Untitled1 main

For airlines, the biggest long-term threat comes from the daily build up of tar and scale inside complex and expensive titanium pipe systems onboard aircraft.

Many toilet chemicals use an inexpensive deodorant with an overwhelming perfume to superficially cover up the odour leaving scale unchallenged and actually contributing to the long term problems of tar build up.

Tests prove that the strong chemicals in SKYKEM prevent lime scale deposits without adding to the tar build up that closes pipe work and restricts the flow of solids that should be flushed to the waste tank.

The Tar Test
SKYKEM instigated laboratory tests using eleven toilet chemicals in current use in the airline industry.

This photograph shows the results and demonstrates the wide variation between products.
The bar chart quantifies these results comparing the weight of residual tars.

As you can see, SKYKEM produces negligible tar deposits when compared with other chemicals.

What causes Tar build up?
The sticky black tar found in systems is caused by a reaction between coffee and urine that is actively compounded by use of some toilet chemicals.

As tar deposits build up between overhauls they begin to accumulate waste and harbour the bugs and germs that risk contamination. This also creates bad odours that can escape from the toilet area into the passenger cabin.

If Tar is allowed to build up over time it will eventually close the pipe work until the system breaks down. At this stage the only option is to strip out pipe work for manual cleaning. This is obviously both expensive and time consuming.

It is also avoidable.

How do I prevent Tar build up?
There are two ways to prevent tar build up.

1 Daily maintenance
SKYKEM Toilet Fluid and Sachets are proven to minimise Tar build up. They also contain the right quantities of antibacterial agent, cleaner and perfume to offer the most hygienic solution possible for treating human waste in aircraft toilet systems.

British Airways conducted extensive tests over a three year period to find the best solution for their prestige Concorde service. The high altitudes and high operating temperatures of Concorde placed the most difficult demands on toilet cleaning products. As the flagship service it was also imperative that any products selected meet the challenge 100%. SKYKEM was the only product capable of passing British Airways tests and was uniquely specified as a single choice for uplifts at all destinations.