Eurodam - Toilet Problems?

[POA1]

We were on the Eurodam in December and I specifically looked for the septic system problems that people reported on CruiseCritic. I found none. That's not to say that there weren't any, because I surely did not try every restroom on the ship. However, we did "go" enough places around the ship that I would have expected to encounter a problem if they were as prevalent as people say.

 

If someone is on an upcoming cruise, you may want to talk your roll call into a "Powder Room Power Walk " to fully assess the situation. I kind of think that things are always worse when you read about them here.

[POA1]

Alternative suggestions would be:

 

Trot to the Pot

 

Ship, Skip to the Loo

 

Royal Flush Rush

 

Johnny Come Rate Me

 

and of course,

 

Game of Thrones.

[gracebest]

:)

Believe it. We have had presented here an astounding list of items found in the ship's plumbing systems. Towels and wash cloths rank pretty high on the list. Wet wipes are another offender. Even "kleenex", if it is the kind that manages to get through the washer and dryer cycle fully intact if left in one's pockets..

 

BTW "Clorox" wipes do not disinfect (sterilize) anything since this requires much longer contact with any alleged disenfecting solution to actually do the job , not just a quick wipe down. However a wipe down with anything will mechanically remove some contaminating particulate matter, which is why the grand fall back still remains soap and water to keep things as clean as possible. And hopefully you did not put the Clorox wipes down the commode?

 

No, I always put them in the trash can at home and anywhere else I use them. :)

[Baddabing]

We will be on the Eurodam this May. Please keep us posted on any toilet issues.

[Daisyloo]

Alternative suggestions would be:

 

Trot to the Pot

 

Ship, Skip to the Loo

 

Royal Flush Rush

 

Johnny Come Rate Me

 

and of course,

 

Game of Thrones.

 

lol :')

[SaltKettle1]

Just got off the Eurodam yesterday. We were on deck 6 in a signature suite and had no toilet issues during our 7 day cruise.

[Baddabing]

Thanks for the update. We will be on deck 5 starboard the end of May.

[marycruz]

Thanks for the update. We will be on deck 5 starboard the end of May.

 

Just got off Eurodam on Saturday. No problems with toilet and didn't hear anyone else had either.

[serendipity1499]

I find this thread very interesting especially since ChengKP75 has weighed in.. We had a vacuum toilet on our boat & the first thing I had to do was explain to our Friends, who came aboard, how to use it & what not to put into it..

 

I've actually copied all of his remarks & printed up 2 pages for our Dear Friends, (non-boaters) who will be cruising with us on HAL sometime soon.. They always laughed & got a kick out of my explanations.. LOL;p

 

Thank you ChengKP75 for the clear explanations..:cool:

[doone]

I got off the Eurodam March 25th we had no issues with the toilets nor did we hear of anyone having any issues.

[igraf]

The sign states that the lid must be down when flushing. This is for safety rather than flushing. They don't want one flushing a vacuum toilet while seated as this can cause injury.

 

igraf

 

 

 

...I think that there is a sign in the bathrooms saying that the lid of the toilet has to be UP when you flush. ....

[chengkp75]

The sign states that the lid must be down when flushing. This is for safety rather than flushing. They don't want one flushing a vacuum toilet while seated as this can cause injury.

 

igraf

 

Another urban legend. You cannot get stuck on the toilet, or have your insides damaged by flushing while sitting on the toilet.

[DoggyDaddy]

Are there any problems using your own toilet paper on the ship. We always use Charmin at home and would like to bring a few rolls aboard the ship. So, what is the story on the flushable wipes?

 

DD

[igraf]

This reports suggests otherwise:

 

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2011/07/28/ncbi-rofl-airplane-vacuum-toilets-an-uncommon-travel-hazard/

 

This is similar to the hazards of a swimming pool drain.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/03/21/girl-whose-intestines-were-partially-sucked-out-by-swimming-pool-drain-dies.html

 

Obviously, the toilet seat is designed to avoid any vacuum seal by the body, but if one does manage to seal off the toilet then the vacuum forces would be most significant . Do what you want, but I will get up before flushing a vacuum toilet.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

Another urban legend. You cannot get stuck on the toilet, or have your insides damaged by flushing while sitting on the toilet.

[RuthC]

Are there any problems using your own toilet paper on the ship. We always use Charmin at home and would like to bring a few rolls aboard the ship. So, what is the story on the flushable wipes?

 

DD

I'll assume this is a serious question---

No, you can't flush Charmin, or any other non-marine toilet paper, down the ship's toilets. Nor can you send flushable wipes, facial tissue, other paper products, or feminine hygiene products down.

Only the ship provided toilet paper can be used.

 

If you absolutely, positively need to use Charmin, or "flushable" wipes, you will have to find some other way to dispose of them. But to flush them down a ship's toilet will jam up the system for a lot of toilets on the same line.

[chengkp75]

This reports suggests otherwise:

 

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2011/07/28/ncbi-rofl-airplane-vacuum-toilets-an-uncommon-travel-hazard/

 

This is similar to the hazards of a swimming pool drain.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/03/21/girl-whose-intestines-were-partially-sucked-out-by-swimming-pool-drain-dies.html

 

Obviously, the toilet seat is designed to avoid any vacuum seal by the body, but if one does manage to seal off the toilet then the vacuum forces would be most significant . Do what you want, but I will get up before flushing a vacuum toilet.

 

igraf

 

Without seeing the investigative report, I will not debate the claim of the person on the airplane toilet, though why you would sit on the bowl without the seat is incomprehensible. Also, the design of ship and airplane vacuum systems are different. All I can say is that in 30+ years of working with vacuum toilets, and having sat on them while flushing occasionally, I have never heard of an injury. As for a pool drain, the difference between being surrounded by an incompressible fluid like water in a pool, and a compressible fluid like air on a toilet is vast. Since it is claimed that she couldn't release herself from the toilet, assuming to be because of the vacuum, I'm wondering how the flight attendant was able to release her. And despite the suggestions in the last paragraph, in the intervening 6 years, nothing of the sort, not a redesign of the toilet, or even warning stickers have been implemented.

 

I'll assume this is a serious question---

No, you can't flush Charmin, or any other non-marine toilet paper, down the ship's toilets. Nor can you send flushable wipes, facial tissue, other paper products, or feminine hygiene products down.

Only the ship provided toilet paper can be used.

 

If you absolutely, positively need to use Charmin, or "flushable" wipes, you will have to find some other way to dispose of them. But to flush them down a ship's toilet will jam up the system for a lot of toilets on the same line.

 

Ruth, while I fully agree with you about flushable wipes not being flushed down the toilet, I will say that the "marine toilet paper" is another urban legend propagated primarily by HAL and Princess lines. Marine toilet paper is designed for small boat toilet systems where the paper must dissolve quickly when wetted to prevent plugging of the valves and hand pumps that many of these systems use. Without getting into too much crude detail, a vacuum toilet system requires that the "product" evacuated from the toilet retain a solid consistency as a "plug" which the vacuum can pull down the pipes (or in many cases, up the pipes, as some toilets will actually flush up). If the distance between the toilet and the collecting tank in the engine room is too far, the system has to have a "collecting" or "reforming" station, where the "plug" will be reformed so the product can proceed down the pipe. For this reason, marine type toilet paper is detrimental to the operation of the vacuum system. The toilet paper used by the cruise lines is awful not because it is "special" but because it is cheap. In over 30 years of maintaining vacuum toilet systems, I have never had a clog caused by the use of a "normal" amount of any brand of toilet paper, and the ships I'm on currently buy whatever is available. Now, if you are of the "I've got to use half a roll to get clean" wiping brigade, then regardless of what toilet paper is used, ship provided or personal, you will cause a clog.

 

I will also say that while not flushing facial tissues down the toilet is a good practice, facial tissue is made similarly to toilet tissue in that it uses pressed paper fibers, which will break apart when wet, eventually, just like toilet paper, so there is really no harm done.

 

The problem comes with "wipes" (facial, diaper, etc), paper towels, and the like. These products are designed to have "wet strength" (the wipes come wet), and use woven paper fibers, so these will not break down and have to be mechanically shredded by the treatment plant. The toughness of these paper products, while good in maintaining the "product" plug in the vacuum pipes will also resist deformation at bends and tees in the lines the way the pressed paper products do, and therefore cause blockages.

[igraf]

At the risk of getting too technical, fluid compressibility does not come into play. It is only a matter of differential pressure. The pool drain is in fact similar to a vacuum toilet (33 ft water column = 1 atmosphere). I agree that the airline circumstances were unusual, but it does show what can happen.

 

The woman was released by breaking the vacuum seal. I'll let your imagination fill in the details! :-)

 

igraf

 

 

...As for a pool drain, the difference between being surrounded by an incompressible fluid like water in a pool, and a compressible fluid like air on a toilet is vast. Since it is claimed that she couldn't release herself from the toilet, assuming to be because of the vacuum, I'm wondering how the flight attendant was able to release her. ....

[GateGuardian]

I was on the Eurodam the last week of March in room #1076. One day the toilet would not flush and it took about 3-4hrs for someone from maintenance to come and fix it. Another day, the tub would not drain and took a couple of hours for it to start draining again. Other then that, everything else was a-ok.

[Baddabing]

I was on the Eurodam the last week of March in room #1076. One day the toilet would not flush and it took about 3-4hrs for someone from maintenance to come and fix it. Another day, the tub would not drain and took a couple of hours for it to start draining again. Other then that, everything else was a-ok.

 

Thanks for the update

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I am sure it will be fixed.