Perplexed with water use H45CC

Nov 19, 2009
289
Hunter 45CC Ft Pierce and Abaco Bahamas
Hi all

I am utterly perplexed with the amount of fresh water my 45CC uses. It does have fresh water electric toilets, BUT how much can a flush cost me in gallons?? I am frugal with water use, and according to my gauge, I used 50 gallons in ¾ of a day with 4 people and no showers! I've done bareboat cruises with 8 people, with all of us "boat" showering, doing dishes, some cooking, (but these catamarans had ocean water pump toilets), and have barely used 150 gallons in 6 days! Does anyone know the GPH on the jabsco toilets. It's got to be the toilets using all the water. Also, no water is gathering in the bilge so no leaks. I'm getting ready to do some extended cruising and I think it's going to be my nemesis

Ron
 

macdu

.
Aug 31, 2014
12
Hunter 49 Vancouver
Hi Ron,
A bit of looking around suggests 2 qts /1.9l per flush. I have two Jabsco electric toilets with a crew of 3 and believe 2 qts to accurate. Thinking a bit about this - If the assumption is that close to 50 gallons was used just flushing the toilet the black holding tank would have been holding 50 gallons plus or would have had to of been emptied. If so some or all guests may have been flushing excessively.
 
Nov 19, 2009
289
Hunter 45CC Ft Pierce and Abaco Bahamas
Good point about the holding tanks, they are 48 gallons I believe and one is now about ⅝'s full, the other about ¼. I've tried to go with the saying, if it's yellow let it mellow, and only flush only don't flush with water. Washing dishes uses a bunch also, which is why I will wash dishes in ocean water (as well as wash myself) and do a quick fresh water rinse, and carry many gallons of drinking water. If it gets too nuts while cruising I may have to go with a portable water maker. I am also exploring rudimentary ways to collect rain water
 

jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
Your boat has 96 gallons of black water tankage? Wow.

Yea, doing the math, you have 42 gallons flushed into the tanks. Washing hands after each bathroom use, plus one load of dishes would easily bring the usage to 50 gallons.

1/2 gallon of fresh water every time one pees is really wasteful of water! Why don't you switch to salt water flush.
 
Nov 19, 2009
289
Hunter 45CC Ft Pierce and Abaco Bahamas
I actually talked about that with another boat owner friend. I'm wondering how much work it would be to switch it over.
 

jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
Shouldn't be too hard. But, what kind of toilets are they? Maybe you could get a controller upgrade that has a "Number 1" and Number 2" switch.
 
Nov 19, 2009
289
Hunter 45CC Ft Pierce and Abaco Bahamas
Jabso's. They actuLly have two switches. Top one is flush and brings in water, bottom one if you toggle to the right it flushes only, left toggle only bring in water. Essentially a #1 and #2 switch
 
Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
kinda interested in why you would EVER want to use your fresh water to flush. Salt water is fine, cheap and in great supply. Fresh water is OK also but not cheap and certainly not in great supply
 
Feb 16, 2012
198
Hunter 45 CC Alamitos Bay, Long Beach
Your Hunter 45 CC should have two switches, you, (or anybody on your boat) can control the amount of fresh water going into the bowl. As for washing dishes, on our 2005 Hunter 45 CC I added a through hull and a "Whale" hand galley pump, so now we wash the dishes with salt water, and rinse them with fresh water. This has turned out to be a big savings in the amount of fresh water that we use.
 

jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
kinda interested in why you would EVER want to use your fresh water to flush. Salt water is fine, cheap and in great supply. Fresh water is OK also but not cheap and certainly not in great supply
This thread could go down that debate path, I'm sure. And it would be never ending.
 
Nov 19, 2009
289
Hunter 45CC Ft Pierce and Abaco Bahamas
kinda interested in why you would EVER want to use your fresh water to flush. Salt water is fine, cheap and in great supply. Fresh water is OK also but not cheap and certainly not in great supply
Bill
It's the way it was set up by the original owner and the way it was when I bought it last year
 
Nov 19, 2009
289
Hunter 45CC Ft Pierce and Abaco Bahamas
Your Hunter 45 CC should have two switches, you, (or anybody on your boat) can control the amount of fresh water going into the bowl. As for washing dishes, on our 2005 Hunter 45 CC I added a through hull and a "Whale" hand galley pump, so now we wash the dishes with salt water, and rinse them with fresh water. This has turned out to be a big savings in the amount of fresh water that we use.
Yes it has two switches as I described above. I need to teach the little lady a bit more.
I will be putting dishes in a square bucket and putting salt water in it to wash. I wish I had a salt water option for the sink. Certainly an option
 
Nov 19, 2009
289
Hunter 45CC Ft Pierce and Abaco Bahamas
So now I'll ask, what's the best dish detergent to use in salt water
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,875
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
My PO had installed a Whale foot pump to route salt water to a spout he'd installed on the sink separator .. really is a nice thing to have and easy to use .. ya step on the little pedal and salt water comes out.
IMG_0101.JPG
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
... what's the best dish detergent to use in salt water
"Joy" . It works so well, someone even wrote an ode to it:) Even the manager of the local Giant food store knows this. They quit carrying it once, and she caught holy heck for it not being on the shelves.
 
Nov 19, 2009
289
Hunter 45CC Ft Pierce and Abaco Bahamas
Yeah most of the boats I've bareboated in the BVIs had those
 

Sailm8

.
Feb 21, 2008
1,746
Hunter 29.5 Punta Gorda
Why not just fill a gallon jug like an empty clorox jug with salt water and use it to flush. We use gallon jugs with fresh water when we cruise and about 4 of them last us about a week to 10 days. Just 2 of us on board.
 
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