Having trouble going potty

[Hermit Scott]

I have this old head in my C30. I See the rebuild kits are about $75. Does that usually do it on this model or do I need to disassemble it to check for other specific problems? I read some of the archive posts. It looks like Peggy doesn't like this crapper.(Peggy is my mother's name by the way)
Other people seem to like it just fine.
I have never sailed or used a marine head before. I bought an old boat and have to fix it up before I get to use it. So I am replacing seacocks and some through hulls, like the one with the JB Weld holding it together, what a gem. And I was wondering how do you use this marine head.
I think you 1. do your business 2. open the water inlet 3.flush the water and business into the holding tank.
What is the larger seacock for? It looks like to push out waste, but I hear if your aren't out in the blue that you are supposed to have the holding tank pumped. How do you pump a tank out? Is it done with the head hand pump or is it something else? If out at sea can you use the hand pump to eject the contents of the holding tank?
I saw on Youtube a clip about the marina I am going to stay at, and it says it has a vaccume that I believe hooks up to the boat full time, do other people have this or am I misinterpreting?
Since I am about to rebuild this whole system, I want to see how everthing works to know if I want to modify it to better fit how I will use the boat.

I don't want to be gross here but that hole is really small in the bottom of the bowl and does not look like some of my enchelada bowel movements are going to fit. Do you have to like break it up with a coat hanger or will it just get sucked down in pieces?

 

[joefusa]

dump it if you can

i don't know where you sail, but the restrictions on waste are becoming more and more restrictive. pump-out stations may or may not be convenient. with all that in mind, i dumped my flush head and went for a 6 gal porta-potti. it will take care of you and a mate for a long weekend, assuming not too many encheladas. and, even if you fill it up, you can always stop and any convenient marina and dump it in their sanitary facilities without looking or waiting for a pump out station. if you're interested in seeing the installation, i can take a shot and send it out.

 

[Jack, La Paz, Mexico]

Headmate head

We have a 1983 Cat 30 with the same head as the photograph. In 15 years I used a rebuild kit once. No problem with solid human waste, it is designed for that. It will break it up and force it out. Start with a bowl of water, do your thing, then flush (after opening thru hulls). There are two thru hulls, a smaller one for flush water inlet and a larger one for the waste outlet. My head leads to a "Y" valve to direct waste to the holding tank or overboard. The holding tank can be pumped out from a deck fitting (labelled "waste") or pumped overboard through a macerator pump. Most marinas have a pumpout station to pump the holding tank from the deck fitting. Overboard dumping is usually done far out to sea. There are devices like Tankwatch to let you know when the holding tank is full. The only reason I used the rebuild kit was to refresh the rubber valves and seals. Most sailors keep a bucket handy for a failsafe backup too. It is a mysterious system, but once you learn about it it really is quite simple.

 

[Bad Obsession]

Just go ahead and replace the head with a Raritan PHII. It is a very good improvement and it goes right in. You will have to fill the holes from the old head and drill new ones for the new head. It is well worth the price.