Canadian Laws & the Mac / Tattoo Boats (Porta-Potties)

[kadet]

We are going through the same cr@p here, pun intended. But I love the way government stick it to the little guy and don't clean up their own act. We have green zones and fishing bans then they the government approve airport extension port extensions new canal developments etc.. That wipe out more fish breeding areas than recreational fishers would do in several hundred lifetimes. They introduce laws for boat sewage such as these http://www.msq.qld.gov.au/Environment/S ... egislative to apease the minority green members of government whos support they rely upon to maintian power. Yet do nothing about the 1 Million+ dog turds that wash into the waterways everytime it rains because they have no stormwater waste management. Some estimate put our humpback whale population at 15,000 now maybe we better start harpooning them again and sell them to Japan to stop them cr@ping in the water imagine how much sewage those big things must be making.

Just some stats I found quickly on the net for Ontario Cities around the Great Lakes that discharge sewage,

Hamilton, Ontario
Population: 500,000
Percentage of population served by sewage
treatment plant(s): 95%
Volume generated: 124 billion litres per year.
Treatment level: Conventional Secondary with
phosphorus removal.

Kingston, Ontario
Population: 125,000
Percentage of population served by sewage
treatment plant(s): 75%
Volume generated: 36.8 billion litres per year.
Treatment level: Kingston West Sewage Treatment
Plant (STP) provides secondary treatment and was
upgraded in 2002. Ravensview STP is a chemically
enhanced primary treatment facility.

London, Ontario
Population: 348,000
Percentage of population served by sewage
treatment plant(s): Approx. 95%.
Volume generated: 75 billion litres per year
in 2005.59
Treatment levels: London has six sewage treatment
plants; all are conventional secondary except one
that has tertiary treatment. Treatment description:
screens, grit removal, primary settling tanks,
aeration tanks, disinfection by ultra violet lights in
a channel.

I am so glad forcing every sailboat owner to install these environmental saving devices is going to save our waterways.

[Crikey]

Kadet - You left out Toronto and the dozens, if not hundreds of other Lake Ontario communities that process into this water body. I'm not going to crap (intended) on our American brothers on the other side, but there's an even bigger number over there. Luckily, their stuff - we've been told - floats only as far as the wet international border, then stops!
All the sewage plants do direct discharge when it rains hard enough, which these days is often and the results of that as well as fertilizer leach-out from the farming industry, results in the bloom and weed growth that is everywhere nowadays. Oh, and did I mention where the drinking water for these population centers come from?
I'm so glad we live with a good well and a full-blown personal treatment system!
Perhaps some day we can get our 'governments' to clean up their own backyards first before peering into ours - but I wouldn't hold your breath. That would entail significant across-the board pay reductions to take on what is already a hugely expensive operation. Ain't going to happen in my lifetime....
We really wanted to go the more expensive composting route as I'm somewhat of a 'Greenie', but unfortunately our diminished retirement precludes this for the present time.

Ross

[Tomfoolery]

Ironically enough, this afternoon I just bought a brand new Dometic pump out model to properly comply with our laws in this years Mad Men of Ontario Rendezvous, this August.

I already have the same PP as the one on the bottom, but it only has the pour spout. I wonder if I can get a kit to convert it to a pump-out connection? The hold-down straps are already in place, and the head looks like it was never used (came with the boat), though I did put water in the tank last year to make sure it all worked, which it did. And nobody used it, which is a good thing.

[Crikey]

Tom, I'm not sure about your models ability to convert to a pump-out. Perhaps a factory or dealer call might resolve that for you. Our old unit (the one on top of the box) also had the swing out dumping arm with a cap on the end and Dowsar told us we had to get the specific pump-out. Now that was same brand name, but an older product than the version I have. The problem appears to be the need for a 'pick-up tube' inside, and a vent outlet.
Perhaps just the bottom half can be swapped out with the top 'business end' left intact?

Ross

[Tomfoolery]

The online listing for the MSD version, which you just bought, says something about configuring it for pour spout or pump-out, so I was thinking it's convertible. But the MSD unit alone isn't that much money (~100 USD or even less with some shopping around), so maybe the thing to do here is just bite the bullet and install a new one, keeping the old one for normal service in the US, as I'd rather not have to use a pump-out service if I don't have to. Remove the hoses and bag the ends of the hull fittings.

Have to think about it. I just mentioned to the Admiral that the PP isn't legal in CA, and that we'll have to leave it home. The look on her face was priceless. Followed by the 'that's not going to happen' speech.

[Crikey]

We're in the process of selling our home and downsizing to cottage country for a winterized house on the water. My Admiral had the brilliant idea of saving the old pour-out in case we ended up with a 'bunkie' on the property which is very likely. She also suggested we could save money with the pumping if we just brought everything home and used my big wet-dry shop vac instead!

I had to bring her up to speed.....

R.

[Tomfoolery]

She also suggested we could save money with the pumping if we just brought everything home and used my big wet-dry shop vac instead!

Uh, oh - I was eating oatmeal and now it's percolating.

I have some white 1-1/2" sanitation hose I got as a leftover from my FIL's hose replacement project some time back (he bought a whole 50 footer, as it was cheaper than just the length he needed), so that's a small pile of cash I don't have to spend.

[Tomfoolery]

Well, I ordered the MSD version of the Dometic PP that's already in the boat, so it'll fit the same hold-downs. When sailing anywhere but in Canadian waters, I can use the old PP, and just connect the hoses to the deck fittings for the new one if/when needed.

I just need to add the pump-out and vent deck fittings now.

[Starscream]

The best mod I ever did on our X was to add a Jabsco electric flush toilet with holding tanks. Cost just over 1 boat buck. We used to have a porta potty but because we are kinda grossed out about the raw sewage thing so we NEVER used it and that really limited our traveling range. Since adding the flush potty we have done four-day trips with a family of 5...we still try to do #2 off the boat at a shore-based facility but it works fine in an emergency.

Since I did not want to cut a through-hull, I added two 9 gallon water tanks, one for black water and one for toilet supply, which also allows easy addition of anti-freeze to the system in winter. This is the model I used: http://www.entrepotmarine.com/fr/plombe ... s-ca41209h. They happen to both fit perfectly side-by-side in the storage area below the forward table seat without any cutting at all. I took out the old porta-potti and bolted the jabsco http://www.entrepotmarine.com/fr/plombe ... o-ca37010h electric potty in place. The hardest part of the whole job was running the 10 gauge wires from the electrical panel on the starboard side all the way around the bilge to the heads on the port side. Lots of cursing there. Then it was just cut a 3" hole in the floor to run the pipes, plug the pipes in the right holes, a few bits of hardware, and bingo: flush toilet almost like home. The PO had already added a pumpout fitting and vent in the heads ceiling, so I just had to re-plumb those to the right spots. There is a fair amount of hose installed to link everything together, but at least that helps to increase the capacity since 36L ain't really that much. We usually combine a few #1's before flushing so it takes some family coordination. 36L was fine for four days...aided by our preference to use shore-based heads where possible.

I can post photos if anyone is interested; let me know.

On the downside, I can't pump out by myself, so it's usually between $10 and $20 each time at a marina. Actually, I pumped out at Rockport in Ontario two weeks ago....$35 !!! No wonder the guys at Andress Boatworks were so nice and polite. Add that to 2$/L gasoline (not even super!)...sheesh.

Any ideas on how to make a home pumpout that won't make me barf every time I use it?

[Crikey]

Any ideas on how to make a home pumpout that won't make me barf every time I use it?

That ain't gonna happen!

R.

[Catigale]

I think I posted mine, but it's real nice.

1/2 inch brass NPT to 3/4 hose adapter. It screws into my macerator through hull. When I get home, I lift the sewage grate in the muni sewer, attach the hose to the adapter, drop hose into sewer and then pump out and fill 3x with hose water. Last rinse I add some bleach to help clean system. Elapsed time, 10 minutes. Clean up consists of washing hands at end.

[Starscream]

Hmm, I don't have that municipal sewer option...I'd have to run it to the sink in my garage...gaaak I think I threw up a little in my mouth... Or maybe to my noisy neighbor's swimming pool.

Maybe I could add a fitting the the garage sink downstream of the P-trap and run the hose that way. Still sounds gross, but maybe there is a way. I'd have to add some kind of external pump since I don't want to go cutting any pipes in the boat at this point and I would have to suck it out the existing pump-out fitting. Not sure if a pump that can do that is commercially available and affordable.

[DanInCanton]

Ironically enough, this afternoon I just bought a brand new Dometic pump out model to properly comply with our laws in this years Mad Men of Ontario Rendezvous, this August.

I already have the same PP as the one on the bottom, but it only has the pour spout. I wonder if I can get a kit to convert it to a pump-out connection? The hold-down straps are already in place, and the head looks like it was never used (came with the boat), though I did put water in the tank last year to make sure it all worked, which it did. And nobody used it, which is a good thing.

I think I had the same model MSD aboard my boat (air pressurized fresh water delivery system). I purchased the pump-out version of the exact same toilet I already had because I couldn't find the discharge fitting anywhere online. The next time I happened to be at West Marine, they had what looked like the correct fitting sitting on a shelf for less than $20. Doah! Just another example of how useless the WM online catalog search tool is, but don't get me started on that subject....

Anyway, check WM before you purchase your new head. But, you'd better go check in person, rather than trying to look it up online. At least I now have a lot of replacement parts available for my new MSD.

Dan

[Tomfoolery]

Anyway, check WM before you purchase your new head.

Too late - it showed up at my door a couple of hours ago. Same as the one that's in there now, but with two more holes in the bottom tank and fittings for pump-out and vent hoses.