Given that holding tanks and their attendant odors, pumpout hassles and
maintenance headaches are a real PItA, *why don't the manufacturers of
new yachts forgo them altogether* and install the LactraSan instead?
Cost is the main reason. It only costs a builder +/- $100 materials and
labor to install a holding tank...OEM price for a Lectra/San is about
$500--plus labor, and they'd still have to install a small tank too, for
use in NDZs. But even if cost weren't a factor, holding tanks are
"politically correct"...treatment isn't.
I appreciate that there are some No Discharge Zones in which the
LactraSan would be illegal, but aren't these primarily in fresh water
environments - places where 35+ foot sailboats are unlikely to
frequent?
There are a LOT more 30'-38' sailboats (even bigger than that on the
Great Lakes, which are ND) are on inland waters than you might
think...'cuz people today want "all the comforts of home" aboard as well
as on land, and you can't have 'em on boats much smaller than about 35'.
So there are about as many 35+ sailboats on inland waters as there are
in coastal waters.
The irony is, builders only install tanks, but also put macerators to
dump the tanks on almost all their boats, regardless of where they're going.
In coastal waters, there are quite a few small ND harbors and
marinas...the only major ones are the whole state of RI, about half of
MA, the FL Keys, and most of SoCal.
So the only practical answer is to make the Lectra/San a dealer added
option, same as upgraded toilets.
(Related question: can you direct me to any on-line resource
which indicates where the US NDZ's are located?).
http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/regul...vsdnozone.html
Next, with regard to the LactaSan: If one has 4 or 5 guests on-board,
and (for some unfathomable reason) they all need to make a deposit of
solid material within minutes of one another, will the LactraSan be
able to process this material?
The Lectra/San treatment cycle is 2.5 minutes, so if each of 'em can
wait that long after the person before him, it can process each flush
with no problem, provided the volume of each flush/treatment cycle
doesn't exceed a gallon. Since the average flush is about .6 gal, the
L/S can handle it.
That said, the L/S motors aren't designed for continuous duty...after
about 3-4 back to back treatment cycles, it should "rest" for about 15
minutes to allow the motors to cool down.
Lastly, the diagrams on the LactraSan .pdf installation manual
(http://www.raritaneng.com/pdf_files/.../L270v0404.pdf)
do not show the location of any vented loop(s). Can you suggest where
these should be located?
That depends on the particular installation. If the toilet and L/S are
both above waterline (unlikely on any sailboat), no loop is needed
between the toilet and the L/S unless the L/S isn't below the toilet
discharge. However, if the toilet and L/S are below waterline, or if the
discharge from the toilet can't run at least slightly downhill to the
L/S, a vented loop is needed between the toile and the treatment unit.
Regardless of whether the toilet OR the L/S is above the waterline,
there should be a loop between the L/S and the thru-hull 'cuz that's
just SOP in all hoses connected to below waterline thru-hulls.
--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detai...=400&group=327