Self sufficiency

Snow Goose is really a mini city in respect to utilities. You must generate your own electricity (both 12volt and 120 volt) and have the distribution network for it. We also must provide a safe supply of drinking water and the pumps to move it around, and of course, you’re also your own sewer system. A boat though, has two sewer systems (gray and black water) that are handled separately. On Snow Goose, the solar panels supply our energy needs, and with the addition of a 3rd water tank we now have enough water to supply us for 30 days. The gray water (sink/shower water) goes overboard. It’s the black water that’s the choke point. Snow Goose is equipped with a 40 Gal tank for black water. Under normal usage this fills in about 10 days to 2 weeks. So every other week it becomes necessary to find a marina for a “pump out” or go offshore at least 3 miles to empty the tank. Right now, we are down to about 3 days of capacity left so today, it’s off to the city marina in Titusville for a pump out. I keep track of the fluid levels in 5 different tanks (2 fuel, 2 water, 1 black water) with one, an air pressure driven fluid level test gauge. You press the button of the tank that you want to test and pump a little bit of air through a tube into the tank. The resulting feedback pressure corresponds to the level of fluid in the tank. One gauge, 5 different readings, no electricity!