Let’s talk toilet paper

[prmssk]

It could be worse.  I can read through the toilet paper on Carnival.

 

I suspect the choice of toilet paper is a combination related to cost (think of how much toilet paper a cruise ships goes through) AND the fact that the plumbing system is quite a different from on land and they have to be able to process it all on board.

[chengkp75]

6 minutes ago, prmssk said:

It could be worse.  I can read through the toilet paper on Carnival.

 

I suspect the choice of toilet paper is a combination related to cost (think of how much toilet paper a cruise ships goes through) AND the fact that the plumbing system is quite a different from on land and they have to be able to process it all on board.

Again, the "type" or "brand" of toilet paper has nothing to do with how the sewage is processed on the ship.

[1Virgo]

4 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

While I also thought this, it seems I read from an industry expert that this isn't a concern on cruise ships.   Putting things other than TP seems to be a big issue.   I could be misremembering of course.  

we did a ship tour from way below to bridge.  And that is exactly what we were told    is not the  TP, but “other” things that clog the system,  Biggest issue.  underwear      yup. underwear. i will not explain that.   Figure it out.     tampons.  And before I get jumped on, had a successful septic for over 15 years. 

 

 

[Baynanno1]

 

As several others have said, the paper is specially produced for use in the onboard vacuum system. OK, maybe not specially produced for cruise ships, but safe for the vacuum systems.

No other paper, or tissues, or face wipes, or sanitary products should be put into a cruise ship toilet bowl as they have been known to create blockages.

 

@chengkp75 you have been lucky! We have seen the result more than once on different cruise ships. Believe me it is not nice to have a whole section of the ship without working toilets!

 

@Esmerelda no. A larger amount will not cause a blockage because it is designed to break down much faster than "regular" t.p.

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

In 46 years of working on vacuum toilet systems, I've never seen a toilet clog due to "improper" toilet paper.  This is a long time, cruise ship urban myth.  Officers are generally told to say that the toilet paper is "special" in order to reinforce the concept of nothing other than toilet paper going into the toilets.

 

I also live on a septic system at my two houses.  We use whatever toilet paper is available, or on sale, and never had a problem.  The major difference between a land based septic system and the shipboard system, is the amount of time the sewage is in the process tank.  Because at home, the amount of water flowing through the septic tank is not great, the bacteria has time to start to digest the paper fibers.  Since the ship's system flows over 40 tons/hour, there is no time to even try to digest the paper fibers, so the system is designed to remove them chemical/mechanically and process them separately.

 

The vacuum system needs to have the "product" from the toilet maintain some "cohesiveness" in order to carry down the pipes (and in some cases up the pipes), which the toilet paper provides.  The paper the cruise lines use is the cheapest they can get, since the ship goes through pallet loads every week.

 

 

Another "I read it on cruise critic" truth bites the dust.   

 

 

[chengkp75]

9 minutes ago, Baynanno1 said:

@chengkp75 you have been lucky! We have seen the result more than once on different cruise ships. Believe me it is not nice to have a whole section of the ship without working toilets!

And, you were told this was caused by the wrong toilet paper by the guys who actually cleared the clog?  Anyone else literally doesn't know ****.  I've cleared more clogs than most cruisers have days at sea, and I've never seen one by just toilet paper.

 

11 minutes ago, Baynanno1 said:

No other paper, or tissues, or face wipes, or sanitary products should be put into a cruise ship toilet bowl as they have been known to create blockages.

While this is 100% correct, it does not apply to types of toilet paper.  Toilet paper is toilet paper.  Wipes are manufactured differently than facial or toilet tissue.

 

13 minutes ago, Baynanno1 said:

A larger amount will not cause a blockage because it is designed to break down much faster than "regular" t.p.

No, its not.  You are doing what most folks do, and confusing "marine" toilet paper, designed for boats, with their macerator/holding tank systems, cruise ship toilet paper is not "designed" to do anything that "regular" toilet paper doesn't, since it is regular toilet paper.

[doghog]

1 hour ago, prmssk said:

 I can read through the toilet paper on Carnival.

You have reading material in the women's restrooms.  Better than just sitting there. 🤣

[Baynanno1]

4 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

No, its not.  You are doing what most folks do, and confusing "marine" toilet paper, designed for boats, with their macerator/holding tank systems, cruise ship toilet paper is not "designed" to do anything that "regular" toilet paper doesn't, since it is regular toilet paper.

Perhaps I should not have used the word "designed."

In my experience, toilet paper on recent cruises has started to disintegrate as soon as it hits the water - if not before.

Also, perhaps I should not have used the word "regular" - on which I did use inverted commas.

At home, the toilet paper we use does not disintegrate anywhere near as fast as that supplied on recent cruises.

[cyntil8ing]

What a great topic! I have noticed that on a ship, we go through a roll of paper about every other day. At home, we go through about the same. The difference is how much I have to take off the roll each time. For at least a week after coming home, I have to remind myself to not pull as hard, or I will have way too much. It’s like a half a spin at home compared to three spins on the ship. lol. 
 

 

 

[LaCal]

Thanks to @chengkp75 posting about his Ship Engineer experience and working on the septic systems for many many years we’ve been bringing our own nice soft beautiful toilet paper every cruise and we’re so happy we read his info and our asses are super happy as well 😜🤣

 

I’ve copy and pasted his comments and technical stats about TP and ships to many a cruise sites any time the subject comes up and people who were once scared to bring their own for fear of clogs are now as happy as i am bringing that good ole Charmin……I can hear Mr Whipple doing a TP cruise commercial jingle now 🤣

Edited January 16 by LaCal

[LaCal]

Also Thanks to @chengkp75 for posting this additional Technical info yearssss ago about the whole ship TP 

 

Frankly, this is one of the myths about vacuum toilet systems. The thinness of the ship's supplied toilet paper is not to prevent clogs, but to allow it to break down quicker in the waste water treatment plant. The treatment plant is similar to a septic system ashore, but processes waste water so quickly that the bacteria do not have time to digest the paper fibers.
 
The theory of vacuum toilet systems actually requires that each flush of the toilet act as a "plug" in the pipe that the vacuum can pull along the pipe. If the "plug" falls apart too soon, the vacuum will not move the waste along the pipe, it will tend to lay in horizontal pipes, and this can cause clogging. For this reason, on larger systems, there will be vacuum "booster" stations that will "rebuild" the waste plug to move it to the engine room.
 
After over 30 years operating and maintaining vacuum toilet systems on ships, I can say that I haven't seen a single clog caused by "thicker" toilet paper

 

. Baby wipes, facial wipes, facial tissues, paper towels, and of course any fabric (face cloths, towels, napkins, underwear, swim wear are a few examples of what we've pulled out), or food items including rib bones, etc.

[diesel1973]

I believe that the only way to cut down on the quantity of TP you use is to use both sides!!!

[diesel1973]

[Itchy&Scratchy]

9 hours ago, cyntil8ing said:

we go through a roll of paper about every other day.

pffft, weaklings...

[ldubs]

11 hours ago, Baynanno1 said:

Perhaps I should not have used the word "designed."

In my experience, toilet paper on recent cruises has started to disintegrate as soon as it hits the water - if not before.

Also, perhaps I should not have used the word "regular" - on which I did use inverted commas.

At home, the toilet paper we use does not disintegrate anywhere near as fast as that supplied on recent cruises.

 

I think the word "regular" might be very appropriate for this thread!  😀

[DingoMom]

I am always very thankful when @chengkp75posts on any subject! I learn a lot from @chengkp75’s experience!!

[gerelmx]

[miched]

Diont they give you an option?   You can use the TP,  wash cloth, or the brush next to the toilet. 😱🙄🤷‍♂️🤗
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[diesel1973]

14 minutes ago, miched said:

Diont they give you an option?   You can use the TP,  wash cloth, or the brush next to the toilet. 😱🙄🤷‍♂️🤗
Are you talking about the toothbrush?

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅