Electric upgrade question

[Cest La Vie]

I am about up upgrade from my current manual Jabsco heads (which I believe are equal to that which is intended to be deposited in the head) to either a Raritan PHII electric or Jabsco. I greatly prefer the Raritan due to numerous posts that cite superior quality, as well as the fact that the Raritan offers a manual backup capabiity in case of power loss. After making less than positive comments about Jabsco, it may have to be an option due to a comment I noted on the Raritan installation notes. Specifically, Raritan noted that the PHII electric head should not be installed if it will be subjected to spray from the shower or other sources of water. As my head compartment in my Beneteau 393 is one of those common dual purpose units (head and shower in same area), the prohibition noted in the Raritan unit creates a problem. The Jabsco installation guide does not state the same concerns. Any thoughts on this issue from those who have made this upgrade? Specifically, has anyone put a PHII electric unit in the area used as a shower? Any thoughts on the Jabsco electric unit in same conditions?

 

[seadaddler]

Manual Raritan

Well sounds like the electric unit should not be used inyour situation, my hunter also has the head and shower together.But I am thinking of changing to the manual raritan which is alsovery well rated,my 36 Hunter has a new head which we hate and thinkingof changing to the raritan manual head.Nick

 

[sailaway78]

Raritan

I have a Raritan PHII manual head, with an electric flush conversion. If something happens to the electric, pull a pin and you have a straight manual head. This, at least for me, seems to be the best of both worlds. It was on the boat when purchased. No problems, works good, no reason to consider change.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

I don't recommend PHE II

Putting a motor on the PH II turns the best manual toilet in its class into one of the poorest excuses for an electric toilet on the planet. Why? Because the motor ONLY replaces the pump HANDLE. The pump stays. The motor pumps it much faster and with much shorter stroke than pumping manually, so it takes longer to prime, which wears out the seals and o-rings a lot faster...and faster shorter pump strokes causes the toilet to "choke" on flushes that slower more deliberate pumping could push through. What's more the PH II + the motor costs more than a macerating electric toilet and is REALLY noisy compared to the manual version.So if you want another manual toilet, the PH II is an excellent choice. But if you want the "push button convenience" of an electric toilet, buy one that's designed to BE an electric toilet, not a "hybrid"...'cuz they all have the same basic problem as the PHE II. My choice would the Raritan SeaEra: http://www.raritaneng.com/products/toilets/electric/sea_era.html which is much higher quality and far more durable than the similar Jabsco. The worst choice you can make is the Jabsco 29200 "conversion" that fits on the same base as the manual pump. It draws a whopping 24 amps--compared to 16 for most other macerating electric toilets...makes enough noise to wake the dead...is highly prone to clogging and costs just about as much as the Raritan SeaEra.Raritan specifically warns against installing the PHE II where it can get wet because the motor is exposed...but actually, none of the basic electric toilets really should be installed on boats in which the head is also the shower stall...'cuz if water gets under 'em and and stands over and over again, it'll corrode the motor. HOwever, that can be solved with some sealant (NOT 5200 for Pete's sake!!!) around the edges of the base.

 

[Joseph Shirley]

I had the PHE ll in a shower environment .

The motor was covered to keep it from getting wet, but I pulled the motor off for the exact reasons that Peggie Hall talked about. It ran fast, had a short stroke, made a lot of noise, and pumped poorly.I just converted it to the regular PH ll and it works great. It pumps easy, pumps completely, and works the way a good manual toilet is supposed to. Take Peggie's suggestion.Happy pumpingJoe S

 

[Bill]

Why Electric

I had an electric, Newport 1600, which after 3 years I took out and replaced with a Raritan PHII manual. The electric was one of the most annoying thing I ever delt with, starting with the noise, which is always nice at 3:00am. The battery drain is a whole other issue, along with the fact I was having to replace parts every year. Go with the Raritan PHII manual.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

why not?

To provide a different perspective, we converted our OEM Jabsco to the Raritan SeaEra electric 2 years ago and are very happy we did. Among our reasons for perferring it are ease of use, particularly for guests, aesthetics (similar to home), and durability compared with most manual equipment.This seems to be largely a matter of personal preference as we find it neither objectionably noisy or of any significant impact on electric power (i.e., it uses approx 16 amps for maybe 10 seconds = essentially zero power). Battery drain certainly isn't a valid concern.My priorities are that it works and it requires little if any maintenance and both are more likely with an electric designed to be used as such.

 

[Steve Dion]

Sea Era is in the shower area.

Joe:We have a Raritan Sea Era and it works quite well. Noisy it is, but it grinds everything up before it hits the holding tank.