Sanitary tank

Do folks use the 'blue stuff' in the sanitary tank to keep things in suspension?
Does it really work?

Which toilet paper?

To answer my own questions, Yes, I add the blue stuff after each time my tank is pumped "dry" or pump to sea.

I use the toilet paper from West Marine.

Now, I hope for more answers and ideally some comments.

Thank you.

Yes, I use the blue stuff and rely on simple Scott single ply paper purchased at any grocery store nearby. A Jabsco engineer recommended this TP to me and I agree with his findings...it's the same as the expensive West Marine or other brands labelled for RV or marine use.

I doubt the blue stuff does much for keeping particles in suspension but it keeps the odors at bay until the next pumpout. YMMV

Research a product called Noflex. Single or 2 ply paper as long as the ply's are not glued together.

I use Sealand (Dometic) brand 2-ply Marine/Rv toilet paper. I don't care what Chandler I purchase it from. 1 ply vs two ply....I'm going to use the same amount. 2 ply means I need to peel less of the roll to the get the same amount of 'foldage/wadage' density. More accuratly I roll of twice as much per foot of material rolled off. I honestly think it works out to the same amount of material in the long run.

(I re-read above and I'm clarifying...1 foot of 2ply vs 2 feet of 1 ply is the same amount of TP).

I use the Sealand (Dometic) MAx Control Advanced Holding tank deoderizer. It is reported to breakdown waste, keep tanks and lines clean, and reduce odors. Again, I don't care which chandler I purchase from.

Take a wad of household toilet paper and dunk it into a bucket of water. See how long it takes to disintegrate.

Now do the same with Marine/RV TP. Which dissolves faster?

I use whatever breaks down the fastest in my marine plumbing. I've had very good luck with the Sealand products.

IMO after living aboard several years, just buy the septic safe Scott's stuff from Sam's, Costco, wherever. That's all the "marine" paper is from what I could determine by briefly having both on board. We had Vacuflush toilets, so freshwater flush

Never saw the need for treating the tank, just made sure it was well vented. I suppose YMMV if saltwater flush.

Russell Clifton said:

Research a product called Noflex. Single or 2 ply paper as long as the ply's are not glued together.

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Good think Gillette doesn't make the TP or we would suffer through the philosophy, like their products, the more blades the better. They would produce 3 or 4 ply TP. SMIRK

I have never found single ply at Publix

Noflex is great. If you have plenty of O2 in the tank then you can use Raritan KO. I also find that Odorlos is very good.

I am currently using Noflex and it has worked the best in my inadequately vented tank. I strongly suggest rinsing your tank a couple times after each pump out.

I am using a quilted two-ply TP by Cottonelle (sp?). I did a test of it in a jar of water. After 20 minutes of soaking, giving the jar a quick shake resulted in nothing but milky looking water.

I have been using Noflex for a number of years and I use 2 ply Berkley Jensen TP from BJ's or Scotts from the grocery store. Pretty much any 2 ply will be fine.
A good test with TP is put a few sheets in a glass of water and shake it up, if it falls apart really fast it is good to use on a boat or RV.
I have never had a clogged up line and after starting with Noflex have no odors.
Marine TP is a waste of money.

We have used blue stuff green stuff Noflex expensive and hard to get here in Ozz and for the last 8 months we use that cheap concentrated fabric softener that's in a plastic tube about 200ml which you mix with 2 liters of water .It has been very good so far It coat about $1 and use one a week

I use Odorlos to control odors. It's available at marine stores and RV stores or on-line.

I use single ply "Scotts" brand toilet paper from any grocery store.

It's commonly called a "holding tank" not a "sanitary tank".

Scott makes RV/marine tp that is available from Amazon and it's very inexpensive. Saw it once in a Walmart as well.

For twenty years I used the West Marine single ply toilet paper and no chemicals on a liveaboard boat. Then we had to remove the tank for other maintenance. I pumped out then opened the inspection cap to flush the tank. It was completely empty. I use a filter vent for Oder mgmt. never had a clog issue with my vacuflush system.

We used KO for about 15 years or maybe more... but more recently have switched to Noflex, mostly because "portion control" is easier, and maybe it turns out to be slightly less expensive because of that (less wastage). OTOH, we've never really had "head odor" issues, either before or after KO or Noflex, so mostly my goal with those is more about managing sludge build-up inside the holding tank.

Our preferred TP is Quilted Northern 2-ply. Charmin 2-ply if we must. No single-ply; sandpaper would be slightly more comfortable.

Believe there's another factor involved: the toilet and it's flushing mechanism. Ours is an electric Jabsco Quiet Flush freshwater unit and the macerator acts like it'll process 2x4s if asked to do so. Maybe anything that won't wrap around the axle, like cloth or something...

Anyway, the specific flushing mechanism is perhaps why some can use 2-ply papers and some shouldn't.

-Chris

The "blue stuff" is a poison that kills enough of the bugs that the waste tank wont stink.

This is OK to dump in a municipal sewerage , but very hard of a smaller septic system , where the poison kills what is happening in the septic tank, and eventually raw waste floods the field , requiring it replacement .

The use of blue goo in boats and RV is only needed for a poorly set up waste system.

By adding ventilation , say 2 inch lines and vent fitting, the stench is gone.

On eurocharter boats $10,000 a night+ they use a tiny aquarium sized air pump fed to the tank bottom to get rid of the stench of dozens of guests.

Blue goo should only be a last resort till the system is fixed.

One reason pump out stations are hard to find is blue goo failing septic systems , which are expensive to replace.

FF said:

The "blue stuff" is a poison that kills enough of the bugs that the waste tank wont stink.

This is OK to dump in a municipal sewerage , but very hard of a smaller septic system , where the poison kills what is happening in the septic tank, and eventually raw waste floods the field , requiring it replacement .

The use of blue goo in boats and RV is only needed for a poorly set up waste system.

By adding ventilation , say 2 inch lines and vent fitting, the stench is gone.

On eurocharter boats $10,000 a night+ they use a tiny aquarium sized air pump fed to the tank bottom to get rid of the stench of dozens of guests.

Blue goo should only be a last resort till the system is fixed.

One reason pump out stations are hard to find is blue goo failing septic systems , which are expensive to replace.

Click to expand...

+1
Air, air, and more air (circulation).

Does Peggie Hall frequent this site? I know she is active on the sister site "Cruisers Forum". I have her book "Get Rid of Boat Odors" on my Christmas list. It would be interested in hearing her take on this thread.

Me thinks that Peggy (Head Mistress) would say fresh water flush, air, air and more air in the holding tank, plus Noflex or something similar to promote good bug growth

Shrew said:

Does Peggie Hall frequent this site? I know she is active on the sister site "Cruisers Forum". I have her book "Get Rid of Boat Odors" on my Christmas list. It would be interested in hearing her take on this thread.

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Peggie has “Goddess” status on this site as well.

Once a year, one cup joy dish detergent, fill tank half full with salt water, go for a spin in some choppy water, flush. Super clean. Used to do it to shrimp boat fuel tanks to before going inside to weld leaks. Shiny shiny.

Here is a boat owner that did a few tests with TP and how it broke down

http://littlecunningplan.com/2016/10/lets-review-a-product-with-science/


http://littlecunningplan.com/2016/12/noflex-vs-happy-campers-the-holding-tank-files-finale/




No problem getting Noflex down under
I know it is expensive but the freight and import duty's to Australia are deadly


Sewage Treatment - About Noflex Digestor - DunnyDoo


#1 on Peggie Hall new book "Get rid of Boat Odors #2"

Has anyone tried RidX in their sanitary tank? The stuff folks use in a home septic system.
Or perhaps ordinary yeast?

aboatman said:

It's commonly called a "holding tank" not a "sanitary tank".

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Google 'Marine Sanitation Tank', or 'Marine Sanitation Line'. You'll find they are synonymous.

Peggie has contributed her professional advice to this discussion many times. Using the search link at the bottom of this post, I bet you'd find a plethora of posts using "Headmistress Raritan KO".

Shrew said:

Google 'Marine Sanitation Tank', or 'Marine Sanitation Line'. You'll find they are synonymous.

Click to expand...

On submarines, they are identified as sanitary tanks, by a number so one would know what drains into it.

We use Zaal’s Noflex digestor as it’s available locally. I have heard that the blue stuff kills bacteria, which isn’t the best thing for waste tanks. The “Head Mistress” is the expert on this topic and she has published a maintenance guide on the subject. She recommends Raritan CP, which is another enzyme based product. She’s on the forum and hopefully will chime in.

Jim

OldDan1943 said:

Has anyone tried RidX in their sanitary tank? The stuff folks use in a home septic system.
Or perhaps ordinary yeast?

Click to expand...

At one time our company packaged bread yeast and I had a lot kicking around
It didn't work on our holding tank and in my friend home septic it didn't help

Good idea though

We don't have any problems, odor or otherwise, but don't use blue stuff or any other chemicals or aerators. We use cheap Costco TP (single ply) and the system is freshwater flushed.

Shrew said:

Does Peggie Hall frequent this site? I know she is active on the sister site "Cruisers Forum". I have her book "Get Rid of Boat Odors" on my Christmas list. It would be interested in hearing her take on this thread.

Click to expand...

Yep...I hang out here too...and I've been watching this thread. If you'd like a signed copy of my book, sailboatowners.com is offering it. They're sending the POs to me, I'm signing and mailing the books.
https://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?53615

I have heard that the blue stuff kills bacteria, which isn’t the best thing for waste tanks.

Correct. Bacteria is needed to break down and emulsify waste. The best products keep it alive. Oxygen is the key to PREVENTING odor'cuz when bacteria function aerobically, organic matter generates CO2 which is odorless. It's only when organic matter breaks down anaerobically (without oxygen that they can generate sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide gasses--the stinky ones that are also toxic--and methane, which is odorless but flammable.


The “Head Mistress” recommends Raritan CP, which is another enzyme based product.

C.P. is a bio-enzymatic bowl cleaner that also happens to be the best sump and drain cleaner on the planet....but it's not a tank product. The two that I recommend are Odorlos (which btw is available from RV supply stores for a LOT less than marine stores) and No-Flex. Both work WITH nature to prevent odor instead of killing off all the bacteria.

Once a year, one cup joy dish detergent, fill tank half full with salt water, go for a spin in some choppy water, flush. Super clean. Used to do it to shrimp boat fuel tanks to before going inside to weld leaks. Shiny shiny.

Detergents emulsify oil and grease (the animal fats that build up on tank walls), but they don't do a thing to get rid of sludge. That requires flushing out the tank...which doesn't require filling up the tank, but instead putting enough water into it via the deck pumpout fitting ('cuz that sends the water into the tank at the bottom to stir up the sludge and hold it in suspension so it can be pumped out) to cover the bottom to depth of about 6-8"...pump that out. Repeat...repeat...till you're pumping out clean water. Or, if you have a washdown pump and a macerator and can get offshore far enough, use the washdown pump to put the water in the tank, then let the water continue to run while you run the macerator pump. This should be done 2-3x/year and especially in preparation for winter or other extended layup.

At one time our company packaged bread yeast and I had a lot kicking around. It didn't work on our holding tank and in my friend home septic it didn't help. Good idea though.

Wellll...maybe. A friend who had a summer home on an island somewhere in the Great Lakes learned the hard way that there can be too much of a good thing. The place had been unused long enough for the septic tank to die. Someone told him that a dose of yeast would restart it...but didn't tell him how much to use. So--being someone who believed that if a little is good, a lot is better--he put a block of Fleishmans down every toilet (the house had several bathrooms). After a few hours he began to hear a slight rumbling sound from the direction of the septic tank...it got louder...and louder...and then gasses started coming up the drains...water in toilet bowls began to "boil" and gasses began escaping through every sink, shower and tub drain...he thought the septic tank was about to explode! But no such luck...instead it erupted through every toilet and drain in the house. Not only did it make one hell of a mess, but the odor was so horrendous, they had to vacate the house! And it permeated everything so completely that the house had to be almost completely renovated before it could be occupied again.

So I don't recommend trying yeast in a holding tank!

As for RidX...septic tanks function anaerobically. The only thing it does is break down and emulsify all the food bits etc that go down house drains to prevent a clogged drain field.

And as for toilet paper.... To determine whether any TP is safe for use in marine toilets, put a couple sheets in mason jar (or whatever container you want to use) full of water...wait a couple of hours, then shake or stir the container. If the water is milky and all you see is "snow," it's fine for use on the boat. But if the sheets are still intact or mostly intact, try another brand.

Merry Christmas, y'all!

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

Thanks HeadMistress. No yeast, no RidX, no more blue stuff (or green)
I guess I will stay with the single ply and double it, per usual

Shrew said:

Does Peggie Hall frequent this site? I know she is active on the sister site "Cruisers Forum". I have her book "Get Rid of Boat Odors" on my Christmas list. It would be interested in hearing her take on this thread.

Click to expand...

Get the book, you won't be disappointed. Buy the book from Amazon, and then by the Kindle version for some ridiculously cheap price so you have access to it for reference whether at home or on the boat.

As others have mentioned, she would likely recommend lots of adequate holding tank ventilation. Mine is poor but improving it is on my long list of things to do.