Holding tank venting

[dhays]

Dave
I had the same thoughts re timer but never found one that would give me 50% or less duty cycle and I found constant on not a problem. I'm on my origonal pump and it's still going. I figure easier to change a pump than mess w a timer.
Amp draw is insignificant.

I used this timer and a relay for a timer on my fuel transfer pump. This is what I'd use and just program the duty cycle I want. For the aerator no need for a relay since it uses so little amperage.

 

[Bacchus]

I used this timer and a relay for a timer on my fuel transfer pump. This is what I'd use and just program the duty cycle I want. For the aerator no need for a relay since it uses so little amperage.

That looks a lot more flexible than the ones I looked at.
I may consider it - but have to say 100% duty cycle has not been a problem... may be trying for solve a non-existent problem by adding a timer???
I'm the curious engineer type and may give it a try... when I have time - not high on the priority list though.

If you do it lets us know how it works

 

[dhays]

may be trying for solve a non-existent problem by adding a timer???

Yeah, that is my middle name. ;-)

 

[dhays]

I installed the aerator in the boat today. I’m too dang tall, old, and still to be crawling around a bilge doing wiring.

I cut into the circuit that feeds the shower sump pump. I added a small busbar high up in the bilge where it should stay dry unless the boat sinks. The pump seems to put out a lot of air. You can hear and feel the air coming out of the holding tank.

So it seems to be working well. The pump is a bit louder than I would like. With the boat quiet, you can just hear the pump when in the head and companionway down below. I still have to re-route the vent hose. It has a low point in it and water pools in that low point. It isn’t much a low point and it works OK, but it can be better so that will be another painful contortionist exercise.

So another question... and this may get lost in the thread, but now that I have plenty of O2 in the tank, would I be better off going back to using K.O. In the tank rather than the No-ox that I’ve been using. My understanding is that K.O. actually provides the aerobic bacteria to the tank rather than just boosting oxygen in the tank. I could be wrong as I often am.

 

[Comodave]

When I put a Sweetank in a previous boat, I did not ever use anymore chemicals in the holding tank. We had the boat for about 8 years after the install and never had any smells.

 

[Bacchus]

Dave
Are you using No-Ox or Noflex?
I started using Noflex based on recommendations here and it works very well w the bubbler.

 

[HeadMistress]

I still have to re-route the vent hose. It has a low point in it and water pools in that low point.

That must be corrected because even clear water impedes the escape of gasses in the tank...which, if your bubbler is doing its job, should be only CO2 which is odorless, but heavier than air. If it can't be freely pushed out the vent it will sit like a blanket on the surface of the contents, "smothering" the tank.

To answer this question: My understanding is that K.O. actually provides the aerobic bacteria to the tank rather than just boosting oxygen in the tank."

K.O. is a live bacteria product that can work aerobically to break down and emulsify waste in an oxygenated environment or anaerobically in an anaerobic environment. If the aerator is doing the job it should be doing, you shouldn't need to use any tank product. If you still need one, it's not doing much more than passive venting above the surface alone can do.


--Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein

 

[Sea Q]

In the beginning Noflex was designed and marketed for commercial use to control sludge build up in marine and land based treatment aeration systems .
Systems that contain fixed or floating media to increase the surface area inside the tank for bacterial growth
With the use of air blowers (roots) huge volumes of air is forced down under the media.Circulating the tank bottom to top while super charging the liquid with oxygen . Pretty intense movement in tank when you are looking at it .
The system reduces the amount of solids but still here are solids that can not be processed physically ;and build up in the bottom
Should solids build to the bottom layers of the media the aeration process fails.

Don't know if KO works on this kind of sludge but i know Noflex does
Yes i make the Noflex

 

[dhays]

Dave
Are you using No-Ox or Noflex?
I started using Noflex based on recommendations here and it works very well w the bubbler.

When I woke up this morning, I realized my error and was about to correct it. Yes, I am using Noflex and have been very happy with it for the past couple of years. It was created by our own Sea Q I believe.

No-Ox is a conductive electrical grease that I use on certain instruments at the office.

 

[dhays]

I still have to re-route the vent hose. It has a low point in it and water pools in that low point.

That must be corrected because even clear water impedes the escape of gasses in the tank...which, if your bubbler is doing its job, should be only CO2 which is odorless, but heavier than air. If it can't be freely pushed out the vent it will sit like a blanket on the surface of the contents, "smothering" the tank.

To answer this question: My understanding is that K.O. actually provides the aerobic bacteria to the tank rather than just boosting oxygen in the tank."

K.O. is a live bacteria product that can work aerobically to break down and emulsify waste in an oxygenated environment or anaerobically in an anaerobic environment. If the aerator is doing the job it should be doing, you shouldn't need to use any tank product. If you still need one, it's not doing much more than passive venting above the surface alone can do.


--Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein

Thanks Peggie. Yeah, the vent has a low spot that when I back flush the vent when emptying the tank the water will pool there. I have to go down and lift the low spot just a bit to get the water to drain into the tank. Re-routing the vent hose will take care of that.

Thanks for the info. I only installed the aerator yesterday so too early to tell. If I don’t end up needing a tank treatment, then all the better.

 

[Sea Q]

Speaking of conductive electrical grease
It is the best thing i ever found
If i replace any bulbs on the boat, truck or the motorcycle i always coat the terminals
i find bulbs last 3 X longer

 

[dhays]

In the beginning Noflex was designed and marketed for commercial use to control sludge build up in marine and land based treatment aeration systems .

Systems that contain fixed or floating media to increase the surface area inside the tank for bacterial growth

With the use of air blowers (roots) huge volumes of air is forced down under the media.Circulating the tank bottom to top while super charging the liquid with oxygen . Pretty intense movement in tank when you are looking at it .

The system reduces the amount of solids but still here are solids that can not be processed physically ;and build up in the bottom

Should solids build to the bottom layers of the media the aeration process fails.



Don't know if KO works on this kind of sludge but i know Noflex does

Yes i make the Noflex

Thanks for the info. (And sorry about my brain fade yesterday on the Noflex name.) While certainly nothing like the waste treatment systems you are using, I was pretty impressed by the amount of agitation that was created by the bubbler in a 5 gallon bucket.

This may be more info than folks want, but when I was installing the bubbler I noticed that there was still a fair amount of solids in the tank. This was after I had pumped out my tank followed by 2 rinses. I would have rinsed more but another boat was waiting. After installing the tank monitor, I filled the tank with water to check the full level and then had our local mobile pump out the tank this last week. So even after all that, there were still solids floating around in the 1-2” of contents in the tank.

We’ll see how adding aeration affects this over time. I wouldn’t mind continuing to use Noflex if it may help break down any solids.

 

[Sea Q]

I'm on straight holding tanks the ones i was talking about are on the big boys Like US navy .
I played around with the micro bubble stones years ago to remove heavy metals from waste water found they didn't last long for me.

Found that putting a small dust filter on the suction helped.

If you make a system that injects ozone into the stones.
You will get some very interesting results

 

[HeadMistress]

As Dave pointed out, aeration prevents odor, but it doesn't prevent sludge, something that No-Flex does that K.O. cannot. So while you shouldn't need anything to prevent odor, Dave might chime in again to advise how often to give the tank a "shot" of NoFlex to eliminate any need to flush out the sludge and clean the internal parts of the aerator, which can be an even bigger PITA to do than cleaning an internal tank sender.


--Peggie

 

[dhays]

I'm on straight holding tanks the ones i was talking about are on the big boys Like US navy .

I played around with the micro bubble stones years ago to remove heavy metals from waste water found they didn't last long for me.



Found that putting a small dust filter on the suction helped.



If you make a system that injects ozone into the stones.

You will get some very interesting results

Hehe... sounds tempting but I’ll stick with straight air. Fortunately, not a lot of dust where the pump is. If I can get 5 years out of the pump then I can replace it at about $10/yr.

 

[Sea Q]

Thanks Peggie

About 1/2 oz after you pump the tank should be lots .
It will help the bubbler also by breaking down the waste faster,
Waste will be pretty much all liquid and you will get a better pump out
.
Its a foggy Sat here in Vancouver so i'm at work
Boating in this soup is no fun?

 

[FF]

The RV folks that can, simply dump a big bag of ice cubes into the holding tank , and go for a ride.

Different toilets (marine are far worse than RV units ) but the holding tank might have some access .

ICE Knocks down the standing soldiers , and pumps out easily.

 

[what_barnacles]

This will do everything you need without bubbles. Smells good too.

 

[dhays]

This will do everything you need without bubbles. Smells good too.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I think I’ll stick with the Noflex.