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Old 03-08-2020, 11:15   #61
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

We've had a Raritan Elegance for 5 years and are very happy with it. Its flush switch panel has 4 options - Normal Flush, Water Saver, Fill Only, and Empty Only. Even Water Saver uses far too much water and will quickly fill our undersized 11 gallon holding tank. However, with judicious use of the Fill and Empty buttons, and we don't use any more water than the previous Jabsco manual.
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Old 03-08-2020, 11:23   #62
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

Nature’s Head is a very good alternative. No mess, no fuss and no stench.
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Old 03-08-2020, 11:42   #63
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

We’ve been using TMC electric toilets for over 20 years. I replaced one about 15 years ago because it was under performing. Turned out the amperage wire used was to light. Beefed up the wire. Bingo. Minimal blockages. I’ve tried to block them by chucking down heaps of toilet paper. Never managed to block them. Currently have two TMCs on our present boat. Brilliant and about a third the price of a Jabsco.
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Old 03-08-2020, 11:43   #64
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

Only negative I had in my older boat was an interference with my fluxgate compass. Whenever someone flushed, the boat steared 45 degrees to starboard.
So do a dry test before you install it.
For the last 26 years I had two manual heads. Had to replace them twice, plus some maintenance, seals etc, and decalcification. Work was easier than with the electric.
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Old 03-08-2020, 12:08   #65
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

Na Mara came with two electric heads. They both broke several times over the period of two summer seasons when people did number twos. I have never had so much trouble with a heads before. They were crap (pun intended). I have now gone back to manual jabasco toilets with twist locks. Utterly reliably. Easy to fix. No back flow. No electricity consumption, doesn’t wake the whole boat at night and only uses seawater.

How hard is it really to pump a heads?

Sometimes simpler is best.
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Old 03-08-2020, 12:36   #66
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

Quote:
Originally Posted by sailorboy1 View Post
and here I just posted we use maybe 15 gal/wk with our freshwater head

in fact when we were in Bahamas were found that a 50 gal tank only lasted 6 days instead of the 7 days we used to get back in the manual head days

But you know what you do when you have a fresh water flush head and you get low on fresh water and need to conserve? You get a bucket of seawater and pour it into the bowl and flush it.
Its what we are doing now on a longer cruise to conserve our 3000 litres of fresh.
20litre bucket of saltwater next to head and a bowl to throw some in.

I have been using electric heads since the 90s, all TMC and would never go back to manual
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Old 03-08-2020, 14:02   #67
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

I’ve now fitted three Jabsco Quiet Flush seawater and never had a problem and would never have a manual again. Full size toilet with soft close lid makes being on board feel like a home. Haven’t experienced odour problems but we rinse And flush with the fresh water shower Occasionally and certainly if we leave the boat for a few weeks. Relatively simple to install yourself. Toilet has the macerator pump in the base and you also need to fit the seawater inlet pump nearby (has its own mini strainer). Switch had two options - auto which pumps water in and flushes at the same time or our preference manual pump in and manual flush. You choose how much water you need to flush for what your doing! Keeps the holding tank volume down. Toilet draws 6amps when flushing but it’s only for a few seconds so negligible in terms of power use.
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Old 03-08-2020, 14:15   #68
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

How would a vacuum head compare?
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Old 03-08-2020, 15:39   #69
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

Electric seems / is easier for most landlubbers. If you think about your guests, the toilets go electric.



Other than this, I properly hate electric ones, as I was paid for repairing them when I worked on big yachts - at times 8 or more units around. A proper **** job.



Mind there are many styles, simple macerators, vacuum, jet vacuum, etc. Use one that fits your project best. The jet vacuum ones (with a ball valve in the bowl) are very very passenger - friendly. Press the pedal and it is nice fresh and clean. They can be a bit 'noisy' though. In a specific Space-X way too.



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Old 03-08-2020, 15:39   #70
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

Also depends on crew. My girlfriend's seem to like the electric rather than manual. Less of a transition. I went salt water after treating a crew on a cat after thier fresh water toilet back fed into the drinking water. Valve failed.
I have a single battery for the head, close to the toilet motor, so i can get maximum power and efficiency.
On the manual toilet, sometimes water/sewage would spurt into the air and hit people in the face.
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Old 03-08-2020, 15:58   #71
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

Yuck. But technically 100% true.


;-)

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Old 03-08-2020, 16:10   #72
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

Quote:
Originally Posted by kmarsicola View Post
TMC has 1" fitting for water hose intake, as well as 1" discharge hose. I have 3/4" hose coming in and 1-1/2" discharge hose going out, so I needed adapters. Most boats have the same hose sizes as I do, so unless one wants to change thru hulls to 1", just not a good fit. Water doesn't come in very good, and flushing is never complete because of the adapted fit up.

With that said, if your boat is all plumbed to 1" in and out, then maybe they work better.

K


Ah, thanks for that. My plumbing didn’t present any such difficulties.

So, to be fair, the problem wasn’t really with the toilets themselves but the installation.
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Old 03-08-2020, 17:45   #73
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

I have both. My sailboat potty is manual and seems to work fine. It does take some training and guest monitoring to get them familiar with its operation. The first time they leave the valve in the wrong position and water flows out of the bowl onto the floor it gets their attention when I tell them they have to clean it. The Raritan electric toilets are "crap". I refer to it as a growler. Spend a bit more and get a Dometic or similar. Quieter, bigger bowl and better flush.
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Old 03-08-2020, 17:56   #74
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

I've seen a lot of comments about using fresh water to eliminate toilet odors. This is not necessary. Most of the toilet odor comes from the salt water fill hose. This becomes a Petri dish for foul growth when the toilet is not used, especially in warm climates. To solve this I installed a clorinator that uses swimming pool chlorine tablets. Water flows into a large manifold with 3 ports, salt in, out and a screw cap. Break tablet in 1/2. When salt water enters the manifold ( a simple 2" T fitting with 1/2 inch reducers) it picks up some chlorine. When the toilet is switched off some of the chlorinated salt water drains back into the feed hose killing bacteria. My feed line runs about 6 ft horizontal along the hull, making it an especially big Petri dish.Always a "sweet pot"
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Old 03-08-2020, 19:19   #75
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Re: Manual Head vs electric

We have a Lavac head that came with our 30 yr old Clearwater 35 when we acquired it 24 years ago. There’s nothing out there that is simpler or more foolproof.
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