Ever had a clogged head? Or a holding tank that couldn’t get completely pumped out?
Want to be able to use regular toilet paper instead of that super-thin stuff that’s marketed for holding tanks? (There’s another way to achieve this, too — read here.)
Or have the situation that a friend of a friend did — got a new-to-you boat and discovered that the holding tank was basically full of, uh, dried out “stuff”?
Several weeks ago, I wrote about Super Digest-It for clearing clogged drains. And a little while later, I got an email from the manufacturer’s “brand ambassador” (what a great job!) wanting to send me some of their other products to try out. Well, heck, sure I’ll try stuff (note: my opinions aren’t swayed by the fact that I got it free).
One of the items that Aly from Unique Natural Products sent me was Marine Digest-It. Its number-one purpose is to liquefy everything in a holding tank and deodorize it, too (it works whether you flush with fresh or salt water), making pump outs much easier. An added bonus, I later learned, is that it will clear clogs in the head discharge hose with “no muss, no fuss.”
Three advantages from this: you can use regular toilet paper and put it down the toilet (I hate that super-thin “holding tank” stuff and it can be impossible to find in some places), you completely empty the holding tank making it possible to go longer between pump-outs, and you’ll have fewer funky smells.
Now, the good thing is that unlike most other “holding tank” products, it doesn’t use harsh chemicals. As with all their products, it uses helpful bacteria to take care of the problem. The company is emphatic that their products are not bad for the environment yet work well.
Okay, so my problem was that I didn’t have a holding tank problem (wait, that’s a good thing, right?). But through friends of friends, pretty soon I found someone who did (he asked that his name not be used). And it was nasty.
He had purchased an older boat that had sat on the hard for a number of years. And the holding tank hadn’t been emptied before it was stored. (Yuck, but not all that uncommon.)
Checking things out, he discovered that it was about half full with “material” that had dried out over the years. He planned to remove and replace the tank, figuring that there was no way to remove the dried out stuff from the tank. Filling the tank with water and letting it sit hadn’t done much so far.
I asked if he’d be willing to try the Marine Digest-It as a test case. His reply was something along the lines of “Well, I know that as it stands, I have to replace the tank. I don’t see how it can make the situation worse, so sure.”
I got a report back: it’s working. The tank isn’t totally empty yet, but quite a bit of progress has been made in just one week (they can only get it pumped once a week). (UPDATE: After the second week, it’s clean).
If the Marine Digest-It is working in this situation, I have to think it’ll be good for regular use.
The company recommends adding some after every pump out. They say that it is also good for cleaning the bilge and any areas with fish blood.
I also asked Aly how it would work for a clogged hose. That is, the discharge hose from the toilet to the holding tank (or overboard when offshore). I know that many boats have problems with this and having to remove the hoses to clear the clog is just plain nasty (I won’t go into details). She said it’s great in this situation:
What we recommend is pour 8 ounces (1 cup) of product down your toilet, followed by 3 cups of warm water. Make sure the water is warm and not hot. Then just let it sit in your toilet for 30 minutes and after the time is up go ahead and flush.
During the 30 minutes the bacteria is growing and reproducing, so by the time you flush the bacteria will have had enough time to multiply so that they can coat your drains. In that way it should eat away whatever is clogging your pipe and will continue to keep it clean.
She added that if your sink or shower have common hoses with the toilet (unusual but some do), you can mix up another 8 ounces (1 cup) of Marine Digest-It with 3 cups of warm water and put it down the second drain to work two sides at once as clogs often happen where two hoses are joined.I’m thinking that this is pretty good stuff to have on board. I mean, it does the work of a holding tank deodorizer, plus makes pump outs more complete, is good to have on hand in case of a clog and works without chemicals? I particularly like the “no chemicals” part if you direct discharge when offshore.
A 32-ounce bottle costs $12.95 and will treat a 40-gallon tank 16 times — basically less than a dollar a time — or will work on 4 hose clogs.
Unique Products offers a money-back guarantee. You can buy Marine Digest-It directly from them (Update: the Marine Digest-It product is not available from Unique Products directly. But you can search their site for retailers. Or buy on Amazon. You may find it at Ace, Do-It Best and Tru Value hardware stores in marine areas (not all stores carry it).
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Brian Taite says
Wish it was in Canadian stores.
The Boat Galley says
They’ve working on it — so far, their pet odor eliminator is available on Amazon Canada and they’re trying to get the rest of their products into Canadian stores.
Andreas Lange says
Sounds good,
would be nice to get it here in Germany
Royce Johnson says
Can it be used on shower sumps? Don’t want to turn hair clogs into gelatinous plugs (which is what so many of the drain clearing products do while being harsh on seals and pumps) but would love to truly dissolve any plugs. Our sump is very hard to reach to clean it out when plugged, we have girls with long hair on board, and this could be an answer to our prayers.
Thanks
RWJ
Carolyn Shearlock says
Good question — I just forwarded it to my contact at the company and as soon as she replies, I’ll post it here.
Janice Sterling says
Is there a difference. Between the bottle for marine use and the one for Rv use?
The Boat Galley says
Since they do separately bottle them, I’m guessing that there is some difference, but I’ll ask my contact at the company.
Dierdre Atkinson Wogaman says
I am glad to say that we now have a composting toilet and no longer have to deal with those sorts of things. Phew.
Janice Sterling says
Thanks do much for showing this product. We just bought a new to us boat and the people who I owned her left sewage in the front head tank for a while. Then stopped using it. Now the v berth smells and we have already emptied the tanks. Hopefully its not soaked into the hoses. I just purchased it today. Can’t wait to try it!
Leap Of Faith / Quit Your Job And Live On A Boat says
Always willing to try something new in this area.
The Boat Galley says
Here’s the reply I got from Aly at Unique Natural Products regarding the questions that were asked: “To answer questions: our product does not eat hair. However the reason why hair gunks up your drains is it actually attaches itself to build up (such as grease, oils, etc) that have already started to line the pipes. So when the hair comes down the pipes it catches onto the build up and becomes a net for more hair and more build up. What our product does is attacks and eats the build up that has lined the walls and once that is gone, the hair will wash away.
Also the difference between our Marine Digest-It and RV Digest-It is their usage. If one of your readers uses Marine in their RV it will do the same job. “
Marie H says
I wondered about using it in the shower sumps as well. Not to dissolve hair; but to get rid of the sliminess and sour smell. Hubby cleans them regularly; but it’s yet another chore. And usually you know they need it when they start to smell. This might make that job less frequent.
Andrea Dollins says
Hmmmm…I wasn’t that impressed with this stuff. We liveaboard and get pumped-out weekly, I couldn’t really tell if did anything for build up, but it did absolutely nothing for odor control in my opinion. I think Aqua-Khem is still the best for that.
Terri Zorn says
We prefer Aqua-Khem also. An all natural bacteria choice is K.O.. Both can be purchased at West Marine.
Frank says
Any ideas on how to help dissolve a big poop that won’t flush?
Carolyn Shearlock says
Throw some Digest-It in the bowl with some water and let sit at least a half hour. Try flushing again . . . it should work.
Frank says
Will definitely try this product. Thank you.
Koko says
Have been thinking of macerate head but have to move object to the blades ..another problem
Andy says
You can get it at Industrial Paint and Plastic in Canada.
Jennifer Hetrick says
Love your website! Awesome article!
Will Sugg says
I ordered some to try it out…
Dorothy Rogers Marusak says
After trying various deoderizers we found this. It gets to the root of the problem, not just attempt to cover it up
Wendy walker says
Does this product work with salt water?
Carolyn Shearlock says
Yes, most of us have seawater heads.
Jane S/V Dejarlo says
Carolyn, do you know the difference between this product and “Bio-Enzymatic Urine Digester” by Nilodor which we now use in our compost toilet urine tank (per your suggestion and thanks!)?
If they’re the same or similar that would be one less gallon to carry.
Carolyn Shearlock says
I don’t know the specific difference, but I do believe that they are NOT the same. The Urine Digester does not do anything to hair in my experience, and that is usually one component of a clog which Marine Digest-It will “eat.”
Claire says
I LOVE this stuff, and the bowl cleaner that is available. We never have a ‘smell’ and it’s easy to use. I truly recommend it.