Holding Tanks (revisited)

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We"re getting ready for about a 12 day trip starting next Saturday and although never a real problem it"s always been a concern of mine that it seems that I can never use more than half the supposed usable capacity of my Holding Tank. There is no Filter in the vent line and it"s not clogged. In fact....the odor we get seems to be coming from the vent after just 3 days or so and there"s only the two of us using the "Facilities". I am now wondering about what Odor Control Product I SHOULD be using. I did a search and although all this makes sense I don"t know what these initials stand for...???

"KO and Odorlos are two different products from two different manufacturers; I wouldn't mix them. Odorlos has to have additional amounts added to the tank periodically; KO is generally good from one pumpout to the next, if put in in the correct amount (4 oz. for every 25 gallons of tank capacity). It won't hurt to put in more than is recommended, but it probably won't help either"

Are KO and Odorless Product Names or initials for somethiong (KO-Knock Out)..?

Suggestions????????????
 
KO - "Kills Odors" is distributed by Raritan Engineering. It is a live bacteria in a liquid broth that liquifies and breaks down toilet waste. Excellent tank venting is necessary, as it requires a good deal of oxygen coming into the tank, to support the bacteria. It is flushed into the tank through the toilet after the tank has been pumped out. If any other additive has previously been added to the tank, the tank will have to be refilled with clean water, then pumped out again. KO is then added at the rate of 4 oz. per 25 gallons of tank capacity. As an example, a 50 gallon tank would get 8 oz. added to it; a 12 gallon tank would have 2 oz. added to it. Note that a 5/8" I.D. vent line, as is often installed by boat builders, DOES NOT allow enough oxygen into the tank to support KO.

BoatFix has it available at an excellent price:
http://www.boatfix.com/elec/rarclean.asp

Odorlos is another different product for holding tanks that generates its own oxygen out of the nitrates in the sewage in the tank. It comes from Scandanavia (Norway, I think) but is well represented here in the U.S. through many marine stores and RV centers. It sometimes will "wear out" and may require that additional product be added to the tank before the next pumpout. KO, on the other hand, is usually good from pumpout to pumpout, if added in the correct amount, and if sufficient oxygen gets into the tank.

For both products however, you must have #2 in the tank, not just urine, which is sterile (unless you're very ill). Neither of them will work in a tank that does not contain actual sewage. Many people only use the head for #1, and only "go" while on shore. Neither product will work in that type of application.
 
Vic
I use KO all the time
But sometime on those long 8-10 day trips(with alot of beer & chilli) we my pump out more than once and I have run out of the KO- even though I get the combo packs from boatFix
If I can't pick up KO where i am at the time can I add Odorlos or something else and not screw up the KO?
 
Andy, I checked with the other "guru" who originally had the company who sells KO, before Raritan took it over; and the response was yes, they (KO and Odorlos) can be mixed without any ill effect - won't work any better, but won't work any worse either. The two of them are compatible. So if you can't find one, it's OK to use the other in it's place.

I think I gave someone some incorrect info about that, a week or so ago. So if you're reading this thread, please accept my apologies, and go ahead and mix it to your little heart's content! [:-eyebrows]

BTW, Andy, haven't seen "Duck" around lately; I miss her humor. School's out now, wassup?
 
Ok Ive always used Sealand holding tank chemical and "Campa-Chem" available at walmart and have NEVER had a problem. I had a friend who used KO and the odor coming from the vent was unbearable - they ended up switching to Campa-Chem.
 
After struggling with both KO and Odorloss (as well as many other products) and still having bad bouts with smell issues from our tank, I ended up having to switch to the "blue stuff" (Campa Chem from Wal Mart). One night we almost left the boat because it smelled so bad, and our friend gave us a bottle of Campa Chem to try out. It got rid of the odors immediately and we haven't had a single issue with odors ever again.

Basically, I always wondered how come their boats' tanks didn't smell, and the answer was that they were all using this product.

I know it's not environmentally the best, but I SO DON'T MISS having smell issues that I can't see myself using anything else. I haven't even wanted to try the "environmental" version of Campa Chem as I'm afraid that the smell issues will return!

I guess my boat has a single vent from the tank and it's not enough diameter to make the other products work.
 
You mean - that must be the reason why it all worked out?
 
The key to using any of the biologic holding tank additives successfully, is the ability to get air INTO the tank via the vent line. Odorlos and KO, KO in particular, both require that a lot of air come INTO the tank via the vent line. The standard 5/8" I.D. vents that are supplied by many boat builders are not large enough for either of those products to work very well, if at all.

While I'm somewhat loathe to mention it, CAMPA-CHEM from Wal-Mart works fairly well in RV's, and seems to be quite popular on some boats, as well. But the warning on their label is enough to scare me off - "This product contains a chemical that is known by the State of California to cause cancer." My wording may not be exact, but that's, in effect, what it says. The ingredient that they don't mention, is Formaldehyde - embalming fluid!
 
Vic,
How do you add / change a vent line on a holding tank that has a 5/8" vent line installed? What should the correct vent line configuration be? A neighbor has a 39 Carver with two holding tanks and each tank appears ro have it's own 1.5" vent line.
 
Brian, your dockmate with the Carver has a GOOD setup with the two 1 1/2" vent lines. I doubt he'll ever run into an odor problem with that type of setup. [:-spin]

To increase the vent line size requires access to the inside of the tank. [:-bigeyes][:-bigeyes] If you have a cleanout cap on the tank that will allow you to get your hand inside (pump out the tank and flush it out first), then it can be done without too much difficulty. You get a conventional mushroom-type through-hull fitting and mount it in the tank from the inside-out the "mushroom" goes inside the tank and the nut and rubber gasket goes on the outside. If your tank doesn't have a cleanout cap, or if it's too small to get your hand inside the tank, then it becomes more involved. You'll need to get a fitting relocation kit, which includes a larger cleanout fitting, and install that first.

http://www.boatfix.com/catalog/589.pdf
 
Question?? if the tank is sealed, and one end is vented out side the boat and the other is under gravity pressure of water in the hose-- where does the odor come from??
 
More often than not, if you have the odor inside the boat, it is caused by hose permeation - the smell goes right through the wall of the connecting hose between the toilet and the holding tank. The only cure for that is to replace the hose. Unless of course, you have a leak at a fittting (or a leaky tank). Metal tanks that are more than 7 years old, are on their last legs, if they aren't already leaking. Plastic tanks, if they are thin-walled, can also permeate - which is why I recommend that all plastic sewage-holding tanks be at least 3/8" thick.
 
Vic,

How do you recommed venting the 1 1/2" vent thru the hull? And best location? Can I use PVC supported with flexible supports and only use flexible hose for connection at the thru hull.

Thanks
Lee
 
Lee, you've hit the nail on the head - get flexible rubber couplings to connect to the through-hull. They're commonly called FERNCO couplings - Home Depot or Lowe's carry them in all different shapes and sizes, at about $4.00 apiece. Their intended purpose is to make repairs to plastic household vent and drain lines. Be sure to swap out the hose clamps to those that have s/s screws - the clamps that come with the FERNCO fittings have steel screws that are galvanized, and will rust away over time.

Vent through-hull should be as high up on the side of the hull as you can go with it, up close to the toe rail.
 
I checked the manufacturer's web-site for Campa Chem and noticed that they have a Formaldehyde free version that is sold exclusively at Wal-Mart.
Has anyone tried this version? Is it effective? Does anyone know of any down side to using this product?
 
quote:
Originally posted by Vic Willman

..."This product contains a chemical that is known by the State of California to cause cancer."...

Click to expand...


Vic,

Why should this bother you. You live in New Jersey!!
 
After hurricane Charley we had no water or sewer for over 10 days. We used the boat head for #2 and peed in the bushes. I overtreated my fiberglass tank with a formaldehyde product which resulted in the destruction of the lid sealant.

I ended up having to reseal the tank.

RWS
 
David, in NJ, it seems like EVERYTHING causes cancer.

Actually, I do use Campa-chem from Wal-Mart in my RV, and with pretty good results. I haven't tried the formaldehyde-free stuff as of yet but the next time I need to buy some, I'll try it - it'll likely be sometime next year, however.

From the info that's been supplied to me by others, formaldehyde doesn't actually kill the smell. It disables the smell receptors in your nose, so that you can't smell anything at all, good or bad - at least that's what I've been told.
 
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