Marine Sanitation Professionals Explain How to Remove The Nasty Holding Tank Odor


Your Marine Sanitation Analysts Share the Secret to Keep Your Holding Tanks From Smelling Bad

Raritan Engineering would like to share with you this week these tips on keeping your holding tanks from smelling bad.
Take a look at this photo and imagine it is your backyard. Or your patio, or balcony. Yep, those are sealed 5-gallon buckets full of iguana poop and “other” waste, ripening in the Chesapeake Bay area's autumn sun.
Do you ever wonder whether those bright blue bottles of chemicals that claim to eliminate your head odors actually work? So did we.
Readers may remember Frye as the tester who nearly reduced the family washing machine to a bucket of bolts in his quest for a safe and effective method for washing ropes. He’s just that kind of guy.
Apart from Frye’s finding that a holding tank is an excellent reservoir for highly explosive gases, one of his more exciting discoveries was that any product's claims of “odor-eating bacteria" should not be taken at face value. 

Your Marine Sanitation Experts Suggest You Follow These Easy Steps

Your marine parts source professionals know that on boats with toilets, builders install a holding tank to hold the sewage until the boat reaches a pump out facility. Some yachts come equipped with a “Y” valve, so that they can choose to pump out or discharge overboard while way out in the ocean. 
Most holding tanks are plastic, but there are some stainless steel tanks and even a few aluminum tanks still around.
Odor Prevention
To prevent odor, there are several things you can do.
  • Make sure your holding tank system has adequate air flow. Eliminate any low spots in vent lines that would restrict the flow of air. Aerobic bacteria (the good guys) requires oxygen to live and function.
  • Avoid the use of detergent, bleach, dish soap or other cleaners or odor-masking agents  in the holding tank.
All the suppliers of holding tank products, who we talked to, agreed that boaters should shock their tanks in the spring to clean out and de-scale the inside. “KO Kills Odors" is one that works well for this, as well as midseason use if you notice an odor building up.
 KO-Kills Odors eFCFoO
Tank Management
There are three different methods for managing the waste in your Holding Tank.
Method 1- Chemical – Most common
  • Chemical treatments are the most common and kill bacteria immediately.
  • They are very effective at controlling odors, but are not designed to dissolve waste and are the least environmentally friendly. 
Method 2 – Bioactive Treatment – 2nd most common
  •  Bioactive or biologic treatments contain live aerobic bacteria, which break down waste, reproduce and crowd out anaerobic (odor-producing) bacteria.
  • They are environmentally friendly.
  • Like enzymes, bioactive treatments emulsify paper and sewage completely.
Method 3 – Enzyme Treatment
  • Enzyme treatments accelerate the digestion of organic materials in waste and neutralize odors at the same time.
  • They work quickly to completely emulsify paper and sewage and have extremely low toxicity.
We believe in using environmentally friendly products, but there are times when we use a product that is not "environmentally friendly" but use it in an environmentally friendly way.  
Note
When using biologic or enzyme treatments to promote bacterial growth care must be taken to avoid using soaps or any products like vinegar that will upset the ph balance and destroy the bacterial action that will result in odor.
With all methods, it is recommended that biodegradable RV/Marine toilet paper (single ply, thinner and not as soft as household toilet paper) be used so that it will break down. 
Click here and get more information from Raritan Engineering regarding marine santitation and all of your other marine supply needs.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Protecting Your Outboard From Corrosion

Image
Easy to Follow Steps to Keep Your Outboard Running Smoothly Raritan Engineering Company your   marine hose  specialists would like to share with you these topics we thought would be of interest to you this month regarding protecting your outboard from corrosion. Your outboard continuously draws water in, circulates it around high-heat components to cool them, and then discharges the water. We recommend flushing after use in salty, muddy or contaminated water because deposits can cling to inside passages and break down those surfaces at a molecular level. Plus, flushing helps to prevent clogs that could impede the flow of coolant water. The flushing port on Mercury outboards makes this easy. With the engine off, trim it to the vertical position, attach a freshwater hose, open the spigot halfway and flush for 15 minutes.  I flush my outboard with Star Brite Salt Off after a day on the water. It’s cheap insurance. I do this right away, while the engine’s still hot. Your...
Read more

5 Great Ways to Cure Seasickness Quickly

Image
  Don't Let Seasickness Ruin Your Trip Raritan Engineering Company your   marine toilet systems  specialists would like to share with you these topics we thought would be of interest to you this month regarding five great ways to cure seasickness quickly. Hands up if you’ve experienced at least one bout of  mal de mer  in your lifetime. And don’t be embarrassed. Many people are prone to motion sickness; it’s waaaaay more common than you think. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 100% of us have—or will—succumb to seasickness on rough waters. What is seasickness and what causes it? Think of it as a battle of the senses. Your marine toilet systems experts talk about how seasickness occurs when one part of your balance-sensing system (your inner ear, eyes and sensory nerves) senses that your body is moving, but the other parts do not.  It's not easy (or fun) being green! Symptoms of seasickness run the gamut from dry mouth, cold...
Read more

Key Ways to Make Your 4th of July Celebration On the Water a Safe One

Image
Stay Safe While Celebrating On Your Boat This Year Raritan Engineering Company your  marine hot water heaters  specialists would like to share with you these topics we thought would be of interest to you this month regarding key ways to make your 4th of July celebration on the water a safe one. Each year about three out of four recreational boat owners say they plan to enjoy the Fourth of July holiday aboard the family boat.  1. Before you head out,  give a short orientation  to guests, not only about essential items, such as how to move about a moving vessel (with one hand always connected to the boat) or how use the head, but also show them how easy it is to use the VHF radio and safety gear, especially life jackets. 2. For that unexpected young guest without a life jacket, the non-profit BoatUS Foundation’s free Kids Life Jacket Loaner program gives boaters a chance to  borrow child-size life jackets  for the day, afte...
Read more