uh oh ...backing up waste in bilge

[Rick]

Peggy: I've had a couple of episodes now in the past few weeks where what's in the waste tank appears (while the boat is closed up) to be backing up out the toilet into the floor drain in the head and going to my bilge. Not to put too fine a point on it, but when I lift the floor board to access the bilge, I'm finding a pool of waste with a nice sheen that's formed across it. Then I have to run the bilge pump and clean the mess. What would cause this mess to back up in the toilet (not a porta potty) and create this problem? My waste tank is by no means full (I just had it pumped out). I've alternately left the handle on 'wet pump' and 'dry pump' just to see which would make a difference but in both positions I'm getting this back-up into the bilge. This is getting embarrassing.

 

[Peggie Hall/HeadMistress]

Let's make sure it IS toilet waste

Is the bowl full? If what you're seeing has backed up and overflowed the toilet, the bowl should be full--or at least very dirty on both the inside and the outside where it's run down--when you come back to the boat. If the only evidence you have that it might be toilet waste is the "primordial soup" in the bilge, it's not toilet waste. Till I know, I won't waste bandwidth telling you how to cure a problem you don't have instead of the problem you have.

 

[Rick]

yes, at least once it was from toilet ...

Your point is well taken. Yes, the first time it was indeed from the toilet becaue it was full and there was standing "soup" at the drain. I won't go into too many details. The second time, no I didn't see the smoking gun ... on the other hand, what was in my bilge was not just a little dirty water. Your advice?

 

[Peggie Hall/HeadMistress]

Does it happen only after you've been out sailing

There is a fix for that (and before anyone jumps in to suggest it, just replacing the joker valve in the toilet isn't it). Or has it happened while the boat's been sitting at the dock? However, wet bilges and sumps can turn into "primoridial soups" if ignored long enough, especially in hot weather--and especially if the ice box and/or shower drain into the bilge--that smell like a sewer or worse...and more than one person has thought it was toilet waste. So you may have more than one problem. Let's identify the source(s) of the problem(s) before we just blindly start fixing things that ain't broke. When, if ever, was the bilge/sump really cleaned? I don't mean just some bilge cleaner or bleach poured into it--all that does is create a soapy primordial soup...but really CLEANED--lots of detergent and water followed by thoroughly hosing out all the dirty water. When, if ever, was the last time your toilet was rebuilt...or even had the joker valve replaced? Have you checked all your holding tank connections for a leak...or the tank for a crack?

 

[Barrie McDonald]

My head backs up also

I just came in from a very bumby sail and discovered my toilet full of waste which over flowed into the bilge. Why has this happened? I have no leaks in my system, my head pumps directly into my holding tank thatis either flushed over board in deep water or pumped out at a station. My through hull valve was closed and my tank was virtually empty. Any explation would be helpful.

 

[Peggie Hall/HeadMistress]

Heeling can send even a half full tank back

toward the toilet, which is what I suspect may be happening to both of you. When the tank inlet fitting is toward the hull, tank contents are gonna run toward it when you're on that tack. If there's enough in the tank, and you're heeled far enough, AND you stay on that tack long enough, waste runs back toward the toilet...and out the tank vent--a no-no. If the joker valve in the head discharge isn't so worn that the slit has become a gaping hole, it should block at least 90% of it--which is why I asked how long--if ever--it's been since the head was rebuilt or even had a new joker valve. The real cure, though, is a loop--not necessarily a vented loop, just an arch--in the head discharge hose that's at least 6-8" above the boat's waterline at any angle of heel. The best place to put it is directly above the toilet.The whole issue could have been avoided in the first place if the tank vent and inlet fittings had been located toward the centerline of the boat so that tank contents run away from them on one tack and the inlet and vent hoses run uphill on the other tack. However, that still won't excuse a lack of toilet maintenance--proper lubrication, joker valve replacement at least every couple of years and rebuilds (or total replacement of cheap toilets) every 3-5 years. All of the above only accounts for waste in the bowl during or after sailing. Water or waste rising in the bowl when the boat is at rest is an entirely different issue. I suggest you check out the link below.