Toilet Paper - Thetford changes?

[Al - s/v Persephone]

I've just returned from a couple of weeks living with my wife and dog on Persephone, while cruising the ME coast.

Halfway through, the last of my 2-3 year old Thetford water soluble "Marine/RV" toilet paper ran out, and I bought some more at the Hamilton Marine store in Rockland.

To my wife's great consternation, this stuff, while in the same familiar package, seems to have undergone some kind of "product improvement" that left it able to sit in water overnight without dissolving to any noticeable degree, let alone sufficiently to pass the flushing valve.

Needless to say, this "improved durability" is not viewed positively aboard Persephone.

Has anyone else run into this with the Thetford product?

Can anyone recommend a recently purchased satisfactory alternative?

Al
s/v Persephone

 

[Stu Jackson]

Single ply TP, cheaper, works.

 

[Tim R.]

We use Scott's 1000 at home and on the boat and seems to be fine. Scott's now has a rapidly dissolving type that I have not yet tried. I hope that rapidly dissolving doesn't happen before it hits the bowl which is not good also.

Al, we must have crossed paths at some point. We were out 9/4 to 9/16. In fact I remember a boat with your name somewhere. Could have been a duplicate though. Where did you go?

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=112373

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

No need to pay extra for a "marine/rv label" on TP

Especially since there's nothing special about it...it's just the cheapest made-from-recycled stuff, repackaged and priced a LOT higher. So buy the cheapest. If you're in any doubt about whether it's suitable for use aboard, tear off a sheet and put it in a glass of water...come back in an hour. If the water is milky and all that's left is "snow," you have a winner. But if it's still and intact, or mostlly intact sheet, keep looking.

As for the "new improved" Thetford...I'm guessing it was a mistake on the part of the buyer or the supplier. In fact, unless it was labeled new and improved, I'd bet money that's the case.

 

[Al - s/v Persephone]

Thanks, Tim

Do you get the Scott RV stuff at Home Depot or a similar place?

We hopped up and down the coast from Newburyport to Penobscot Bay in daysails between 9/13 and 9/26.

Wife and dog require shore power and shore access every night w/out dinghy-ing. Consequently, we usually go Kennebunkport (Chick's), Portland (DiMillo's), Boothbay Harbor (Brown's) and then Rockland (Landings or Journey's End), etc.

Last year we enjoyed Castine and Belfast, as we're historybuffs. This year we intended to go through Fox Island Thoroughfare to Stonington and NE Harbor, but I had to provide too many recover-from-the-last-passage days, and we ran out the clock.

This year was colder due to the 9/13 start (weathered-out on 9/12), and we had a lot of 4ft chop days with all too many beating into it with no dodger. Coming back from Boothbay to DiMillo's we had a wonderfull sail, but for most of the segments I was the only one on board enjoying himself.

With the 9/25 cold front we surfed 4-5ft Northerly chop in 20kts gusting to 25 all the way from Portland to Kennebunkport (31nm) in 4 hrs, under jib and triple-reefed mainsail (on a 31ft LWL). I'm ashamed to say I loved it!

Then the toilet paper fiasco. Oh, well. Maybe I'll be forgiven by next year.

Fair winds,
Al
s/v Persephone

 

[Tim R.]

Sounds like a great trip Al. We were screaming back to Portland on the 16th. I keep Cordelia in the anchorage across from DiMillos. That is Centerboard YC. We have a launch but no overnight power and we do shuttle folks over to DiMillos for Portland access.

The wife and dog prefer seclusion and deserted islands. Luckily my wife enjoys sailing as much as I do and the dog just likes being with us. No TP issues

 

[Al - s/v Persephone]

Thanks, Peggy.

It's been a quite while since I bought your book, and almost as long since my last Thetford batch purchase. That one did just as you say.

This new one - in what seemed to me an identical wrapper - did not. I figured some change in manufacturing process, perhaps cost-reducing, that I tongue-in-cheek termed "improvement".

Your thought that it was probably an unintentional process change (QA failure) makes sense.

In any case, I'd not rush to buy more until that lot is flushed (pun intended) from the product distribution pipeline.

Al
s/v Persephone

 

[Nereussailor]

Scotts tissue is the only way to go. You can buy it at almost every store (Wally World, CVS, Walgreens, Publix, Jewel, etc...), It's cheap, a roll lasts twice as long as regular toilet paper,and it dissolves in minutes. I've used it at home for years, and it's safe for private septic systems.

Dave

 

[Gail R]

Scotts tissue is the only way to go. You can buy it at almost every store (Wally World, CVS, Walgreens, Publix, Jewel, etc...), It's cheap, a roll lasts twice as long as regular toilet paper,and it dissolves in minutes. I've used it at home for years, and it's safe for private septic systems.

Dave

Ditto. Single ply Scott, 1000 sheets per roll. Like Peggie says, you do NOT need to get specially labeled RV or marine TP. Just one-ply stuff you'd use at your house. Save yourself some money (and aggrevation).

 

[Salish Sea Cruiser]

I bought some one ply Kirkland brand at Costco in those hugh packages and through a brain fart ended up with two packages of then. It is so thin I think it is only 1/2 ply, but have have enough to outlast both me and my boat.

Why is one ply so important? f the fibers will de-bond in one ply, wouldn't they de-bond just as quickly in two ply?

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

1 ply, 2 ply, 3 ply, 4, 5, 6...it doesn't matter

The only thing that does is how quickly and completely the stuff dissolves. Something that's a bit softer than a corn cob would be nice, but not essential.

 

[Benny]

We have a rule, "do not put anything you haven't eaten in the head" and that includes toilet paper. We have conveniently placed next to the head a small trash can with a lid for proper disposal. A plastic liner and a deodorizer facilitate handling and avoids offensive odors. What is best is that you get to use the tissues you are used at home instead of those single ply and it helps avoid clogs.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

To each his own, but...

There isn't a reason in the world to avoid flushing quick dissolve TP. And it's actually softer than many "premium" brands. Even if a guest flushes an overload of it that clogs the system, the stuff dissolves so easily if it even gets damp that you only have to wait an hour for the clog to clear itself. But hey...if it makes you happy to put it in the trash, well...it's your boat...whatever floats it is ok with me.

But fwiw...that you've eaten it first is no guarantee that it won't cause a problem. Among other things, I've seen watermelon seeds jam manual diaphragm pumps and y-vallves and bubble gum total a VacuFlush.

 

[jibes138]

While we're on the subject

I went to Russia back in 1993 or so and everyone told me to bring some toilet paper with me. Once there I realized why. I actually brought a few squares back with me. The stuff looked like it still had tree bark in it. You could definitely get slivers from it. I'm not sure it would dissolve in a glass of water though.

 

[Gail R]

We have a rule, "do not put anything you haven't eaten in the head" and that includes toilet paper. We have conveniently placed next to the head a small trash can with a lid for proper disposal. A plastic liner and a deodorizer facilitate handling and avoids offensive odors. What is best is that you get to use the tissues you are used at home instead of those single ply and it helps avoid clogs.

Ahem. I use single-ply at home. I like to think it's easier on the septic system but it probably doesn't matter. There's plenty of decent quality single-ply that has a nice, soft consistency, nothing like a corn cob! (Thanks for the giggle, Peggie!)

 

[zeehag]

i use charmin mega ultra strong--it lasts until the job it is spozed to do is done--i place it into a plastic bag for disposal at the next fuel and water stop.