Toilets -- Again

[bwdeak]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

There is probably not a sailor alive that hasn't had to deal with the "head". Reading thru' this thread, I thought I'd throw my 2c in, but then decided, no, I wouldn't.

You see, there is the "head gremlin" that lives on people's boats. This little chap is invisible and sleeps during the day. At night he awakens and inspects the heads on people's boat so as to decide what part of the head to mess with. The little feller is most devious and a master at screwing up some or other part of a head.

I've tried laying out cookies and milk to mollify the chap, but to no avail. I've even resorted to laying out a tot of rum on the toilet seat, but the the little f**ker drinks the rum and still messes with the head.

If you awaken at night and hear giggling emanating from the head, be sure to know that is the gremlin hard at work.

In short, there is little one can do. Fixing, replacing, modifying, etc, are only short term fixes as the gremlin will soon figure out what you've done and be back to his evil ways in short order.

Chanting, lighting joss sticks, music, prayer, food and drink do not sway this evil incarnation and one must learn to live with this lil' devil.

So you see, adding my 2c would be of no use......

This made my day!

[Seadaddler]

I have sea era for many years and joker is easy to change and just changed
the motor pump when it got louder but I have separate fresh water sprayer next to head and can still use sea water if needed.
It has been best head for us.
Nick

[BelizeRumRunner]

Not true. I have a lavac and am replacing the pump diaphragm now. It lasted about 1.5 years and I live aboard with wife. I would prefer electric flush, but due to space constraints will stick to manual.

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by Greatest Lakes

I can confirm Lavac is pretty bulletproof. That said I do wish someone made a head with a bowl big enough for an adult man to use... some of us have a deeper draft than others and we need a slip that we can get the whole boat into without scraping into things...

Hilarious. Don't forget to tie your cleat hitch when in a storm.

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I can get to the hose on my Elegance head without taking the bowl out. And the bowl bolts to the floor, not a bulkhead. But for Elegance it probably doesn't matter because you would normally only do if you wanted to replace the joker valve and it is way less less trouble to just take out the 3 bowl mounting bolts out, leaving the mounting bracket attached to floor, and remove the whole unit to work on because you will want to replace the motor/pump seal at same time.

I can take mine out, remove the pump/motor, replace the seals and joker valve and reinstall in 30-45 minutes. That is the fat man working in the head labor time.

I am about to do this very job on this very same toilet this weekend. Will report back to see if I beat your time (althugh this will be my first time so...)

[Borja]

Their models tend to be a bit oversized for my boat's head but my friends with Tecma and Planus all swear by them.

Planus was founded by former Tecma engineers/management, hence why the design (and apparently quality) is so similar.

[Moana Bella]

Thanks, MicHughV
But I disagree -your 2c worth was very useful to me.
I’ve just moved to the aft cabin to avoid the gremlins evil work up front.
So I sure needed a laugh

[mstr_cmdr]

May I suggest the VETUS range of electric (12v or 24v) toilets (p/n TMW12Q)
with touch-button control panel (TMWBP).
The toilet is a "full size" bowl; with either fresh or salt water flush.
Also, the control panel can be selected to "fill, evacuate/macerate/flush, fill" (two levels), or independently fill, and/or flush.
I will let you do your own research, but I have no problems with either of the toilets since installation in FEB22.
Further, I use fresh water for flushing.

[Joli]

We've used Raritan Elegance toilets with fresh water flush for years. We're very happy with them. They don't use large amounts of water, don't stink and are fairly trouble free. I rebuild the toilet about every four years (joker valves, seals..)

[Dockhead]

I pulled the trigger on the Planus. The "Elite" one; fresh water. It will be a project to install it as I will have to reconfigure the floor a bit for it, but I'll report on how it works out when it's done.


It took me a while to get my head around how to install it, but I finally understood that I can cut a fairly good size hole in the floor which will then be covered with the toilet, and it shouldn't be hard to make the plumbing arrangements through that.

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I had an excellent Raritan manual toilet on my previous boat. But the Sea Era was such flimsy horrific carp I'm a little gun shy about the Sea Elegance. Also, it's not easily available in Europe.


You like your Jabsco?

Probably too late but elegance is awesome. 7 years and counting and I just replaced joker valve preventively when replacing head hoses. Get the smart flush panel. Well worth it IMO

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by GreenWave

I am about to do this very job on this very same toilet this weekend. Will report back to see if I beat your time (althugh this will be my first time so...)

Reporting back that the head job broke me yesterday. Spent five hours on this. Detaching the two hoses is nearly blind and was extremely difficult. But my big question is which way does the master shaft seal go in? I took it off without noticing. Diagram no use. Put it back the way I think it needs to work. Oh by the way… found a hair ball of stuff wrapped around the impeller. This thing required surgical instrument to remove.

Anyways, in the final reassembly I dropped the nut for the seat bolt that secures the vent. It is under the toilet somewhere which now requires removal of the bolts again. Ugh.

[Dockhead]

In with the new, out with the old.

The Planus arrived from the UK.

Now I can rip out the Raritan Sea Era and put it all with great pleasure into the trash.

I actually spent more money on two Raritan Sea Era conversions, than on the one Planus. I had intended back then to replace both of my toilets, but I couldn't install the one in the forward heads because of access issues.


Ironically, the Jabsco electric conversion (the old noisy type) in the forwards heads which I had intended to replace way back then, just keeps plugging along.


It was a good thing that I couldn't install both of the Raritans, because the one I did install soon failed (the flimsy macerator housing flexed and allows the macerator to chew up the pump housing), so I had to replace it with the uninstalled second one. Now that one failed -- motor seized. Bah!

The new toilet is obviously a completely different class. Unfortunately, it is heavy. Installation will be laborious. Hopefully will be the last one I install in this position.

[PegasusIX]

My Planus is great. Yes it’s in a completely different class to those other things!

[HeinSdL]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

In with the new, out with the old.

The Planus arrived from the UK.

Now I can rip out the Raritan Sea Era and put it all with great pleasure into the trash.

I actually spent more money on two Raritan Sea Era conversions, than on the one Planus. I had intended back then to replace both of my toilets, but I couldn't install the one in the forward heads because of access issues.


Ironically, the Jabsco electric conversion (the old noisy type) in the forwards heads which I had intended to replace way back then, just keeps plugging along.


It was a good thing that I couldn't install both of the Raritans, because the one I did install soon failed (the flimsy macerator housing flexed and allows the macerator to chew up the pump housing), so I had to replace it with the uninstalled second one. Now that one failed -- motor seized. Bah!

The new toilet is obviously a completely different class. Unfortunately, it is heavy. Installation will be laborious. Hopefully will be the last one I install in this position.

That Planus looks awfully complicated, more things to break at some point, I would say? I guess what I am really saying, there is a preference for a sh***y manual Jabsco (pun intended I suppose) on my boat with its two moving parts, some rubber seals which may or may not work 100% but are easily replaceable, combined with some muscle power...