In the Odor Control post, I mentioned installing a standpipe in the outlet of my holding tank. Some of you have asked what the heck I was talking about. Well here it is…
A normal holding tank has an inlet positioned high up on the tank and an outlet low down on the tank. That outlet is down low so the “stuff” can be pumped out. Unfortunately, since it is low down on the tank, the “stuff” will sit in in the outlet hose as it fills the tank. Even the best flexible sanitary hose will eventually be permeated and, frankly, start to smell.
A standpipe inserts a vertical assembly of non-permeable PVC in the outlet plumbing. With the standpipe connected to the outlet of the holding tank, the “stuff” sits in the PVC instead of the hose. The standpipe is connected to the tank outlet hose barb with a short length of sanitary hose, The outlet barb of the tank should be touching the inlet barb of the standpipe to minimize any exposure of that hose to the effluent.
The standpipe itself is assembled from standard PVC plumbing components. All these, except possibly the hose barbs, are available at any home improvement store. The barbs, if they don’t have them there, are available from West Marine.
Adding a standpipe to your holding tank plumbing will prolong the life of your sanitary hoses and make the boat smell better. Your friends will thank you!
Capt’n Pauley
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