bag of bags to trash can
or dumpster
Did this for a week at home while sewer line being re done
works just fine not nearly as " distastful" as pumpout ideas.
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