ranger58sb
Guru
I called, but he's been out of town over the weekend, so was only able to leave a voicemail.
Maybe you're supposed to upgrade your membership here to commercial or something, BTW.
-Chris
Head cleaners
- Thread starter JILLBROWN
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The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I called, but he's been out of town over the weekend, so was only able to leave a voicemail.
Maybe you're supposed to upgrade your membership here to commercial or something, BTW.
-Chris
ranger58sb
Guru
Using the shipping calculator on your site, looks much more favorable than from the west coast.
Your calculator also includes some air options, and I notice there is also a USPS Priority Mail option in the list, even slightly less than UPS Ground. Presuming flat rate boxes can apply, that would seem to be even more favorable...
But maybe that's just a generic calculator, doesn't necessarily always apply to specific items? (I didn't go through the whole process -- got a supply on hand already -- so don't know if it may have eventually presented some "corrections" or whatever...)
-Chris
HopCar
Guru
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- Vessel Name
- Possum
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- Ellis 28
Maybe they called her Bluenose because she smelled bad?:lol:
Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
HopCar
Guru
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- Possum
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- Ellis 28
Hi Chris,
I can't figure out how to get the website to know what can go by air and what can't yet.
Right now the only way I can ship it is by UPS ground. I can't send it by Priority Mail because that is air service.
I just checked and it looks like I'm paying part of the shipping right now.
I put the shipping weight into my website as 0.8 pounds. It's actually about 1.5 pounds.
I'll get around to changing that one of these days.
I can't figure out how to get the website to know what can go by air and what can't yet.
Right now the only way I can ship it is by UPS ground. I can't send it by Priority Mail because that is air service.
I just checked and it looks like I'm paying part of the shipping right now.
I put the shipping weight into my website as 0.8 pounds. It's actually about 1.5 pounds.
I'll get around to changing that one of these days.
I invented a oily water separator and a chemical primer 15 years ago
Water came out so clean it was cleaner than the drinking water on the cruise ships the oil collected looked like it was just poured from the bottle.
Everyone tried to copy it Norway gov BC ferries Van shipyard A cruise line even went to Drew chemicals to copy the release agent and bought $400,000 a years supply of something like it that only worked 70 % of the time and had a shelf life of 6 months.
No one could break it so it died
But during that time someone sold a unit to the earlier bluenose with out consulting me .Well the release agent released all the chinking in the boards and they had to redo it some ware in Argentina. Chief called me up and told me that they left the machine on a sandbar down there. That was a close call and a Bluenose moment
Water came out so clean it was cleaner than the drinking water on the cruise ships the oil collected looked like it was just poured from the bottle.
Everyone tried to copy it Norway gov BC ferries Van shipyard A cruise line even went to Drew chemicals to copy the release agent and bought $400,000 a years supply of something like it that only worked 70 % of the time and had a shelf life of 6 months.
No one could break it so it died
But during that time someone sold a unit to the earlier bluenose with out consulting me .Well the release agent released all the chinking in the boards and they had to redo it some ware in Argentina. Chief called me up and told me that they left the machine on a sandbar down there. That was a close call and a Bluenose moment
ranger58sb
Guru
Fair enough. But I'll order a couple hundred pounds before you change you shipping calcs.
Just kidding!
-Chris
Carolena
Guru
Just want to let everyone know that we've been using the Noflex for about a month. Several weekends and a few three to four night trips, plus a lot of guests. It has worked very well for us. Previously, we have used Happy Camper, Raritan KO, and Odorlos. While all of those worked fine, we would still ocassionaly have odor issues (we could really use a second vent on the tank per Peggy's suggestions). Since the switch, no odors at all, except once when I didn't add any for a couple of days while on a trip. But, even then, a small dose when we first noticed the odor and all was fine a short time later. It hasn't made any difference with our tank sender issues, but we were not expecting that (we may just need a new sender). Putting cost aside, we are very happy with the product and will continue using it. I put in around a teaspoon when the tank is empty and just a little sprinkle each morning while we are on the boat. One container has lasted over a month with around 1/3rd left (and that includes a heavy treatment in the hope that it would help with the sender).
ranger58sb
Guru
When you were enjoying those odors, where did they come from? You could smell something inside the boat? From the toilet bowl? Or from the related hoses? Or from outside? Or...?
-Chris
Carolena
Guru
Chris - just from the outside vent when someone flushed. No odors in the boat, unless the windows were open and the breeze was blowing in just the right direction.
We have fresh water flush so have not had any issues with the bowl, and thus far our hoses are fine. We raft a lot with friends, so if the holding tank vent stinks, someone is going to let you know whether you notice it or not.
HopCar
Guru
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- Aug 20, 2011
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- 5,308
- Vessel Name
- Possum
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- Ellis 28
Thanks for the order Howard! I'll hop on an airplane tomorrow and bring it to you.
Oh wait, it can't go by air. Sorry, UPS it is.
Oh wait, it can't go by air. Sorry, UPS it is.
Northern Spy
Guru
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- Feb 5, 2012
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- Canada
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- Northern Spy
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- Nordic Tug 26
I've been using noflex for a few years now. I changed out my joker valve Sunday. No smell from the hose when I pulled off the tailpiece. Pretty impressive.
HopCar
Guru
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- Ellis 28
Hi Doug, it's in the store. So you saw poor old Possum. At her regular dock, there is a branch that over hangs her. Birds love to roost there. Do you think soaking the Bimini in Noflex would get rid of the poop?
Noflex would not help getting rid of the bird poop.
Use 'Sea Solve' It removes the Bird doo and all salt (like Saltaway)and is one great boat soap at half the price.
You don't just think i make Noflex
Use 'Sea Solve' It removes the Bird doo and all salt (like Saltaway)and is one great boat soap at half the price.
You don't just think i make Noflex
FF
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2007
- Messages
- 22,552
Rustoleum sells a spray on product that keeps things from getting wet.
Might work well enough for the bird poo to wash away in every rain storm?
Might work well enough for the bird poo to wash away in every rain storm?
ranger58sb
Guru
Chris - just from the outside vent when someone flushed. No odors in the boat, unless the windows were open and the breeze was blowing in just the right direction.
Got it. That with or without a vent filter?
-Chris
Dougcole
Guru
Hey Parks,
Yep I was in Miami for work last week and stopped in to pick up a Groco strainer for my gen set. I hadn't been in the store since I sold sportif to Dave 7 or 8 years ago, it looked great and was busy. I asked for you, but you were out when I was there.
I laughed at the poop removal comment. Maybe a shotgun might be effective? Or perhaps a chainsaw? I like your boat, I'm not a fan of birds.
Yep I was in Miami for work last week and stopped in to pick up a Groco strainer for my gen set. I hadn't been in the store since I sold sportif to Dave 7 or 8 years ago, it looked great and was busy. I asked for you, but you were out when I was there.
I laughed at the poop removal comment. Maybe a shotgun might be effective? Or perhaps a chainsaw? I like your boat, I'm not a fan of birds.
Carolena
Guru
No vent filter. I'm not a fan of the filters, as I like to back flush the vent line with fresh water every few weeks.
ranger58sb
Guru
HopCar
Guru
- Joined
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- Possum
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- Ellis 28
Hi Doug, I'm sorry I missed you. I'm rarely in the store before noon. I really need my beauty sleep. Dave has gone and opened his own little store over by the marine stadium. It's a good resource for people anchored over there.
Sea Q send me a sample of the Sea Solve and I'll give it a try. We shipped four bottles of Noflex today. Probably to people who read about it here.
Sea Q send me a sample of the Sea Solve and I'll give it a try. We shipped four bottles of Noflex today. Probably to people who read about it here.
have you checked your sewage tank vent lines
update on Noflex from a New Zealand user
one more thing to watch out for
One of the critical components of the process is that the holding tank is well ventilated, which is why the manufacturer recommends removal of vent filters which are prone to blocking.
Since our Summer cruise (back to the Bay of Islands BTW) I have had a couple of strange happenings, one of which was the holding tank self filling with seawater by siphoning back through the macerator pump if I leave the seacock open (which I usually do). This can only happen if the discharge line that loops above the water line is full of effluent or water, and I usually ensure that the tank has completely discharged and is pumping air before I turn the pump off. And before you say "why don't you close the seacock after discharge", I always dump the tank while underway and to get to the seacock, I have to lean over the propeller shafts and couplings, which I don't like to do when they are spinning. This has been happening more often since our new year holiday, when the tank once overflowed through the vents.
The other happening was the return of a sewage smell in the master stateroom, particularly when the toilets were flushed, very reminiscent of the "pre Noflex" days. Over Easter I noticed there were rusty stains running from the vents down the side of the boat, so I cleaned them off, plus all the rust that had built up at the edges of the vent through-hull fittings. A couple of weeks later the smell was so bad in the boat that I figured there had to be something wrong, as I had been using more and more Noflex with little result. So I accessed the connections where the vent filters used to be (and noticed that there was a bit of crap inside the pipes), attached a garden hose and turned it on. For a start a mist of water came out the vent so, thinking it was clear (you can't actually see the vents themselves - they are hidden insider the through-hull fittings), I went and did the other side. Same result....a hissing mist but not a lot of water, so I presumed that's how it was supposed to be....I had never tried this before, so I didn't know what it was supposed to look like. I was about to disconnect the hose thinking the test hadn't really proved anything, when there was a "pop" from the vent and a short, yukkie brown discharge, followed by water gushing out. I then redid the other side leaving the water turned full on and after 5 minutes, sure enough, a pop, a brown discharge and pouring water. Obviously the vents had been partially blocked and may have been since we have owned the boat.....I know the vents had been flooded by the previous owner by the condition of the filters when I removed them.
So it looks like the blocked vents were causing the holding tank to pressurise during flushing and forcing effluent into the macerator discharge line, which allowed seawater to siphon back into the holding tank. It also meant that sewage gases could not vent overboard and were finding their way out through any means (probably the fittings where the filters used to be) into the bilge area of the boat and, ultimately, our stateroom.
In the 2 months since then, there has not been a hint of a smell in our stateroom, and the Admiral has commented that it is the first time the boat has been completely odour free since we have owned it.
update on Noflex from a New Zealand user
one more thing to watch out for
One of the critical components of the process is that the holding tank is well ventilated, which is why the manufacturer recommends removal of vent filters which are prone to blocking.
Since our Summer cruise (back to the Bay of Islands BTW) I have had a couple of strange happenings, one of which was the holding tank self filling with seawater by siphoning back through the macerator pump if I leave the seacock open (which I usually do). This can only happen if the discharge line that loops above the water line is full of effluent or water, and I usually ensure that the tank has completely discharged and is pumping air before I turn the pump off. And before you say "why don't you close the seacock after discharge", I always dump the tank while underway and to get to the seacock, I have to lean over the propeller shafts and couplings, which I don't like to do when they are spinning. This has been happening more often since our new year holiday, when the tank once overflowed through the vents.
The other happening was the return of a sewage smell in the master stateroom, particularly when the toilets were flushed, very reminiscent of the "pre Noflex" days. Over Easter I noticed there were rusty stains running from the vents down the side of the boat, so I cleaned them off, plus all the rust that had built up at the edges of the vent through-hull fittings. A couple of weeks later the smell was so bad in the boat that I figured there had to be something wrong, as I had been using more and more Noflex with little result. So I accessed the connections where the vent filters used to be (and noticed that there was a bit of crap inside the pipes), attached a garden hose and turned it on. For a start a mist of water came out the vent so, thinking it was clear (you can't actually see the vents themselves - they are hidden insider the through-hull fittings), I went and did the other side. Same result....a hissing mist but not a lot of water, so I presumed that's how it was supposed to be....I had never tried this before, so I didn't know what it was supposed to look like. I was about to disconnect the hose thinking the test hadn't really proved anything, when there was a "pop" from the vent and a short, yukkie brown discharge, followed by water gushing out. I then redid the other side leaving the water turned full on and after 5 minutes, sure enough, a pop, a brown discharge and pouring water. Obviously the vents had been partially blocked and may have been since we have owned the boat.....I know the vents had been flooded by the previous owner by the condition of the filters when I removed them.
So it looks like the blocked vents were causing the holding tank to pressurise during flushing and forcing effluent into the macerator discharge line, which allowed seawater to siphon back into the holding tank. It also meant that sewage gases could not vent overboard and were finding their way out through any means (probably the fittings where the filters used to be) into the bilge area of the boat and, ultimately, our stateroom.
In the 2 months since then, there has not been a hint of a smell in our stateroom, and the Admiral has commented that it is the first time the boat has been completely odour free since we have owned it.
Capt.Bill11
Guru
Welcome to the wonderful world on black water tank maintenance!
So it looks like the blocked vents were causing the holding tank to pressurise during flushing and forcing effluent into the macerator discharge line, which allowed seawater to siphon back into the holding tank. It also meant that sewage gases could not vent overboard and were finding their way out through any means (probably the fittings where the filters used to be) into the bilge area of the boat and, ultimately, our stateroom.
I was gearing to repeat what I've said so many times, that unless a tank is leaking, it's rarely if ever the source of odor INSIDE the boat because odor from the tank has only one place to go: out the vent. Then I read that there are TWO fittings in your all-but-blocked vent line, which is where air --and odor--from inside the tank was escaping.
Why in the world would anyone splice a piece of hose into a vent line instead of just replacing the vent line?????
You mentioned that the vent thru-hulls had rusted. All "vent" thru-hulls are actually designed for use on fuel tank tank vents, so they have spark arrestors and the smallest openings possible to keep sea water from contaminating the fuel supply. Boat builders use 'em on every vent because it's cheaper than using a different one for each application. That's ok for fuel and water, but not for waster because they cause more problems than the solve or prevent..and they make it difficult to keep the vent line clear. So if you want to avoid a repeat of the same problems, I strongly recommend that you do the following:
1. replace the vent line
2.replace the "vent" thru-hull with a plain ol' open "bulkhead" or "mushroom" thru-hull. That will allow you to stick a hose against it and backflush the vent every time you wash the boat. Accumulated waste from your overflowing the tank and any "critters" who've tried set up housekeeping in the vent line will be flushed into the tank.
3. Put a tank level indicator on the tank! There's no excuse to overflow the tank out the vent, and as you've already learned it causes big problems. These are the top rated systems: Scad Tank Monitors (actually made by these people Profile Tank Monitors and private label branded by Scad). The "Solo" is inexpensive and very easy to install...the sender goes on the outside of the tank.
Safety standards call for keeping the overboard discharge thru-hull closed except when actually in use. You're obviously keeping it open all the time 'cuz I'm sure you aren't opening it to dump the tank OR closing it afterward. You could relocate the thru-hull to make that easier...or, if the rest of your sanitation system plumbing is as jury-rigged as the tank vent line, keep on keepin' on till the day you see your spare deck shoes floating in the cabin.
I was gearing to repeat what I've said so many times, that unless a tank is leaking, it's rarely if ever the source of odor INSIDE the boat because odor from the tank has only one place to go: out the vent. Then I read that there are TWO fittings in your all-but-blocked vent line, which is where air --and odor--from inside the tank was escaping.
Why in the world would anyone splice a piece of hose into a vent line instead of just replacing the vent line?????
You mentioned that the vent thru-hulls had rusted. All "vent" thru-hulls are actually designed for use on fuel tank tank vents, so they have spark arrestors and the smallest openings possible to keep sea water from contaminating the fuel supply. Boat builders use 'em on every vent because it's cheaper than using a different one for each application. That's ok for fuel and water, but not for waster because they cause more problems than the solve or prevent..and they make it difficult to keep the vent line clear. So if you want to avoid a repeat of the same problems, I strongly recommend that you do the following:
1. replace the vent line
2.replace the "vent" thru-hull with a plain ol' open "bulkhead" or "mushroom" thru-hull. That will allow you to stick a hose against it and backflush the vent every time you wash the boat. Accumulated waste from your overflowing the tank and any "critters" who've tried set up housekeeping in the vent line will be flushed into the tank.
3. Put a tank level indicator on the tank! There's no excuse to overflow the tank out the vent, and as you've already learned it causes big problems. These are the top rated systems: Scad Tank Monitors (actually made by these people Profile Tank Monitors and private label branded by Scad). The "Solo" is inexpensive and very easy to install...the sender goes on the outside of the tank.
Safety standards call for keeping the overboard discharge thru-hull closed except when actually in use. You're obviously keeping it open all the time 'cuz I'm sure you aren't opening it to dump the tank OR closing it afterward. You could relocate the thru-hull to make that easier...or, if the rest of your sanitation system plumbing is as jury-rigged as the tank vent line, keep on keepin' on till the day you see your spare deck shoes floating in the cabin.
