1974 Catalina 27 toilet removal tips tricks ?

[WABI-SABI]

Any tips tricks to not get shat on? It’s a pump toilet with 3 way lock valve that connects to tank and pump out. I need to remove it temporarily to paint behind it.

No pumping station and it doesn’t appear to be draining when I open the valve. The tank still fills heavy as if it has shit in it ‘literally’

Yes I‘ll be safe and wear a plastic bag over my head duck taped around my neck to avoid the Hep.

 

[dlochner]

Yes I‘ll be safe and wear a plastic bag over my head duck taped around my neck to avoid the Hep.

If you do this, you might not have to worry about painting behind the head.

 

[31seahorse]

Tip/Trick? Get someone else to do it!

We removed a holding tank from an Oday 30 that we had purchased after it stayed unattended in a marina for over a year. We took the tank home to dispose of the "stuff" left in it. My wife counseled against that plan, but I thought I knew better. Result: dropped the tank and its connected hoses in the garage! That required a complete garage washout.

I also helped a friend replace the "marine sanitary device and its tubing" on his Catalina 30. He commented that true friendship is shown by a person who will not mind being doused by someone else's urine!

Will it really matter if you don't paint the difficult-to-reach area?

 

[Justin_NSA]

Will it really matter if you don't paint the difficult-to-reach area?

Or if you must, will one of those really thin paint rollers get behind it?

 

[rgranger]

Or if you must, will one of those really thin paint rollers get behind it?

Or some paint in a garden sprayer....

But on a serious note.... if you actually must remove it, you need to find a way to empty that tank. Maybe sacrifice an old shop-vac and suck it out throught the pump-out port.... it would also be a good excuse to buy a new shop vac (the one you always wanted

 

[dlochner]

it would also be a good excuse to buy a new shop vac (the one you always wanted

Any job that requires a new tool, is a job well worth doing.

 

[jssailem]

Why not pump out he tank and the holding tank? Am I missing something?

Then you can garb it and rip it without it shitting.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Oh for heaven's sake...he's only moving the toilet out of the way, not the whole system!

First, close the intake seacock, then flush a lot of clean water through the toilet to rinse it out. If your tank is too full to do that, pump out the tank first. Then remove both the intake line and the discharge line from the toilet (warming the hoses a bit makes that a lot easier, just don't overheat 'em. I always used a blow dryer.). Put a plastic waste basket liner under the connections to catch any drips....you can stuff paper towel into the fittings and the ends of the hoses. Back out the mounting bolts and pick up the toilet. Done.

To put it back when the paint has dried, do it all in reverse.

As long as you have the toilet out of the way, this would be a great time to upgrade the toilet...the mounting bolt patterns and hose connections will match a Raritan PH SuperFlush Raritan PH SuperFlush

--Peggie

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

As long as you have the toilet out of the way, this would be a great time to upgrade the toilet...the mounting bolt patterns and hose connections will match a Raritan PH SuperFlush Raritan PH SuperFlush

The old one probably a prehistoric Jabsco. To NOT change it out at that time would be a crime against all logic .

 

[Tally Ho]

If you just want to paint behind it, loosen the bolts that hold the whole thing down to the floor of the boat, inch it enough to get the paint on the wall, and put it back. No need to pull hoses, etc.

But you probably should fix it if you want to use the boat. Standing stuff in the toilet isn’t normal, and won’t smell very good.

The plastic bag over the head will help, but only for about 2 minutes....

I love this forum.

Greg

 

[Steve L22188]

Peggy is correct...as always!

Replace the old unit with the Raritan she recommends. I did that a couple of years ago and the difference in quality - and function - was amazing.

But you'll figure out pretty quickly why they never put pictures of owners replacing toilets in the sailboat ads and websites! Take your time, it's a one person job unless you have a head bigger than most.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Whether you opt to upgrade the toilet or not, you definitely should replace the hoses if they're anywhere near 10 yrs old, which is the average working life of any hose. 'Cuz rubber and plastics dry out over time, becoming hard, brittle and prone to cracking and splitting...the last thing you want to happen! Sanitation hoses are one thing that should be top quality if this is a job you only want to do ONCE for another 10 years...cheap sanitation hoses will start to stink very quickly. Raritan SaniFlex hose now has a 10 yr warranty and also has the added advantage of being so flexible it can be bent almost as tight as a hairpin without kinking.
RaritanSaniFlex hose

--Peggie

 

[Calif. Ted]

No pumping station and it doesn’t appear to be draining when I open the valve. The tank still fills heavy as if it has shit in it ‘literally

Tank full of shit you can't empty and flush out is more important than the paint behind the head. Make it functional, then work on pretty.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Tank full of shit you can't empty and flush out is more important than the paint behind the head.

You paint a picture I just can't get out of my head ..................... try as I might .

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

It's absolutely essential that you do whatever is necessary to empty the tank before you do ANYTHING else including using the toilet again, even if that means using a shop vac or taking the boat out to open water, even if it's not quite beyond the 3 mile limit.. If the boat is on a trailer, try to find an RV park that has a dump station. Using it may require a little creativity 'cuz RVs aren't pumped out, they dump, their tanks. But whatever it takes, you gotta do it.

--Peggie

 

[bawlmer]

I did a lot of work on my sanitary system. The first and mandatory task is to pump your tank before you disconnect anything. That is one variable I will not deal with.

 

[WABI-SABI]

--Peggie Wow above and beyond Thank you for the detailed info.

Thank everyone else for your suggestions as well.



Update; I have got the tank to empty, not entirely sure what did it but I repeatedly opened the seacock and 3 way valve and sloshed the 90% full tank back an forth whilst having the vent and pump out hose plugged. I then pumped the toilet which built up pressure in the tank and all of a sudden it emptied rapidly. All this things were done pretty much simultaneously. It was mostly seawater and urine from me but may have had solids from the prior owner.

I think the system was plugged and the rocking or pressure or getting chopped up by the valves was enough to push it out. Hope this method helps someone in the future.

As for replacing the toilet it appears to be maintained enough to wear it works the hoses look to be fairly new 2” radiator hose. Also I have to sell the boat so I don't really see putting any substantial money into it more than making it sellable. I just bought the sailboat to learn to sail and all I've done is work on it since, Never sailing it.

I was never intending to keep the boat, I need something 35-40 foot to live aboard and work from and since I currently have no income and surviving off of my savings due to job loss from "mexican beer" virus, and health issue. My savings that was intended to go to a larger sailboat is getting burned up really quick. I'll never have sufficient funds again unless I get lucky and sell some of my equipment designs without a patent. I'm pretty much chalking this whole sailboat lifestyle up to yet another dead dream like my bus I was forced to sell about 6 months ago that I had 4 years of work into, every weekend every holiday and nearly every day after work.

 

[WABI-SABI]

I've been gutting and sanding it in prep for paint

 

[WABI-SABI]

Oh and I completely forgot to mention that I'm not going to be removing the toilet because I found that I have to disassemble it to take the two back screws out that hold it down, so I'll cover it, tape it up and paint around it with a brush it won't look as nice as being sprayed but it is what it is.

 

[dlochner]

I'm almost afraid to ask, when the tank emptied, where did the contents go?

Also, that metal junction box for the 110 circuit needs to go too. Check the wire, if it regular household Romex, it too needs to be replaced with stranded marine wire. A plastic box is fine, not metal and no wire nuts.