Electric toilet advice please

[Heath68]

I am hoping to replace the bowls of 4 existing electric heads for larger seats. I am in Spain so maybe its a language thing but they seem to be saying I need to buy new electric toilets? (ie bowl and machinery and lid that I also don't need).

As far as I can see, the existing toilets have a water in-pipe at the back and then a big RM69 pump that chooses the black tank or out to sea. The pump is in the floor well away from the wc. Is there some magic happening under the wc that I don't know about and that's why I need to buy electric toilets?

Any advice please as the quote I've had is nearly £10k

Thanks
Heath

[Tupaia]

The bowls comfort (normal size bums) and compact (small bums) all have the same fittings and to my knowledge are interchangeable, even between makes.
The cheapest solution is to buy new manual toilets locally about Euro 150 each strip out the bowl and then sell the remaining bits seat, pump, base etc on ebay or milanuncios

Or buy the just bowl +VAT +shipping almost as much or more than a complete manual toilet.

https://www.svb24.com/en/rm-69-spare...lain-bowl.html
https://www.svb24.com/en/jabsco-par-...rmal-size.html


Note: a friend did this and found the toilet compartment door wouldn't open.

[Heath68]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

The bowls comfort (normal size bums) and compact (small bums) all have the same fittings and to my knowledge are interchangeable, even between makes.
The cheapest solution is to buy new manual toilets locally about Euro 150 each strip out the bowl and then sell the remaining bits seat, pump, base etc on ebay or milanuncios

Or buy the just bowl +VAT +shipping almost as much or more than a complete manual toilet.

https://www.svb24.com/en/rm-69-spare...lain-bowl.html
https://www.svb24.com/en/jabsco-par-...rmal-size.html


Note: a friend did this and found the toilet compartment door wouldn't open.

So these would simply bolt on top of the existing base!? That might be easier than I thought.
I don't know the make of the existing, they are 20yrs old. I was looking to replace it with a more stylish pan like this but didn't know if I could without buying a load of "electric" stuff to go with it

[peghall]

Marine toilet bowls only come in two sizes--"standard" aka "marine" (small round and a bit shallow) and "household" (oval shaped, a bit deeper, seats/lids that fit can often be found the plumbing section of major hardware stores). Most toilet mfrs get their bowls from the same source, so their bowls are pretty much interchangeable. So you might try contacting one of 'em with a tale of woe about needing to replace cracked bowl. Jabsco (parent company is Xylem Flow Control) has a plant in the UK...they should send you to a dealer who'll sell you the bowl size you want for a reasonable price.



Or....This may seem a bit "off the wall," but boat yards often have perfectly good toilets in their junk piles--most often manual toilets that they'd replaced with electric toilets. They can't sell "used" toilets even if they're clean as a whistle, so you might be able to score a larger bowl from one of 'em. I used to pick up a couple of bowls in both sizes, cleaned and sterilized 'em to have on hand in the spring to sell as a cheap replacement to people whose bowls had cracked due to incompetent winterizing.


--Peggie

[sailcrazy]

As I understand your question.....what you really want is a bigger opening in the (fold-up) seat? We also noted that issue, both me and my wife, and I solved it by doing 2 things.
(1) I made-then later found listed at Home Depot-an "L" shaped plastic bracket that screws to the bottom of the seat, fits snuggly against the bowl side, and prevents the seat from sliding sideways. One on ea side works like a charm! And
(2) I lowered the seat, marked the actual porcelain rim perimeter on the bottom of the seat , removed the seat and "recontoured it with a wood rasp-taking care NOT to go beyond the bowl perimeter. The seat itself is just painted wood. After sanding smooth, I repainted it, and reinstalled it. It now resembles an "elongated" seat, but fits the bowl we had.
The end result is a much more comfortable seat, it looks "normal", didn't require replacing anything/spending $$, and solved the issue.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by Heath68

So these would simply bolt on top of the existing base!? That might be easier than I thought.
I don't know the make of the existing, they are 20yrs old. I was looking to replace it with a more stylish pan like this but didn't know if I could without buying a load of "electric" stuff to go with it Attachment 247163

Yes, it is a nut and bolt job, plus a bit of bleach and some rubber gloves.

The picture of the completely different toilet would mean total replacement and the price you were quoted is not that far off.

If you are changing to a different brand of "electric" make sure the wiring is up to the job. Nothing worse than a fire when you are indisposed.

A final tip. any toilet work should be done with your mouth firmly closed

[peghall]

If you're considering upgrading to an electric toilet, find one that you like, decide whether you want one that uses sea water or onboard pressurized fresh water and post a link to the make/model...I can give you a link to the owners manual that includes the installation instructions.

The ones that look like the one in the photo you posted are a bit on the pricy side, but there are several that have a bowl bolted onto the top of the "works" (pump/motor assembly) and yes, any bowl that has a 4-bolt mounting pattern will fit any other toilet base that has the same 4 bolt mounting pattern. If you can be happy keeping the small bowl, you can even buy just the base (a "conversion kit") which allows you to reuse your existing bowl, seat and lid. Shipping costs for a "conversion" will be a lower too 'cuz toilet bowls are HEAVY! You can always upgrade your bowl later.

Installation of most electric toilets is actually pretty easy and require only that the toilet be on its own separate electric circuit, shared by nothing else, not even cabin lights, and the right size wire for that toilet and its distance from the power source, measured round trip. Plumbing is not much different from the plumbing to your existing toilet.

--Peggie

[Na Mara]

I don’t understand why people prefer electric toilets. I just don’t. My boat came with two and they both broke down all the time and in ways that mere mortals can’t fix on the go. They were also loud and used a fair amount of electricity. They also used more water per flush which meant full black water tanks faster.

I can strip and service a manual toilet myself. Hell you can replace the entire pump assembly in 10-20mins. As marine toilets regularly play up the ability to be able to fix them easily is essential in my book. They are quieter in use, allow you to control how much you flush, and use no electricity. Is it really so hard to pump a handle 10-15 times after a visit to the head? I just don’t get it. I changed both my electric toilets for manual large bowls and haven’t had a problem since (but get the ones which don’t rely on joker valves to prevent back flow).

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Na Mara

I don’t understand why people prefer electric toilets. I just don’t. My boat came with two and they both broke down all the time and in ways that mere mortals can’t fix on the go. They were also loud and used a fair amount of electricity. They also used more water per flush which meant full black water tanks faster.



I can strip and service a manual toilet myself. Hell you can replace the entire pump assembly in 10-20mins. As marine toilets regularly play up the ability to be able to fix them easily is essential in my book. They are quieter in use, allow you to control how much you flush, and use no electricity. Is it really so hard to pump a handle 10-15 times after a visit to the head? I just don’t get it. I changed both my electric toilets for manual large bowls and haven’t had a problem since (but get the ones which don’t rely on joker valves to prevent back flow).

I had two electric Jabscos , original to the boat 20 years old worked perfectly , I could strip and clean them in 15 mins

[Heath68]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Yes, it is a nut and bolt job, plus a bit of bleach and some rubber gloves.

The picture of the completely different toilet would mean total replacement and the price you were quoted is not that far off.

If you are changing to a different brand of "electric" make sure the wiring is up to the job. Nothing worse than a fire when you are indisposed[emoji2].

A final tip. any toilet work should be done with your mouth firmly closed

Thanks very much. I have ended up buying one that I think will fit the space, if it does I can order more. I've also considered removing one and taking it (cleaned of course) to the chandlers and saying get me 4 of these with comfort seats (bigger)..

[Heath68]

Originally Posted by peghall

If you're considering upgrading to an electric toilet, find one that you like, decide whether you want one that uses sea water or onboard pressurized fresh water and post a link to the make/model...I can give you a link to the owners manual that includes the installation instructions.

The ones that look like the one in the photo you posted are a bit on the pricy side, but there are several that have a bowl bolted onto the top of the "works" (pump/motor assembly) and yes, any bowl that has a 4-bolt mounting pattern will fit any other toilet base that has the same 4 bolt mounting pattern. If you can be happy keeping the small bowl, you can even buy just the base (a "conversion kit") which allows you to reuse your existing bowl, seat and lid. Shipping costs for a "conversion" will be a lower too 'cuz toilet bowls are HEAVY! You can always upgrade your bowl later.

Installation of most electric toilets is actually pretty easy and require only that the toilet be on its own separate electric circuit, shared by nothing else, not even cabin lights, and the right size wire for that toilet and its distance from the power source, measured round trip. Plumbing is not much different from the plumbing to your existing toilet.

--Peggie

Thanks for the offer on the instructions etc.. as I learn which end is which on my boat I'm finding out more and more about what a can and can't do.. I'd have plastic if it looked OK as I really don't want to add weight to the boat if I can help it.