[Rhodes22-list] Porta Potty
Herb Parsons
hparsons at parsonsys.com
Mon Feb 23 20:05:54 EST 2009
I'll bet he appreciates the offer to cook. Even if he's a great cook,
the offer is still a good thing. If he's NOT a great cook, it's good to
have someone willing to take that on.
I did a gulf crossing a couple of years back on a friend's boat. There
was an older gentleman who came with us. He'd recently had heart
surgery, and wasn't up to manning a watch, but wanted to do another
trip, so he came on as cook. The trip was a little rough on him, and
when we had to stop for some repairs in Mobile, AL, he had us finish
without him. However, while he was there, the food was GREAT. It was
fantastic not to have to worry about cooking, but know we had good meals
coming. When he left, since I was the "youngest one" on board, I took
over the responsibilities. Trust me, everyone preferred his blueberry
pancakes to my scrambled eggs, and his shrimp scampi to my tuna-fish
sandwiches.
Blanche DeFord wrote:
> Mary Lou,
>
> It would be handy to have a little PineSol on board.
> I'll mention the seal-bleach issue if it seems appropriate.
>
> Hardly "marlinspike seamanship" though. I look
> forward to that part once we get past the very basic
> housekeeping.issues.
>
> I did offer to cook, and am boning up on that now. The
> word is that alcohol stoves have their own personalities.
>
> Wish me luck - we'll be going out in a month or so, when
> he gets some time off.
>
> Sincerely,
> Blanche DeFord
>
> --- On Mon, 2/23/09, Mary Lou Troy <mtroy at atlanticbb.net> wrote:
>
> From: Mary Lou Troy <mtroy at atlanticbb.net>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Porta Potty
> To: "The Rhodes 22 Email List" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Date: Monday, February 23, 2009, 6:21 AM
>
> Disinfectant:
> Usually Lysol or Pinesol. Diluted bleach would work. Not sure if it
> would affect the seals over time. I find that rinsing it really well,
> disinfecting and then letting it dry out between uses has worked the
> best. We currently have two holding tanks for ours (when the flush
> bellows went on one, the tank was still good so we bought another of
> the same model). Useful on extended cruises. One of the tanks is more
> than 10 years old.
>
> Mary Lou
>
> At 08:01 AM 2/23/2009, you wrote:
>
>> 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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