Electroscan Treatment System

Electroscan Waste Treatment Device

The most popular Type I MSD (Marine Sanitation Device) on the market. Raritan worked with Diamond Shamrock back in the 1970’s to develop a small waste treatment device for vessels under 65’. It was a market that nobody was interested in but Raritan felt it important that even small boats discharging a flush at a time should do their part to help protect the water and the environment that all boaters enjoy!

The original design was nothing more than a macerating box that injected a small amount of chlorine into the box for disinfectant. It was quite rudimentary but it solved the problem of putting high levels of harmful bacteria into the water. The first system developed in conjunction with Diamond Shamrock utilized a patented plate system that generated hypochlorous acid from salt water when electricity was applied. The lab test were impressive and reduced the fecal coliform count down to less than 14 parts per 100 ml.

In the years that followed the USEPA and U.S. Coast Guard enacted legislation that regulated the discharge from vessels. The current laws today, as written in 1974 state that a Type I device can not put out more than 1,000 fecal coliform per 100 ml. Remember, Raritan’s first Lectra/San put out only 14 per 100 ml.

Today’s unit is called the Electroscan and while the basic principle for operation has not changed the amount of power required to run it has. Many changes were made to improve the controls including the ability to see whether or not someone is using the system. It contains a board that allows for serial connection and all the treatment data can be read out to a simple text file. In addition it was discovered the amperage draw did not need to be as high as the original unit. New controls keep the amperage from climbing above a certain amount because independent test data shows that increased amperage does not mean better treatment.

The simple and basic operation of the system is as follows: the system needs salt water in order to operate properly and salt can be added when not in full seawater conditions. When the system is activated the electrical charge applied to the patented plates generates the disinfectant to kill viruses and bacteria. As that disinfectant is generated the high speed macerator breaks apart the waste allowing greater contact between waste and disinfectant. If your toilet uses freshwater we recommend considering the Purasan.

The Electroscan is a flow through device so once the toilet is flushed it pushes out previously treated waste and begins treating the flush that has just entered the first macerating chamber.

See All Electroscan Treatment System Products & Parts >>

The most common Type I Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) on the market. The Electroscan was the first USCG certified device back in 1972. Raritan has long believed that treating toilet waste at the source is, in most cases, the best way to deal with waste on a boat. The original Lectra/San treated the waste in much the same way today’s Electroscan treats the waste. The biggest difference and improvement in the system is the monitoring of how well it is producing the disinfectant needed to kill the bacteria and viruses.

Because the effectiveness of the treatment has a direct correlation to the amperage draw the system monitors it to be certain the draw is high enough to produce the disinfectant. The Electrode plates work much like that of a salt water swimming pool. The plates have a special coating and when electricity is applied in salt water it generates a chlorine like acid that effectively kills bacteria but is safe because it is unstable.

The Electroscan is a more environmentally friendly solution than dumping a full holding tank into the water when a pump out cannot be found or is inoperable. Always discharge responsibly and only use the system in areas not declared Federal No Discharge Zones and in areas that have sufficient water flow.