Gould 0738 wrote:
Holy bubbling holding tanks!
No, we're not talking the latest OT flame war on rec boats, but a device called
a Sweettank that pumps air through the contents of a holding tank to oxygenate
the contents and kill off the anaerobic (stinky) bacteria. Built by Groco.
Looks like a simple, and likely effective idea.
Any opinion, Peggie?
Aeration is a very effective way to prevent odor in holding tanks. But
aeration doesn't kill off any bacteria...it just allows them to function
aerobically instead of anaerobically. The principle is the same one
I've been preaching for years, and the Sweetank does work. Groco shows a
diagram of it on their website at
http://www.groco.net
IMO, it's the ideal solution for large (50 gal+) tanks that are too deep
for passive ventilation above the surface to work very well, or that are
buried so deep in the bowels of the boat TO ventilate passively.
However, the tanks on most boats are small enough to allow passive
ventilation, with a "boost" from an organic holding tank treatment such
as Odorlos or Raritan K.O. to work...making the $200+ price tag for the
Sweetank an unnecessary expense.
I hear from a lot of people who want to know if a small fish tank
aerator will work. Prob'ly not...because a) fish tank aerators don't
push enough air to do more than just force noxious gasses out the vent,
b) there's a bit more to it than than just blowing air into the tank
through a tube...and c) fish tank aerators don't run on 12v, and the
aerator has to run 24/7/365 (except, of course, during winter layup) to
keep the tank contents aerobic. And neither would a submersable live
well aerator...the animal fats in waste would clog one of those up in no
time.
So, while the Sweetank can be the ideal solution for large yachts with
huge tanks, but is neither necessary nor practical--plus it's too
expensive--for use in 99% of tanks.
--
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://shop.sailboatowners.com/detai...=400&group=327
http://www.seaworthy.com/html/get_ri...oat_odors.html