Water Tank conversion to holding tank??

[Dave]

I have just purchased a used sailboat (a 1977 pearson 365) but I ran across your forum by researching marine sanitation problems. The Previous owner converted the 50 gal. v-berth water tank into a holding tank and has used it in this way for appx. 12 years. It is a fiberglass tank originally molded into the boat at manufacture. He has used the white sewage hoses in some places and not in others and it really stinks. I have read the articles and I am cleaning the anchor locker and replacing the vent hose with sanitation hose, using vinegar after the last flush etc. I the tank itself the problem? Can a molded fiberglass tank be used for sewage because I'm sure never going to use it as drinking water again!!! Where to go from here? Thanks for taking the question even though it's not a Hunter...we all share the same waterways.Dave

 

[Peggie Hall/HeadMistress]

I doubt if the tank itself is the problem

A lot of older have integral fg tanks (and you're experiencing one of the reasons why I hate 'em). I suspect you need to replace ALL the sanitation hoses, not just the vent line, and really CLEAN the bilges and the sumps.No, I can't imagine the tank ever being used for fresh water holding again either...but it can be cleaned and made odor-free. So before doing anything, you need to ask yourself if you really need 50 gallons of waste holding in your waters? 'Cuz once you've opened up the tank and thoroughly cleaned it out, there are still good uses for that space. Your waters are not "no discharge," plus you have immediate access to open sea to dump a tank. You can fit a Lectra/San (Type I MSD that treats waste and discharges it overboard) and a 10-15 gallon tank--which you'd then rarely use unless you happen to visit a rare "no discharge" harbor--and still have room left for storage. If your budget won't stand $750 for Lectra/San right now, a 20-25 gallon tank in that space should be adequate in your waters, leaving half the fiberglass "well" available either for storage or a Lectra/San later when can afford one. So before you do anything more than rip out all the hoses and thoroughly clean, check out Ronco Plastics (http://www.ronco-plastics.com) for holding tanks--they make TOP quality tanks for a very reasonable price and have more than 400 shapes and sizes, including over 100 non-rectangular...and also spend some time on the Raritan website (link below) checking out the Lectra/San.If you have odor in the head, some of your odor problems may also be due to stagnant water trapped in the head intake and channel in the rim of the bowl. Or, if the toilet has been neglected, a worn out joker valve may be allowing odor from inside the head discharge line to escape through the bowl. In fact, depending on the age of the toilet, it may even be time to replace it too. You have quite a bit to consider and investigate...best thing you can do is take the time to do that before you invest in anything more than clean up.