Talking Crap!

[time-ex]

This is probably going to get all sorts of reaction, but it really is a serious point of issue where I work. Working on vacuum toilet systems! How does your workplace deal with this?
You watch the SLF leave the aircraft, you go on and read the Tech Log entry, “J Toilet blocked” You set off to investigate, and, cautiously opening J toilet door you are met by the closed toilet lid, using your longest GS you inch up the toilet lid.
If you are lucky there is some mucky water in the bottom, a couple of pieces of toilet tissue stuck to the sides and because the main tank is full the toilet has been prevented from flushing. The toilet tanks are dumped and the toilet flush function returns, the toilet now works, nice empty toilet bowl.
As usual though, the toilet tank is full, the toilet stopped flushing 6 hours ago and you are faced with the deposits of several desperate toilet users. The bowl is half full of human waste products, the stench is nauseating and the aircraft is due out in 90 minutes. What do you do? What is the company policy? The potential for disease in that bowl is obvious.
The company I work for has invested in mobile showers (hardly ever used), fancy suits and toolkits that are only used for this sort of thing and steam cleaned after.

Until recently, it was voluntary whether you tackled the job or not, now it seems that everybody has to be prepared to use the toilet cart to remove the bowl debris, then seek out the cause of the problem and rectify, but there is always some guy goes to the manager and says “give me the standard toilet servicing payment plus 4 hours overtime and I’ll sort it”. He goes in with a pair of rubber gloves on and sorts it out. Maybe he finds it’s not so simple and he re-negotiates an extra couple of hours overtime to break down the system and remove the blockage. He is £100 – 200 better off but not sure if he has Hepatitis C.

Maybe the manager says lock the toilet out, the aircraft flies a round trip with a bowl full of crap while a plan of action is worked out.

What course of action is right? I know you most of you will have a written code of practice to follow i.a.w. COSH and H&S etc. but what actually happens? Any extra cash? Any vaccinations on offer?

While I see the advantages of the vacuum toilet, I was happier working on the old Racasan system when it was unserviceable. Was it any safer?

[Blacksheep]

Thank God I'm avionics! :)

Seriously though, no matter how unpleasant this task is there are standard procedures and safety precautions. The problem is that these take a long time to follow and the pressure to avoid an engineering delay comes out clearly in this post. No-one can force you to take short cuts on this one and health must come first; the safety of ground staff is just as important as the safety of passengers and crew. If one of your colleagues puts only himself at risk that's his business. But in this case, if anyone gets himself infected with Hepetitis then he can infect his co-workers afterwards, it is not simply his own business. Do you have your own cups in the crew room? You do? OK, how about a water fountain? and so on. So, its in everyone's interest to prevent violation of the approved safety precautions.

As far as the safety of vacuum toilets is concerned, they cannot be as hygienic as the old Racasan types as they can never disinfect the contents as effectively. They are based on the concept of using the minimum amount of fluid to dispose of the waste, while isolating the contents from human contact altogether. As we in the business know, the 'isolation from contact' idea is just a load of cr*p.

Finally, a friendly tip. Never shake hands with Racasan Dan the Sanitary Man. He's easy to recognise, he's the guy with green finger nails...

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Through difficulties to the cinema

[spannerhead]

I have heard of a way of unblocking these vacuum toilets.
1: Take a large diameter pipe (similar OD to the toilet bowl waste pipe).
2: Place one end down the blocked toilet, a nice tight fit!
3: Place the other end down a serviceable toilet, again ensure a nice tight fit!
4: Flush the serviceable toilet and stand back.
Apparently the blockage flies through the pipe at 90 MPH (and probably blocks the serviceable toilet). Imagine trying this technique to unblock a fwd bog using a serviceable rear one. :) :) :)

[jetfueldrinker]

spannerhead, you are quite right in what you say regarding using a servicable bog to get rid af crap from a u/s one. On 767's, the usual suspect is the dreaded 'U' bends just aft of the mid bogs, and that is seats out, floor boards up, et al. Not a nice job, but worth a bob or two. If vinagre and ice were used daily, then it reduces the occurance of stuck bogs, but if course it costs, so the bean counters won't sanction it. And if you haden't guessed, I hate working on bog systems, Racasan or vacuum.