Head problems, long story

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by LBirdie87

I’m new to living aboard a 1993 Silverton 31’, ...

Originally Posted by LBirdie87

This may be a stupid question but how hard of a job is that really for one person with very little experience? Changing the hoses?

There's an owners forum at silvertonclub.com; somebody there may know your boat layout and so forth. Modest annual fee, mostly to fight spam.

-Chris

[CHRIS V CLEMENT]

I recently replaced a 50 year old head with a Nature’s Head Self Contained Composting toilet. It is available on Amazon for $1,030.00.

What an improvement !!!

My Gulfstar 41 was never equipped with a holding tank.

The new composting head has a small internal 12v fan that vents to the exterior.

There is no odor at all… There are reports that indicate that two person live aboards can typically go 2 weeks without emptying the compost tank.

We do not live aboard. It has been 6 months and we have not needed to empty it yet.

[gs41escapade]

Good luck with your head repairs. One quick tip that may be obvious to most, but wasn't to me at first: Use a hair dryer to heat the sanitation hose where and when you need to make a bend, or connect to the fittings. It will make the hose pliable and easy to work with while warm. It's "difficult" otherwise.

[Mike Burch]

One more thing: spend the money for sanitation hose that won't start to stink in a year or two...


Amen to that! Made the mistake of going cheap once—never again!

[SpiritofGlenans]

There has been no mention of the seacocks. If some previous owner has misguidedly fitted gate-valves, rather than the ball-valves that are normally used, this may be at the root of your problem. If an old gate-valve has failed in the closed, or partially closed position, it will not allow enough water through to efficiently flush the bowl. Gate valves can be distinguished by the fact that they are operated by a hand-wheel, rather than a lever that turns through 90 degrees. If you do find that you have gate valves, you will have to haul out your boat and replace them with ball valves (search "ISO 9093-1:2018", for the best type to use on recreational craft).