ElectroScan Install

[lnikl]

So after contemplating getting rid of my old lectrasan (20-30 years old) and replacing with a holding tank, I added up the total costs, all in, and measured the size i could fit (small capacity), I decided to go back to the ElectroScan unit. While I am at it, all old plumbing features will be ripped out and I will put in a rebuild kit into the raritan PHII (I have no idea when this was last done and it still works ok, I recently bought the boat and it seems like a good idea before it stops working).

The instructions say to protect under-waterline installs with vented loop (properly is all they say). My question is whether or not the vented loop can be placed between the toilet and the unit or if it must be between the treated discharge end of the ElectroScan and the discharge thru hull.

The running of hoses would be more "elegant" if the vented loop went between the toilet and the unit and I am wondering if this is ill-advised. I could run it between the Electroscan treated end and discharge thru hull but it would then end up looking as though I keep a pet octopus under the setee.

Dare I even ask this question... do i need a vented loop? The existing ElectroScan install has no such beast and the boat has been floating since 1983. I do have a habit of closing seacocks when I leave the boat.

Any thoughts on this two-part vented loop question?

Next question, I know that I have the PHII toilet but any idea as to how I can tell if it is pre- or post-1992?

Thanks in advance.

 

[AnsleyS]

Nik,

I have a vented loop between the head and the lectrasan and then straight out from there. The vented loop is in the system to break a siphon that could occur when the boat is heeled so that the whole tubing system could fill with water and start to flow backwards. I prefer it between the head and the lectrasan because, as you said, the piping is easier to do.

Make sure to double clamp all fixtures that may be below the waterline.

Ansley Sawyer

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

You actually need TWO

My question is whether or not the vented loop can be placed between the toilet and the unit or if it must be between the treated discharge end of the ElectroScan and the discharge thru hull.

If both the toilet and the treatment unit are below the waterline, two vented loops are needed--one between the toilet and the unit to prevent backflow from the unit into the toilet--and another one between the treatment unit and the thru-hull to create a siphon break.

No matter whether the toilet flushes directly overboard, into a tank or into a treatment device, you also need a vented loop in the toilet intake. It goes between the pump and the bowl...NOT in the line between the intake thru-hull and the pump. See drawing in the installation instructions for the PH II here: Raritan PH II However, this would be an excellent opportunity to reroute your head intake line to tee it into your head sink drain line (lots of discussion on this in this forum)...if you do that , it eliminates the need for the intake vented loop.

Btw, Ansley...ALL connections in a sanitation system should be double clamped, whether below waterline or not. Screws should be 180 degrees apart...or at least 90 if access makes 180 impossible.

 

[lnikl]

Thanks both!

Any thoughts on how I can ascertain manufacture date of my PHII (or at least just the pre/post '92 determination. I checked raritan's site and they don't give me a clue about that (or at least not that I could find).

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

I thought I had the answer to that one in my files, but no such luck. So I've emailed a link to your question to "Headmaster" (Vic Willman, tech services mgr at Raritan)...he should be along Monday morning to give both of us the answer.

 

[Head Master18695]

While there have been a number of changes, improvements and upgrades made to the PHII marine toilet since it came on the market in the fall of 1981, the most notable changes were made in June of 1992. This involved the piston rod seal. A major change was made at that time, to try and improve the reliability of the head, and to reduce the frequency of replacing said seal. Repair kits are available for both series, and they are different with respect to the piston rod seal. So it is crucial to get the correct repair kit for the version of the head that you have.

The 1992 change initiated a replaceable cartridge, with a special "U" cup seal at the bottom of it and an "O" ring around the cartridge, to seal it at the top. The pre-1992 version used a larger "U" cup seal that was part of a 4 piece kit (part #'s 1213A, 1213B, 1213C, and 1213D).

How do you tell the difference? Raise the flush lever and have a look at the stainless steel piston rod. (Note that the pump uses a "piston;" it is not a "plunger.") Look at the piston rod, where it disappears into the top of the pump proper. If it goes right through the center of a white plastic hex nut, you have the newer version and need Repair Kit #PHRKIIC. Only the PHRKIIC (the "C" at the end of the part designation is for models manufactured after June of 1992).

Earlier models do not have the white plastic hex nut at the top of the pump housing. Instead, they use the 4-part seal referenced earlier, and you will probably notice a metal snap ring that holds the seal in place. This is the older version, manufactured between 1981 and June of 1992. It uses Repair Kit #PHRKII (no "C" at the end).

These repair kits are different - and are not interchangeable, so be sure to get the correct kit for the particular head you have.

 

[JMM]

Intake vented loop

However, this would be an excellent opportunity to reroute your head intake line to tee it into your head sink drain line (lots of discussion on this in this forum)...if you do that , it eliminates the need for the intake vented loop.

Peggy -- I think this came up before i another thread -- Isn't a vented loop (between the pump an bowel) still required since the sink drain is tee'd in before the pump? And thinking about it -- don't you need a shutoff on the sink tee so the pump will not suck in air from the sink ( when empty )?

I'll be doing this on my head refit soon -- so I want to clarify.

Jim

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Sink drain acts as a siphon break...

But it's prob'ly still a good idea to put a vented loop between the pump and bowl to prevent sea water outside the boat from seeking it's own level in the toilet bowl passively.

A rubber plug in the sink would work just as well and be much less of a hassle than a shutoff valve in the sink drain.

 

[JMM]

A rubber plug in the sink would work just as well and be much less of a hassle than a shutoff valve in the sink drain.

And cheaper too!

Seems like you could get rid of one of the thru-hulls too .. would you really need one for the sink drain and one for the head raw water intake?

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

A lot of people use the "old" thru-hull...

For a washdown pump or heat/ac water pump. Or...a hole that lets water in can also let water out...depending on where it is, it could become a sump discharge.

If you don't have any use for any of the above, remove it and glass it.