Why are the International Pump Out Connection Standards still not being followed?
Meeting an inward mission of International Marine Journalists at the National Sailing Centre in Portland, LeeSan staff used samples of currently available and installed pump out fittings, found on many boats, to demonstrate the problems when connections won’t connect. 
Since 1975 there has been a recognised International Standard for pump out deck fittings and for pump out hose probes. The standard ensures that when any boat requires its grey and black water holding tank pumped out the probe on the end of the pump out unit’s hose will fit the boat’s deck fitting perfectly. This provides a vacuum tight connection to enable fast, clean, hands free (and trouble free) pump out.
So why, over thirty years later, are numerous boats still being built and sold with non standard fittings, which will cause no end of problems when attempting to empty their waste tanks, being sold to unsuspecting customers?
Gary Sutcliffe, LeeSan’s Operations Director (currently Chairman of the BMF Environmental and Boating Facilities Committee), is working hard to try to make sure that pump out does not suffer in a similar way to electrical and gas installations with a mass of dissimilar connections, which either require complex “adapters” to even make them work badly or in some cases just won’t work at all.
Chris Coburn, LeeSan’s Chairman is also still working to ensure that these recognised ISO Standard fitting are installed, but as he comments “I was a young man when we thought we had this all sorted out in 1975. All this time later I am still here banging on about it. I think it’s about time this one was sorted out once and for all, particularly since more and more boats are being required to fit holding tanks. In fact at our boat show stands over 50% of the enquiries nowadays are about holding tanks!”
Most of the Journalists who talked to LeeSan were unaware of the standards, but were very aware of the problems which non compliance would continue to cause.
For more information on the ISO 8099 "International Pump Out Connection" Standards pleasecontact Lee Sanitation Ltd. 01295 770000 www.leesan.com |
