[Rhodes22-list] Porta Potty

Mon Feb 23 08:01:51 EST 2009

Mary Lou,
Great response as always. My only addition to your routine would be using a  
mixture of water and bleach to disinfect the holding tank between uses. You  
mentioned using a disinfectant, but were not specific. What do you use?  
Plastic will absorb odor over a period of time and this helps to eliminate  odors 
onboard.

Rummy

In a message dated 2/22/2009 6:02:51 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
mtroy at atlanticbb.net writes:

We've  cruised for more than a week on a R22 with a porta-potty. no 
problems, you  just have to find a facility to dump it.

A porta-potty consists of two  parts: a lower part which contains the 
sewage tank and a valve which opens  and closes (usually a very simple 
manual open and close) and an upper part  which contains the fresh 
water tank, the seat, the bowl and a bellows  device for pumping 
water. The two parts mate together with an O-ring type  seal. It is a 
very simple mechanism. Generally some sort of chemical is  used in the 
sewage tank to reduce odors.  We tend use a product  called "Oderlos" 
which does not have the formaldehyde and other nasty  chemicals that 
are in the "blue stuff". Some people say it doesn't reduce  odor 
enough but we have rarely had a problem with it. We use toilet tissue  
that is made for porta-potties and RVs. It disintegrates faster  
(sometimes under use so use with caution) which makes emptying the  
porta-potty easier..

Using a porta-potty is pretty straight  forward. Pump a little water 
into the bowl (not strictly necessary if you  are only going to pee). 
Do your business, wipe and flush. Everyone using  the porta-potty 
should leave it (at least) as clean as they found it. This  may entail 
a bit of extra time wiping the potty itself if you are not  dainty 
about its use. We just use tp for this job because we can throw it  in 
the pot. If you are using the porta-potty underway and conditions are  
less than calm, you may want to empty the bowl quickly to avoid  sloshes.

Once the sewage tank approaches full you have to find a way to  empty 
it. Some porta-potties are plumbed for a deck pump out and you have  
to find a marina with pump out facilities to empty them. Most have to  
be emptied manually. The upper and lower parts are separated and the  
lower part containing the sewage tank is taken to a dump  
facility.  We've found marinas that have a dedicated sewage dump for  
porta-potties (mostly those marinas catering to powerboaters with  
smaller boats), marinas that tolerate you dumping in the toilets and  
marinas which discourage dumping at all. On short trips we just bring  
it home and empty it in a household toilet, using hot water to rinse  
the tank (just add it to the tank after you've dumped, close  
everything up, slosh it around and dump again) and finish off with a  
little disinfectant diluted in water - again sloshed around and  
dumped. We then leave the tank open to dry out between uses. You do  
have to proceed carefully to avoid drips and splashes.

On a cruise  of several days you have to find a place to dump. We 
generally stay at a  marina every second or third night and dump then. 
I try to find a time  when the restroom is not in use so I don't 
disturb other patrons of the  marina. I like handicapped bathrooms 
with sinks because of the extra room  and the access to water. I 
usually take an empty water jug that we keep on  board to help with 
the rinsing process as many restroom sinks won't  accommodate a 
porta-potty. I follow the same procedure (except the  disinfectant) 
that I use at home. Because I am using someone else's  facility I try 
to be just as mindful as I would be at home of drips and  splashes. If 
we are using a marina that discourages emptying of  porta-potties, we 
have large black heavy-duty garbage bag that I use to  disguise the 
tank and I make sure I empty it with no one else  around.

As to personal hygiene, be aware that a boat with a porta-potty  may 
have only a limited amount of water available for washing. You may  
want to ask about the situation on the particular boat you will be  
sailing on. If you routinely use wipes or feminine hygiene products I  
would plan on not putting them in the porta-potty - collect and  
dispose of them separately.

That's about all I can think of. You  will want to have the owner of 
the boat show you the features of the  particular porta-potty on that boat.

Best,
Mary Lou
1991  R22  Fretless
Rock Hall, MD

At 07:52 PM 2/21/2009, you  wrote:
>Help me out here, girls -
>
>A gentleman (really)  friend has offered me a chance
>to go on a week's trip with him.   To avoid questions -
>my SO has no heartburn with this, and I forsee  no
>problems either.  It's an ideal opportunity to  learn
>about sailing.  On to the real issue.
>
>What's  good, bad, and ugly about porta potties?  I
>don't want to  embarrass myself or the gentleman with
>ignorant mistakes, and I need to  know how to use and
>take care of the potty - to do my share of the  dirty work.
>
>Issues:
>     Cleanliness -  Mine and the potty's?
>     Odor - How much and what  kind?
>     Safety - Splash?  Spills?
>   Maintenance - What do I need to know?
>
>In general,  how easy is it for a woman to maintain
>herself over a week while using  this sort of facility?
>I can handle rough camping - cat holes, etc. -  but
>this is a new on on me.  Seems somewhat the
>same  though.
>
>Advice?
>
>Sincerely,
>Blanche  DeFord
>
>
>
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