Sticky Smelly Slime in gray tank

Skip Boyer

Skip Boyer

Active Member
Sep 24, 2015
193
Lake Guntersville Al,
Boat Info
1998 500DA Sundancer, 1999 Maxum 2800, 1998 270 Sundancer, Oliver Hazard Perry FFG-7
Engines
Twin Detroit 6V92TA
So here is my problem, my gray water tank float switch has failed twice in recent weeks. The first float would cut off power to the pump if water level lifted it to high. As when using both showers at same time. Replaced that switch. Installed a new float switch. That switch stuck in the up position pump running. When the problem first came about i cleaned the inside of the tank, the pump, etc. I had assumed the slightly sticky, smelly, slimy substance that i was removing was several years of build up. Not so, as when i was replacing the second float switch the accumulation was again present although nowhere near as bad. My question..what do any of you who live aboard or utilize your grey water tank use to keep it clean and slime free ?
 
Skip Boyer said:
So here is my problem, my gray water tank float switch has failed twice in recent weeks. The first float would cut off power to the pump if water level lifted it to high. As when using both showers at same time. Replaced that switch. Installed a new float switch. That switch stuck in the up position pump running. When the problem first came about i cleaned the inside of the tank, the pump, etc. I had assumed the slightly sticky, smelly, slimy substance that i was removing was several years of build up. Not so, as when i was replacing the second float switch the accumulation was again present although nowhere near as bad. My question..what do any of you who live aboard or utilize your grey water tank use to keep it clean and slime free ?
Click to expand...
What about adding some Bleach once in a while that should help with what sounds like Soap scum ?
 
If your using bar soap that will cause slime. Alternative is to us liquid soap it won't create the slime buildup. That's the only thing I can think it could be
 
Yup, sounds like soap scum. I see the same thing when I have to clean out the sink trap at home... you know, the one that collects all the long hair from my wife and daughter? And every time the sink slows down they say the same thing to me: "It's slow again - we don't know why this keeps happening."
 
We clean our sump about every 6 weeks. When doing it, I take my wet/dry vac and suck all the inlet hoses. You will be amazed what is still in the drain lines.
 
I've had a toilet chlorine puck in mine for years and it only needs one annual cleaning...
 
Thanks for all the advice. I have not but will try the chlorine tablet. I hadnt thought about that yet. Im sure its from the soap, shampoo, and conditioner that goes down the shower drain. I have tried the bleach, vinegar, even tried the liquid septic tank stuff.
 
The bar soap does it way more than shampoo/conditioner....

Skip Boyer said:
Thanks for all the advice. I have not but will try the chlorine tablet. I hadnt thought about that yet. Im sure its from the soap, shampoo, and conditioner that goes down the shower drain. I have tried the bleach, vinegar, even tried the liquid septic tank stuff.
Click to expand...
 
Occasionally I pour a pot of boiling water into drain let it sit for a while then run water until pump kicks on again. The hot water dissolves the build up and the water pumps it out. This also helps flush out the corrugated hose they use for the drain.
 
The Bill Collector said:
I've had a toilet chlorine puck in mine for years and it only needs one annual cleaning...
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Mark, is this puck you speak of the same as a chlorine puck you use in a swimming pool? Also, how do you get the puck into the tank?

Another question on the same topic--I'm not familiar with boats that have gray water tanks. I assumed (yeah, I know about that!) that all gray water was just dumped overboard. Why does a boat have a gray water tank? Are they made for lake use or something similar?
 
Gofirstclass said:
Mark, is this puck you speak of the same as a chlorine puck you use in a swimming pool? Also, how do you get the puck into the tank?

Another question on the same topic--I'm not familiar with boats that have gray water tanks. I assumed (yeah, I know about that!) that all gray water was just dumped overboard. Why does a boat have a gray water tank? Are they made for lake use or something similar?
Click to expand...

I think in this case the OP is calling his shower sump box a gray water tank as he refers to the float switch sticking.
 
Gofirstclass said:
I assumed (yeah, I know about that!) that all gray water was just dumped overboard. Why does a boat have a gray water tank? Are they made for lake use or something similar?
Click to expand...
I was thinking the same thing that Mitch said. But, yes, there was an option on some boats of some years to have a second holding tank (similar to the black water holding tank). ALL sinks and such would drain to this grey-water holding tank and then you would have it pumped out like the black water tank. Some areas (Lake George in NY, for example) prohibit ALL overboard discharge. W/O a GW tank, even a cockpit sink would have to have it's thru-hull plugged before being let on the lake.
 
Gofirstclass said:
Mark, is this puck you speak of the same as a chlorine puck you use in a swimming pool? Also, how do you get the puck into the tank?

Another question on the same topic--I'm not familiar with boats that have gray water tanks. I assumed (yeah, I know about that!) that all gray water was just dumped overboard. Why does a boat have a gray water tank? Are they made for lake use or something similar?
Click to expand...

Gray water sump box and the puck/tablet is the kind you put in your toilet water tank and I put an access hatch into my gray water box...
2019-08-24 14.41.33.jpg
 
WOW !! I wish my tank looked as clean as Bill Collectors tank. Nicely done sir. My "grey water" tank collects ALL the drains except the cockpit sink. And by all i mean both showers, four sinks, and all the A\C condensate drains. So it gets a lot of use. At present i have placed a chlorine tablet in the master shower. I will be ordering an access hatch soon to make a setup similar to what the expert has done in the thread above.
 
Skip Boyer said:
WOW !! I wish my tank looked as clean as Bill Collectors tank. Nicely done sir. My "grey water" tank collects ALL the drains except the cockpit sink. And by all i mean both showers, four sinks, and all the A\C condensate drains. So it gets a lot of use. At present i have placed a chlorine tablet in the master shower. I will be ordering an access hatch soon to make a setup similar to what the expert has done in the thread above.
Click to expand...

Thank you and I really got tired of unscrewing all those frigg'n wingnuts to remove the big lid... The access hatch should have been done years ago, but as they say better late than never !
 
Nicely done Mark. Now why didn't I think of something like that? My two showers dump into the type of tank you have but then are pumped overboard. We don't use the showers much because we don't do a lot of long distance cruising. If we're on the boat more than two days we take showers but that's only about once or twice a year that we take a trip like that. Lots of overnighting, but not many longer than that.

So, what does the puck look like?
 
Many years ago I heard that SR made a "lake boat" that was made without a generator, no way to discharge overboard and had black and gray water tanks. Not the kind of shower sump tanks we're talking about here but a genuine gray water holding tank. That's what I thought the OP might have.
 
Gofirstclass said:
Many years ago I heard that SR made a "lake boat" that was made without a generator, no way to discharge overboard and had black and gray water tanks. Not the kind of shower sump tanks we're talking about here but a genuine gray water holding tank. That's what I thought the OP might have.
Click to expand...
I have heard of new boats that have a gray water waste tank, with all the enveriomental stuff going on...
 
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