hold-n-treat with vacuflush

K

ksanders

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2002
RO Number
10939
Messages
7
We have recently purchased a boat that currently has two vacuflush heads that empty into a holding tank. The holding tank has a macerator connected to it, discharging below the water line through a seacock.

We boat in an area (Alaska) that allows treated discharge, and have used the electro-scan for several years on our old boat and loved it.

I'm thinking about removing the current holding tank and installing a hold-n-treat system in its place. The thought is that I wouldn't have to make any electrical connections between the hold-n-treat and the vaccuflush vaccum generators, since the hold-n-treat has its own control system. We also like the hold-n-treat because we might someday travel south to a no discharge area, and while the 15 gallon holding tank is pretty small, at least we could use the heads in a NDZ and get a pump out every couple of days.

The vacuflush system we have uses potable water. Because of this I'm considering the purasan version, but I might be convinced to go with the 4 gallon salt feed and the electro-scan if there is a reason to do so.

What do you think of this proposed setup?
Using the 4 gallon salt feed, how many flushes would we get between adding salt?
Is adding salt as simple as it sounds?
Whould you go with the purasan or the electro-scan, and why?

Thanks very much
Kevin Sanders
Bayliner 4788
Seward Alaska
 
I vote for the Purasan. I've had both and love the Purasan. The salt feed is rather messy, and it's amazing how much salt it uses. Plus, the Purasan doesn't require anywhere near the amps that the Electroscan does. Granted, it needs a treatment cartridge, but in our heavy usage (every weekend, 1 month live-aboard per year), the cartridge lasts well over a year. Hold 'n Treat is great. We were just in the Keys and I was legal with our 20 gallon tank. You mentioned removing your holding tank, but I don't think you meant that as you stated you'd need it in an NDZ. With a Hold 'n Treat system, a tank is needed.

Now, if you really want to go with an Electroscan and salt feed, let me know as I have both sitting in my garage... :-)
 
Kevin and I had an extensive discussion on the phone this morning, and it looks like he's going to go with the Hold N Treat system with a Purasan.

For general info, Kevin is in Alaska, and with the cold water up there, the Lectra/San or Electro-Scan needs a lot more salt than usual in order to work properly. Cold water isn't as conductive as warm water, so you need to add a lot more salt than you'd normally have to add to it.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Vic Willman

Kevin and I had an extensive discussion on the phone this morning, and it looks like he's going to go with the Hold N Treat system with a Purasan.

For general info, Kevin is in Alaska, and with the cold water up there, the Lectra/San or Electro-Scan needs a lot more salt than usual in order to work properly. Cold water isn't as conductive as warm water, so you need to add a lot more salt than you'd normally have to add to it.

Click to expand...


Thanks for all ther help Vic!

As a note, I never realized why my electro-scan frequently goes into low current alarm here in Alaska. I suspected a low salt confition,but never did mch to chase down the problem.
 
Kevin, you'll be happy with the Purasan. And if this is your first Hold 'n Treat system, you'll be happy with that too.
 
My boat had a similar original setup like yours, I just kept my original larger holding tank, bought a purasan, and then the Hold n' Treat control. You can just do that, at least I did.
 
Vic,

Is there a listing of where one can and cannot use a Purasan?
 
First, the discharge of raw sewage from either a toilet or a holding tank, into the water is illegal everywhere in the United States, and has been for over 30 years. Discharge of toilet waste that has been treated by an approved system in legal in many, but not all, areas.

This pertains to treatment systems in general (Lectra/San, Electro-Scan, Purasan or any other approved treatment system). Generally speaking, you can use them in coastal, tidal waters inside the 3 mile limit unless the area has been designated to be a No Discharge Zone by the EPA or other authorities. They can also be used in rivers, streams and lakes provided thay are navigable all the way out to the ocean or Gulf, including the Tennessee River, Mississippi River below a certain lock up in Minnesota, Missouri River, Ohio river, Tombigbee, Columbia River and many others. They are also accepted in San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound, and all of the Chesapeake Bay, other than in Herring Bay near Deale, MD.

The Great Lakes, and all land-locked lakes and reservoirs are No Discharge by law. Also, Lake George and Lake Champlain in the New York/Canadian border/Vermont area. The Florida Keys are No Discharge for 12 miles out, rather than the standard 3 mile U.S. Territorial limit, due to the shallow water there. There are other, specifically-named No Discharge areas as well, including just about all of Southern California, south of the Santa Barbara area. Parts of the ICW in North Carolina are NDZ's, most of the harbors on both sides of Long Island Sound are NDZ's (but not the Sound itself), most of Mass., and all of New Hampshire is a NDZ, as well as areas along Maine's southern coastline. Many municipal harbors (Baltimore and Annapolis, MD as examples), are NDZ's. Also, many privately-owned marinas are NDZ's by edict of the local dockmaster whose word is law in his marina.

Following is the No Discharge list, by state, from the EPA, but also check with your state's DNR and other local authorities to be on the safe side. (There are a number of areas on the list that I forgot about, or didn't mention, above.)

No Discharge areas mean that anything coming from an onboard toilet or a holding tank may not be discharged into the water, regardless of whether it's been treated by an approved system or not.

http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/vwd/vsdnozone.cfm
 
Vic, Baltimore and Annapolis harbors aren't NDZs. Only Herring Bay on the Chesapeake is an NDZ. If Baltimore's harbor was an NDZ, Baltimore would have to close down as the dump raw sewage there daily :-)
 
Kurt, I was told that both were, by order of the harbormaster. Of course, the harbormasters didn't tell me, others did - so I could be wrong.
 
Vic, I don't think a harbormaster has the authority to implement such a policy. It's certainly the first I've heard of it. I'll check with one of the big marinas to verify. Regardless, neither harbor is NDZ via federal law.
 
I knew they weren't NDZ's by federal law, but I'd heard that they had local ordinances or whatever, banning them in the harbors.

But then who knows, the feds have watered down their authority so much that in some areas the CG Auxiliary and Power Squadron Commodores do the inspecting and enforcing.

"It's a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack."
 
To the best of my knowledge, Baltimore has no such official restriction. It would be a complete joke if they did since the city itself dumps thousands of gallons of raw sewage every day into that harbor. Granted, the guy with the very over-priced pump-out boat would LOVE to have all of the Chesapeake as an NDZ (I know, I testified against him the other year), but that's not the case. Just the bay between the mainland and Ocean City and Herring Bay (where there's another tyrant at work doing what he wants to do to the environment, but restricting what others can do).
 
quote:
Originally posted by Vic Willman

I knew they weren't NDZ's by federal law, but I'd heard that they had local ordinances or whatever, banning them in the harbors.

But then who knows, the feds have watered down their authority so much that in some areas the CG Auxiliary and Power Squadron Commodores do the inspecting and enforcing.

"It's a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack."

Click to expand...


Maybe the feds or the harbormaster can "water this down" too...

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/baltimore_county/millions-of-gallons-of-sewage-overflow
 
quote:
Originally posted by mixman

Vic, I don't think a harbormaster has the authority to implement such a policy. It's certainly the first I've heard of it. I'll check with one of the big marinas to verify. Regardless, neither harbor is NDZ via federal law.

Click to expand...


Kurt, After all the testifying last year in Annapolis on this same subject I can't believe it would be up to the harbormaster all along to set what areas are deemed a NDZ and what areas aren't. How can a "harbormaster" set up environmental restrictions without the approval of the state or EPA? It just doesn't make sense...but then again it is government.
 
I say "F" them discharging treated waste from a Purasan or any like treatment system is less polluting than the storm run off from a farm field or a fertilized lawn. It's just another case of the government overreaching and targeting individuals who really are not the problem. They look the other direction when it's their own untreated waste that gets "accidently" discharged.
I love my Purasan Hold-N-Treat system.
Bill
 
Vic

Thanks for all your help. I'm too happy!

Here's how it came out. These are photos of the engine room of my 4788 Bayliner, with the engines removed. This is the foward starboard side.

raritan1.jpg


raritan2.jpg


raritan3.jpg
 
Looks great Kevin that is a nice clean installation. You made the right choice.
Vic is the man when it comes to marine sanitation systems, heads, ice makers and well darn
near anything to do with boating.
Bill
 
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