Holding tank slowly draining itself..

[Kiwi.]

I got typical small to medium boat system with an 18 gallon tank, a Y-Valve and a Macerator and of course the sea cock ball- valve deep in the bilge.

With the Sea Cock open and the Y-valve in the “Normal” position, the tank is gravity draining from full to empty in 5-6 hours.

For some reason I thought this was not normal, but looking at the schematics, there is no check valves and the macerator will let fluid drain through the impeller.
(Everything is brand new: Head, tank, valves, etc. Not an issue of build-up and old seals)

Yes it will be draining through the macerator pump. I've had identical macerator pumps, one drained the other didn't.
The big problem I had with the one that drained was when the boat sat on its dock for three months. Toilet paper makes wonderful paper mache once it's fully dried and, because the pump impeller was doing a great job of letting fluid out whilst keeping paper in, we ended up with a solid paper mache layer blocking the bottom of the tank and the pipe.

 

[LN-RTP]

Yes it will be draining through the macerator pump. I've had identical macerator pumps, one drained the other didn't.
The big problem I had with the one that drained was when the boat sat on its dock for three months. Toilet paper makes wonderful paper mache once it's fully dried and, because the pump impeller was doing a great job of letting fluid out whilst keeping paper in, we ended up with a solid paper mache layer blocking the bottom of the tank and the pipe.

Wow, that is a new one..
For some reason I thought the toilet paper disintegrated with the tank chemicals and turned into liquid, then drained out..?

 

[Kiwi.]

Wow, that is a new one..
For some reason I thought the toilet paper disintegrated with the tank chemicals and turned into liquid, then drained out..?

In an effort to make the Commodore (she who must be obeyed) happy I stopped putting said chemicals into the tank. (Actually, I had some sympathy with her opinion that human waste is natural and the chemicals are not.) I'm now a great believer in that green chemical stuff. You're correct, it does help disolve the paper and it also makes the smell out of the breather better. (As an aside I buy the green coloured stuff because apparently it's greener than the blue coloured stuff!)

 

[SteveK]

Wow, that is a new one..
For some reason I thought the toilet paper disintegrated with the tank chemicals and turned into liquid, then drained out..?

Actually not all TP disintegrates, most do not. But you can test yours with a piece in a glass of water overnight to know what to expect. There are "boat" priced paper that is supposed to fall apart when wet and must be used on dry bottoms or you can have a mess on your hands.

 

[BruceK]

TP disposal can be halved by using both sides. Not many people think of that, wonder why....

 

[LN-RTP]

TP disposal can be halved by using both sides. Not many people think of that, wonder why....

Wow, great idea from down under..

 

[BruceK]

Wow, great idea from down under..

Just here to help

 

[FF]

"Given the number of boats I see on the ICW on any given Saturday laden with many beer drinking passengers compared to the number I see visiting a pumpout station"


Of course urine is sterile and these folks would be legal peeing over the side , as done on most small boats.

 

[HeadMistress]

Of course urine is sterile and these folks would be legal peeing over the side , as done on most small boats.

That's not why it's legal...urine is NOT sterile. Confirmed: Urine Is Not Sterile

"Direct Deposit" from above or in the water is legal because the marine sanitation regs only apply to the discharge from "any equipment for installation on board a vessel which is designed to receive, retain, treat, or discharge sewage, and any process to treat such sewage." And also because any law prohibiting "direct discharge" would be unenforceable although you could run afoul of any indecent exposure laws.


--Peggie

 

[HeadMistress]

Wow, that is a new one..
For some reason I thought the toilet paper disintegrated with the tank chemicals and turned into liquid, then drained out..?

Nooo...the tank chemical has nothing to with it. TP dissolves in WATER. Premium TP is a bad choice for use in most marine toilets because it has extra fibers for strength and creams for softness that hold it together. "Marine/RV" TP is just the flimsiest "dissolve in your hand if it even gets damp" no-name TP you can get from the grocery store for a fraction of the price, but there are some institutional TPs that break up quickly but don't fall apart mid-use. Scott makes one that's reasonably soft. Soo-Valley's glass of water test is the best way to test useability in a marine toilet, but it shouldn't be nececessary to leave it overnight...check back in an hour or two...if sheets are still intact or mostly intact, try another brand. But the water is "milky" and all you see when you stir it is mostly "snow," it's safe to use in any marine toilet, manual or electric.


Any TP will turn into papier mache if it's allowed to sit and dry out.



--Peggie

 

[LN-RTP]

Nooo...the tank chemical has nothing to with it. TP dissolves in WATER. Premium TP is a bad choice for use in most marine toilets because it has extra fibers for strength and creams for softness that hold it together. "Marine/RV" TP is just the flimsiest "dissolve in your hand if it even gets damp" no-name TP you can get from the grocery store for a fraction of the price, but there are some institutional TPs that break up quickly but don't fall apart mid-use. Scott makes one that's reasonably soft. Soo-Valley's glass of water test is the best way to test useability in a marine toilet, but it shouldn't be nececessary to leave it overnight...check back in an hour or two...if sheets are still intact or mostly intact, try another brand. But the water is "milky" and all you see when you stir it is mostly "snow," it's safe to use in any marine toilet, manual or electric.


Any TP will turn into papier mache if it's allowed to sit and dry out.



--Peggie

Thx Peggie, good to know.

 

[FF]

Perhaps urine is not sterile by today's standards , but for thousands of years , urinating on a deep wound was std for most armies,

It kept away infections , so I doubt "draining the belly tank" overboard is doing any harm to the planet.