Toilet Engineering

[s/v Jedi]

My Raritan Atlantis units lasted 15 years before first problem popped up (required new solenoid valve).

[poiu]

The Italians make the best toilets. Planus or Tecma. Fitted to all high end motor yachts. They are on my planned refit list. Jabsco are cheap and nasty.

[Phyrcooler]

Originally Posted by poiu

The Italians make the best toilets. Planus or Tecma. Fitted to all high end motor yachts. They are on my planned refit list. Jabsco are cheap and nasty.

Interesting thought. My experience, though admittedly limited, does not hold Italian products with such esteem. I have no experience with either brand. Over the years, I’ve heard the Raritan Marine Elegance highly recommended by many, including Peggy Hall. It also came out highly recommended in tests by Practical Sailor.

My last two boats have had manual toilets (Raritan and Jabsco). No problems with either when maintained per recommendation. I’m looking to trade out our current toilet for an electric fresh water flush. The Marine Elegance is going to be a tight (or not) fit. So I may be stuck(?) with a Jabsco Quiet flush, as it’s almost a direct replacement for the current Jabsco Twist-n-lock. Not sure how much of a downgrade the Quiet flush is compared to the Marine Elegance (Peggy - help!??!). I don’t care how noisy it is, as long as all the poop goes away!!

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by poiu

The Italians make the best toilets. Planus or Tecma. Fitted to all high end motor yachts. They are on my planned refit list. Jabsco are cheap and nasty.

I've installed a few of them.
They are of good quality, and I've considered one for my own boat.
But, they are "fussy" to install, there's not a lot of wiggle room to make connections,, components/connections are rather packed together quite close.
The soft rubber connectors are metric, easily deformed/kinked, and the brass water fittings for the external valves are British Standard Pipe Threads, so you will need adaptors.
However, they work well, the macerator pumps are powerful, and have no trouble moving waste to tanks.
Just be sure to allow good working access,, but I suppose that's good advice for most any mechanical/electrical contrivance.
As for replacement parts, not to worry, Tecma products are widely used in the RV industry, so you don't have to go to a "marine" store to order parts.

[Manateeman]

Two Skipper heads still resist the punishments of the manatee crew. Probably Groco is a fine alternative. I like everything they produce.
The Italian heads. Interesting, I need to learn more.

Someday I shall post a long thread about composting and the microbial requirements of a functional compost pile. I shall also discuss the insufficient inactivation of pathogens and lastly, the problems of plastic disposal and ecological damage which results.
They simply do not inhibit pathogenic microbial growth and they certainly do not inactivate them. Add to that the issues of plastics.
Not just one of the silliest ideas in small system waste treatment , but one of the most ecologically destructive to boot.
Composting head ? Never.

Happy trails to you.
Mark and his manatee crew.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

Two Skipper heads still resist the punishments of the manatee crew. Probably Groco is a fine alternative. I like everything they produce.

The Skipper is without doubt the best manual marine head ever built, it is so far ahead that their is no second place,, the Groco K is the only thing that comes remotely close.
It was indeed a sad day in history when Thetford discontinued the Skipper, and stopped supporting the parts.
Thankfully some parts are still available after-market,, but I fear that the Skipper may become a dinosaur in the fairly near future.
Their has never been a plastic head built that was worth rebuilding, you just throw them away and get a new one,, rinse and repeat often.

[Bruce K]

Originally Posted by poiu

The Italians make the best toilets. Planus or Tecma. Fitted to all high end motor yachts. They are on my planned refit list. Jabsco are cheap and nasty.

I've got 3 Tecma's on my boat, have had no trouble with any of them in 9 years.

[Methersgate]

Blake’s Victory.

[DeValency]

The main issue is the conversion kit. It is appealing as you can keep most of the manual toilet parts and plumbing and inexpensive vs. a complete electric toilet. However, as the OP described it is cheaply made and basically a poor improvisation.

I have a good experience with the Tecma EasyFit electric, still keeping one head with a manual Jabsco - just in case...

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

Two Skipper heads still resist the punishments of the manatee crew. Probably Groco is a fine alternative. I like everything they produce.
The Italian heads. Interesting, I need to learn more.

Someday I shall post a long thread about composting and the microbial requirements of a functional compost pile. I shall also discuss the insufficient inactivation of pathogens and lastly, the problems of plastic disposal and ecological damage which results.
They simply do not inhibit pathogenic microbial growth and they certainly do not inactivate them. Add to that the issues of plastics.
Not just one of the silliest ideas in small system waste treatment , but one of the most ecologically destructive to boot.
Composting head ? Never.

Happy trails to you.
Mark and his manatee crew.

Mr Manatee, sir:

The heads of which you speak that we use on boats do not compost at all actually. The name is a misnomer. They are desiccating heads.

The dry medium we dump in there inactivates the microbes through desiccating the solid waste. This is what makes them completely odorless, as opposed to the marine head stink we just end up getting used to and forgetting about.

The liquid waste goes in a separate compartment and is emptied every few days. This is the big downside, in my opinion. The storage of liquid waste. It’s annoying to watch for overflow and empty every few days.

For solids? There couldn’t be a better system. Works a lot like really good cat litter.

As to the plastics, they make bio-degradable bags that can be used. I must admit that I have not used these, however. I used standard kitchen garbage bags that need changing once every 4 months or so if I recall.

[goboatingnow]

I love my jabsco manual heads I get to repair them regularly and I have a zillion spares mopping up the small leaks is no chore really

[smj]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Mr Manatee, sir:

The heads of which you speak that we use on boats do not compost at all actually. The name is a misnomer. They are desiccating heads.

The dry medium we dump in there inactivates the microbes through desiccating the solid waste. This is what makes them completely odorless, as opposed to the marine head stink we just end up getting used to and forgetting about.

The liquid waste goes in a separate compartment and is emptied every few days. This is the big downside, in my opinion. The storage of liquid waste. It’s annoying to watch for overflow and empty every few days.

For solids? There couldn’t be a better system. Works a lot like really good cat litter.

As to the plastics, they make bio-degradable bags that can be used. I must admit that I have not used these, however. I used standard kitchen garbage bags that need changing once every 4 months or so if I recall.

I guess you could divert the liquid into a holding tank but then you digress into storing large quantities of toxic material.
I met some people that diverted the liquids into a 5 gallon gas jug. Still pretty easy to handle but not enough capacity to cause a major problem?

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I love my jabsco manual heads I get to repair them regularly and I have a zillion spares mopping up the small leaks is no chore really

They are repairable ? We just buy a new pump once a decade, job done. Of course it helps if you pump the thing properly, so that all hoses are empty and that concretion doesn't have chance to build up.

Other than the pump there isn't much to go wrong with them is there?

Pete

[Manateeman]

A comprehensive review of science publications on small system dry composting toilets is sadly lacking but one observation is clear...small units have limited capacity to absorb peak loads.
For a good place to begin I would recommend :
Survival of Fecal Coliforms in Dry Composting Toilets
Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
I’ll add to this later.
Captain Mark

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

A comprehensive review of science publications on small system dry composting toilets is sadly lacking but one observation is clear...small units have limited capacity to absorb peak loads.
For a good place to begin I would recommend :
Survival of Fecal Coliforms in Dry Composting Toilets
Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
I’ll add to this later.
Captain Mark

Oh yeah. If you have a crew of 4 manatees, you really need more than a single desiccating head. You’re absolutely right.

The standard size (5 gallon) works best for 1-2 people. Hell, even one manatee could probably destroy a single dedicating head in a single deposit.

Too many people and the desiccating head doesn’t dry things out.