DIY Holding Tank Vent Filter $cheap

[Four Suns]

Wait! Here's a document from the ABYC that explains stuff with the same diagrams..

http://www.njcleanmarina.org/docs/pumpdontdump.pdf

(Note it's from NJ)

Same pictures... same explanations... same conclusions...

Note the dip tube:

and note the diagram (with respect to water lines) for a discharge pump install:

These are ABYC guidelines so I would assume this is "conventional" and "standard"... Note this install has NOTHING TO DO with vacuflush, electric or manual head.

Anyway... Mine is plumbed as Fig. 2 except with the dip tube in the holding tank and the toilet is vacuflush with the associated fresh water intake and vacuum tank installed.. good luck getting anything down that deck pumpout fitting in that second picture with a bottom connection and a p-trap...

 

[mwph]

Just my observations...
1. Gary, there is a first time for everything. Besides, Its not like you suggested we reverse the flow of the macerator to back flush the system or anything!
2. From what I've read & my limited experience, properly maintained tanks won't need bleach or ice.
3. My filter may have gotten wet at one point by the previous owner. (Again, see "proper maintenance"). Either that or 10 years is its life span. So it needed replacement.
4. I did "rebuild" mine for about 10 bucks. No ice, no bleach, no $h!t.
5 And last but not least.....Do the interior walls of the holding tank really need to be THAT sanitary? If so I would suggest quatinary amonia.

 

[Four Suns]

Ya know... I put the Dometic "Holding tank deodorant and cleaner" product in my tank after I pump it out. I buy a bunch of it before we go on a trip and the stuff is expensive. I put it in the tank per Dometic/Sealand's instructions and it works fine. My sh!t doesn't stink but my wife's does... so I really do it for her.

I introduce the stuff in the toilet and flush it down along with 4-5 big bowls of fresh water. There's the vacuum tank between the toilet and holding tank so that has to be kept "sludge free" as well. I think the issue is the "sludge" that can build up... not having a sterile tank... Does bleach get rid of sludge? I don't know... I know the Dometic tank cleaner stuff does... well they say it does...

I know some people put Tide/laundry detergent down their toilets and that seems pretty reasonable. I think when you leave the boat and after you pump it out a good fresh water flush (and Tide or the Dometic stuff if you like to spend money) makes a lot of sense.... You don't want the hoses "wet" with the juicy juice all the time or they will probably stink eventually.

 

[mwph]

As usual thanks for the links.

My wife is in charge of reloading the tank with the chemicals after each pump out. She likes having a few things to be in charge of & she assigned herself to that one. I did the Tide trick before the final pump out before the filter install. I think I only did it to see If I could suds up & adgitate the tank walls. But bleach them clean? Nah, I'll pass.

 

[Midnightsun]

Wait! Here's a document from the ABYC that explains stuff with the same diagrams..

http://www.njcleanmarina.org/docs/pumpdontdump.pdf

(Note it's from NJ)

Same pictures... same explanations... same conclusions...

Note the dip tube:

and note the diagram (with respect to water lines) for a discharge pump install:

These are ABYC guidelines so I would assume this is "conventional" and "standard"... Note this install has NOTHING TO DO with vacuflush, electric or manual head.

Anyway... Mine is plumbed as Fig. 2 except with the dip tube in the holding tank and the toilet is vacuflush with the associated fresh water intake and vacuum tank installed.. good luck getting anything down that deck pumpout fitting in that second picture with a bottom connection and a p-trap...

Regardless of where the tube enters or exist the tank, the inlet is in the top of the tank and the outlet draws from the bottom. The determining factor is HOW is the macerator connected and in your case you cannot pour anything down the pumpout hole. Others here have the same vacuflush as you but they CAN pour anything down the pumpout tube because of the way they are plumbed.

Note the hose connected to the discharge pump is not supposed to stay "wet"... hence the loop... so I'm not crazy... and my picture is not a "one off"... It's properly designed.

I never said your diagram was wrong, I only said something seemed wrong, you explained it and I came back with "we are talking 2 different animals.

As for the vented loop, only reason it is on your boat is because you discharge below the water line and if the vented loop was not there you would simply sink. Most of us smaller boats discharge above the water line and therefor no vented loop is needed. All macerator pumps are self priming to at least 5' and do not need to be wet.

These are ABYC guidelines so I would assume this is "conventional" and "standard"... Note this install has NOTHING TO DO with vacuflush, electric or manual head.

Actually I said the vacuflush was not conventional. Even vacuflush says there system is not conventional. http://www.sealandtechnology.com/faq.asp#q1

 

[autovette]

And people wonder why BOC is on a downward spiral.......gotta have the last word.

 

[Midnightsun]

Not at all, just correcting erroneous information and learning at the same time.:grin: Heck I even thanked him for teaching me new stuff which I did not know.

Sorry but I simply posted what I thought was a rather easy cheap solution for building a tank vent filter and a common way of shocking a holding tank. Should have known better to try to even respond to anything said by someone called the "head pot stirrer". Must be because of my freekin Bayliner and low post count that I am considered dumb. Won't bother you again. Ciao

 

[Four Suns]

Not at all, just correcting erroneous information and learning at the same time.:grin: Heck I even thanked him for teaching me new stuff which I did not know.

Sorry but I simply posted what I thought was a rather easy cheap solution for building a tank vent filter and a common way of shocking a holding tank. Should have known better to try to even respond to anything said by someone called the "head pot stirrer". Must be because of my freekin Bayliner and low post count that I am considered dumb. Won't bother you again. Ciao

I actually liked your original post... nicely written up and useful.. up until the "shock the tank with bleach" part. The bleach in the main holding tank is just bad if it has any chance to touch a macerator pump or any part of any marine system that has soft rubber parts (vacuflush or not). People need to understand how their marine heads are plumbed and work before they start dumping stuff in hoses that go beyond what the manufacturer recommends. And... as several discussed, I'm not even sure what the point of bleach in a tank is. One needs to keep sludge out of the tank but making it "sterile" seems pointless. The first flush is going to make it smell bad...

On the point of the filter, I change mine out every two years or so just "because" and our head is used a lot... with 6 people on board, the 80 gallon holding tank fills in 2-3 days so that vent filter gets exercised plenty... Especially the day after Taco night. Saving a few bucks on a filter is always a good thing.

 

[Lazy Daze]

with 6 people on board, the 80 gallon holding tank fills in 2-3 days

Holy crap, that's a s***load of poop! :grin:

 

[Redhook98]

Not at all, just correcting erroneous information and learning at the same time.:grin: Heck I even thanked him for teaching me new stuff which I did not know.

Sorry but I simply posted what I thought was a rather easy cheap solution for building a tank vent filter and a common way of shocking a holding tank. Should have known better to try to even respond to anything said by someone called the "head pot stirrer". Must be because of my freekin Bayliner and low post count that I am considered dumb. Won't bother you again. Ciao

Aaaaah, don't go away.... It was all good info except for the bleach part of it. Most people (including my clsest dock-mates) do not realize the damage that bleach causes to rubber sals.

I recently joined BOC myself so I could get good info off of you guys too.

 

[Redhook98]

Holy crap, that's a s***load of poop! :grin:

NO KIDDING!!!! :wow: :smt100

 

[Uplate]

thats freakin Funny . You might have a career in Stand Up after all.

 

[dpmulvey]

A bottle of Calgon will loosen up the nasty stuff.

Unfortunately, the systems chosen by SR require a vent filter. Installing one of these and rinsing while you pump out helps as well.