PORTA POTTY DISPOSAL

A forum for discussing topics relating to MacGregor Powersailor Sailboats
Mark Prouty
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Post by Mark Prouty »

We have a big backyard bonfire area. I just dump it there.
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Catigale
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Post by Catigale »

No holding system Jim, just a macerator so I can empty tank.

Just a way I can dump the tank overboard when Im on the Cape, and frequently in the 3-12 mile zone offshore with 4-6 people up...sure fills the potty fast. Last season we made it 5 days with 4 people up on one Potty fill, but I had to be the potty Nazi to do that. Dont want to do that again.

It would be great if I had a way I could blow it into the santiry sewer at home - some kind of deck OUT connection..but thats more effort I want to put into sewage....

Mark - Im guessing the same spot in the backyard makes a picnic place in the summer too???

:P
Frank C

Post by Frank C »

Most homes have a sewer Y-fitting at the foundation, as a clean-out or rooter access.
Can't say I've used it, but often wondered about dumping the porta-potty there??
tomasrey88
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What about not using the porta pottie?

Post by tomasrey88 »

For long voyages, that porta-pottie will fill up quickly. Then, what will you do? A voyage to Bermuda could take 1 to 3 weeks, depending on weather conditions. A porta-pottie will be full long before you get to Bermuda. Dumping at sea on a moving boat amongst big swells, wind, and waves is a bad idea.

However, what about just using a bucket with a biodegradeable bag? Then, just toss the single use bag overboard when you're done. Or just keep your porta-pottie dry (no water) and put the bag on top of the porta-pottie. You sit on the bag (the bag is sandwiched between your butt and the toilet lid). Poop, then tie the bag and toss oveboard.

Seems like a good idea, right? I will try it next time I go number two in the Mac....

Here is a link to the biodegradable bag: http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod. ... ST-0-BRAND
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Catigale
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Post by Catigale »

Well, it turned out a 3/4 Brass fitting screws perfectly into my macerator output, so I practiced emptying fresh water from my head into the town sanitary sewer with a hose and it worked like a charm

So no more lugging the potty out at home after a long trip...I could also use this to empty into a pump out if they have an opening to a sewer of course...as long as I carry a suitable waste hose...(not a pleasant prospect)
LOUIS B HOLUB
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Post by LOUIS B HOLUB »

...This thread explains well the reasons our boat keeps a fresh supply of "rubber gloves" on board...it makes the job easier when handling that "bad boy" at a dump station, or at the marina toilet...wheeewwwww...in other words...yuk...three easy steps. 1. dump & flush it, 2. wash it out 3. trash the gloves and waaa laaaa :)
We also keep gloves on hand for our RV, because that black water & grey water flex hose is a mess too :(

edit add: I forgot to mention, I found the best deal on rubber gloves 50 pack... at WalMart. Theyre disposable, easy to use. Great for those "other" jobs ie...painting, clean ups, etc.
Hope this helps someone out there in Mac Land...
Last edited by LOUIS B HOLUB on Wed Aug 02, 2006 10:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ssichler
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Re: What about not using the porta pottie?

Post by ssichler »

tomasrey88 wrote:Seems like a good idea, right? I will try it next time I go number two in the Mac....
From your other posts it sounds like you would need a lot of bags.
Frank C

Re: What about not using the porta pottie?

Post by Frank C »

ssichler wrote:
tomasrey88 wrote:Seems like a good idea, right? I will try it next time I go number two in the Mac....
From your other posts it sounds like you would need a lot of bags. . . . :o


:D
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Dan B
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Post by Dan B »

I have the larger version PP tank and it fills up rather quickly. My family of 5 fills it up during a two day/one overnight sleepover. We are a well hydrated family.

My marina has a dump station. Basically a concrete lined hole leading to an underground tank and a rinse out hose. It works ok, but it is a dangerous business.
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Sloop John B
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Post by Sloop John B »

I thought these things were disposable, you know, just toss them out at the landfill.

Actually, I use the state park cans. These are sophisticated outhouses. Concrete floor, brick exterior, metal roof. Flip up the lid and there's a hole as big as a beach ball with a six foot drop before anything 'splashes'.

Then deposit the device into a black 32 gallon Hefty bag and take it to the backyard for a hose down. This is downwind with the prevalent breeze and at the edge of the curtilage. Mate tippy toes down with an aerosol can of Glade and gives it a good blast. Gees.

Probably handier to empty the thing at home but I have a septic tank system and I'm not sure about the four ounces of blue liquid we put in the tank for starters. Seems to be for liquefying everything. What is that stuff?
James V
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Post by James V »

Sloop John B - Some of it is good and some of it is bad. Check with someone who empties the septic tank.

What Blue stuff are you using?
LOUIS B HOLUB
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Post by LOUIS B HOLUB »

JamesV & Sloop...that "blue stuff" has a buncha formaldehyde in it. Bad stuff ! Im not sure how dangerous to a septic system, but some treatment liquids dont have that chemical and are septic tank safe.

Sloop, when we finish rinsing out the "bad boy" in the back yard, we dont use glade--we use that Lysol spray scented stuff--it kills those creepy unseen bacteria critters.

edit add on: I bought a product at WalMart labeled TST..32 Oz., priced right. It has no formaldehyde, and it is septic safe, lubricates sensors (RVs), stops odors, and breaks down wastes. It works well.
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Dimitri-2000X-Tampa
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Post by Dimitri-2000X-Tampa »

Frank C wrote:Most homes have a sewer Y-fitting at the foundation, as a clean-out or rooter access.
Can't say I've used it, but often wondered about dumping the porta-potty there??
Yup, that is what I do. My house has 2 sewer connections since I did a major addition several years ago. The old part of the house doesn't have those cleanouts (maybe they didn't put them in in 1964?) or else they are covered up. But the new part of the house done in 1999 has 2 cleanouts, one right next to the house and the other one close to the sewer connection. I just take a big plumbers wrench and unscrew the top of it, then dump the pottie in there. It never comes in the house. I have a hose right there too, so I just leave the pottie output hole over the drain hole and then spray water into the gate valve to rinse it out.
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Gemini
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Post by Gemini »

Wow, didn't realize this was such an issue. We haven't used ours yet (longest so far on the boat with the whole family has been about 5 hours without a break).

I thought it might be an easy task at the pump out stations? But from the sounds of this, doens't seem the case. Anyone use the pump outs in Florida, (Gulf coast, Atlatic coast?)?

So far, I've said no to the porta potty use because we haven't been out that long. I will have to look into this more and give it more thought that I have thought.
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David Mellon
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Post by David Mellon »

I have the large portable head on The Yam. I have used the pump out stations in Newport Beach, Dana Point and Santa Barbara harbors in California. While they were all different models they all worked fine. They are all free. I have inspected the holding tank and it was clear after each pump out. I found them all very simple, fast and effective and never hesitate to use the head. I also have a portable urinal left over from a surgery. More robust models are on the shelf at West Marine and work fine for men. They have an attachment for the ladies, I have no experience with them. I'd bet the pump outs in your area are just as simple to use.
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