How using the wrong toilet roll could be blocking your heads, plus a holding tank air filter, professional grade scrubbing towels and more...
A blocked toilet onboard your boat is to be avoided at all costs and one of the worst culprits is the use of standard toilet paper that contains glue (even the recycled stuff apparently)!
One of the reasons conventional toilet paper is prone to block marine toilets and holding tanks is that most loo roll contains a plastic-based glue.
This is what causes the tendency for it to clump together in a pulp in the toilet pump, pipework or holding tank. It also results in an estimated 20,000 tonnes of glue being flushed down Britain’s toilets each year. And all that plastic will eventually escape to the environment.
UK company Tanki has won the Maritime UK 2020 Innovation Award for its solution to this problem: loo roll that’s made without glue, so it breaks up as soon as it’s submerged in water.
Unfortunately it can’t be made of recycled materials, as that’s when glue to bind the material together is particularly important, but Tanki is made from sustainably produced paper stock. The feel is indistinguishable from most conventional brands.
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Wave International Waveair filter
Holding tank vent filter
Holding tanks have the potential to release unpleasant odours through the tank vent. If yours suffers this problem, Wave International’s new Waveair filter can absorb the compounds that create the smell. It’s
designed as a fit and forget item that simply requires annual replacement.
Price: from £42
Scrubs in a bucket
Disposable scrubbing towels
These disposable towels were developed to save technicians time by enabling quick cleaning up at the end of a task. The manufacturer of Scrubs In-A-Bucket tell us they will remove dirt, tar, oils, grease, paints, adhesives, caulks, inks and dyes, urethanes, and lubricants – all things a boat owner might want to clean up. They are available in a 72-towel bucket, a 30-towel bucket, or in a case of 100 individual packets.
Price: around £20 for a tub of 72 scrubs.
Maestrini bronze valves
Bronze valve with polymer ball from Maestrini
These bronze ball valves offer a new option for those wanting top-quality skin fittings with a high resistance to galvanic action. They have a polymer ball, while all other components that come in contact with sea water are made of bronze. Sizes range from 3∕8in to 2in BSP, while there’s a number of mounting
options, including flange mounting for skin fittings. A drain plug is included to facilitate winterising.
Price: from £8.32 to £76.10.
Boat toilet seat retainer
Jos Binns uses a childproof cupboard door catch to secure the heads lid at sea and prevent painful accidents...
De-scale your toilet pipes
...the lemon-fresh way!
The most useful tool on board?
A bit of bent wire!
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This feature appeared in the January 21 edition of Practical Boat Owner. For more articles like this, including DIY, money-saving advice, great boat projects, expert tips and ways to improve your boat’s performance, take out a magazine subscription to Britain’s best-selling boating magazine.
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