Raising the head

[exranger]

OK, here's something I have not seen, but would like to do. I am 6'2" about, and my girlfriend is also fairly tall. The problem is quite simple but is causing both of us some discomfort, lol. I want to raise the heads in my boat about 6 inches.

Can i just build a wood/fiberglass box and mount the head on top? Am I missing something?

[SilentOption]

I have two heads onboard and they were both built on top of shelfs or boxes that were molded in during construction. I am only 6' but I know exactly what you are talking about. Sitting down you get that someone pulled the chair away feeling.

Smarter heads here than me(pun intended) will weigh in I'm sure, but raising the bowl may actually be advantageous over all.

[Morgan Paul]

I raised my bowl by about 6 inches and tore out and relocated a bulkhead in order to give me more elbow room in order to make it easier to sit, take a dump and wipe my ass. You are not missing anything. Go for it !

[Pelagic]

The ergonomic issue will be the height and angle sitting down from Knee to floor.

A proper installation should have a 90 degree knee bend for a standard adult size (You choose the standard) and the feet resting comfortably on the floor.

Making a shelf is a common solution and can actually improve access to plumbing.

Just make sure the wife isn’t left dangling!

PS Toilets also come in short models which are meant to be put on a shelf so as to get the right height

[exranger]

Phew! I am glad others have seen/addressed this! I have never actually seen a head raised, so I was wondering if there was some issue I was missing. It DOES feel like someone pulled a chair out from underneath me when i sit on it!

Actually, it feels like I am sitting on some kind of kiddie toilet. Just doesn't FEEL right, lol.

One other thing I did, with mild success, is to put a standard size toilet seat on mine. Maybe my arse is bigger than standard marine size, lol, but I always felt like valuable parts of me were just hanging off the edge of the seat. Combined with the Lillipution height, and it was just never an enjoyable event.

Now, once I raise the whole toilet up to the proper 90 degree knee-bend height, I might be all set....just have to find a good teak magazine rack....

[RBEmerson]

As a structural project, raising the seat comes down (as it were...) to nothing more than anticipating the forces working on the mounting bolts. Plumbing-wise, if anything, you may actually gain a bit of safety if you get things at or above the waterline (less chance of a siphon forming). Whatever you do, though, be sure you put in a vented loop between the head's pump and bowl and never, never, never between the inlet through-hull and pump.

[MidLandOne]

Originally Posted by RBEmerson

Whatever you do, though, be sure you put in a vented loop between the head's pump and bowl and never, never, never between the inlet through-hull and pump.

That rule is only, only, only for those who don't, don't don't know the trick of the trade that allows one to put the vented loop on the suction side of the pump (and which normally allows a much tidier piping arrangement).

[GordMay]

ITT-Jabsco have an excellent Instruction Sheet for their Manual Toilet, which includes these diagrams.
Goto:
http://www.jabsco.com/files/29090_29...data_sheet.pdf

http://www.cruisersforum.com/gallery...p?i=5210&c=500

[RBEmerson]

See, too, Raritan Engineering's manual (in .PDF format) for the Compact II commode, p.3: LINK

The only trick I've ever seen to make a vented loop on the intake side of the pump work is to put a piece of tape over the vent. Which rather defeats the vent's purpose. That or, I suppose, one could raise the commode to stay above the waterline.

As to concealing the vented loop, it takes a bit of thought, skill, and, of course, luck. On OWTW there are two white lines that run off, from the pump and the bowl, to a very nearby locker which is a good home for the vented loop. BTW, the loop (or at least the vent itself) has to be above the waterline at all times. Running a small hose up from the loop's air vent to a point that's high enough is, AFAIK, acceptable.

[MidLandOne]

Originally Posted by RBEmerson

The only trick I've ever seen to make a vented loop on the intake side of the pump work is to put a piece of tape over the vent. Which rather defeats the vent's purpose. That or, I suppose, one could raise the commode to stay above the waterline.

Use a loop such as the Forespar ones. Take the ducksbill or similar valve out of the valve fitting and replace it with a tightish cube of permeable foam (cut out of window strip or similar, but must be permeable to air ie not closed cell). Screw the cap back on, install loop and test.

On the suction stroke of the pump the foam will not let enough air in through itself to affect the pump suction but will pass enough air after pumping to let the water level down in the loop so that a siphon cannot start.

It won't leak as the only time it is wet there is slight inwards air flow through it. For same reason doesn't seem to get contaminated with salt crystals. Makes for much neater plumbing arrangements as if the loop can just go anywhere hidden away some where handy between the seacock and the bathroom and (on the Jabscos, for instance) the short piece of white hose from the pump to the bowl just stays as is.

Of course it won't work on a loop on the pressure side of anything else one will end up with a big puddle of seawater or pooey water , that depending on which you are pumping.

[delmarrey]

But I'm on the shorter side of the average (great for head room) so I left it where is was for the taller guests. I just added a platform that can be lifted up out of the way or for when I have to just pee, then higher is better!

[Zach]

The most elegant head elevation technique I've seen, was on a boat I toured a few years ago.

They set the head (Raritan electric flush...) down on a sheet of plywood, and drew out a line around the base. Then they cut it out, and made a bunch of copies. They stacked them up to raise it up to make a pedestal, and laminated the sheets into a block which was then bolted to the floor.

Those pedestals were perfectly painted, and might as well have been enamel/part of the throne.

[Badsanta]

Also I would suggest you replace the head with a house hold size bowl. I did mine, it was cheaper to put a whole new head than to buy the bowl. The larger size seat is much nicer.

[exranger]

Do they sell larger marine heads?

[RBEmerson]

Foam in a vent on the suction side... nah. That's little more than a finely calibrated hole in tape over the vent. What happens when deposits (calcium and dead biota) slowly clog the foam? Kinda rough to get a hint the loop's no longer vented only as water flows out of the top of the commode...