Larger Holding Tank

[reltubp]

Has anyone fitted a larger holding tank to their 350 ? The standard 22 gallon tank seems to only last about 15 flushes - which for a family with 3 girls soon seems to be reached on even a long day sail ! Seems like an obvious upgrade that the factory should have offered.

[lyle]

Gotta ask - how long are the flushes. I cruise approximately 60 days per year with my wife and daughter. We can get by for 2 full days full time onboard without a full holding tank tank with "expeditious" flushing. It also makes a difference if your discharge line is not partially blocked (use a solution of vinegar to clean out the scale or replace the hose as required) and if the joker valve (which prevents backflow into the bowl) is in good shape. The electric head will flush much more efficiently if so and will use a lot less water.

[reltubp]

Thanks for the suggestion re the joker valve. I am not checking each flush personally but I estimate that the pump moves about 1 1/2 gallon of water in 20 secs so the tank is full after approx 15 uses..

[Triumph]

You may have already thought of this, but what we do is keep the dischage valve open until someone has to go number two. Sometimes this gives us an extra day.

[wcconway]

We, too, can't believe how quickly the holding tank fills up. We are convinced that the electric head uses a lot more water than needed, especially for non-solid-waste flushes. We have often thought about trying an "experiment" whereby the thru hull is closed and we use measured fresh water only, ie: measure how much fresh water it takes to flush for non-solid-waste and only use that pre-measured amount. Obviously, solid waste will use varying amounts for each flush, but we believe we could certainly improve "flush water" managment if we try this experiment.

Has anyone else done this experiment? I

[Hans Grasman]

I sail in an area where there are many manatees and I once swam next to one who needed to go to the head. But he or she did it right in the water in front of me.
After seeing that I have no trouble flushing in the gulf of Mexico.
My God how we over react but then I guess y'all are lake sailors and that would make me also a "flush counter"
Although Connie you are near the gulf also.

[wcconway]

Hans, I've gotta say I've heard it all now! This is one of those tidbits that I'll remember even when I can't recall my own name at times.....thanks for the laugh!