i have a recently purchased ericson 25 which has a holding tank. it looks to be in generally good condition, but has an interesting (strange, actually) feature. the intake hose to the head leads from the holding tank. this seems illogical as i'm going to be pumping the eventual sludgy water back into the head as flush water. i showed this to a couple of guys at the dry dock area and they thought it was unusual. one person suggested i cut a through-hull and route the hose from there to the head, therefore having a continual fresh water water flush supply. the only logic i can see to having my head system set up this way is that you aren't faced with an overfilled tank at some point. therefore...it's time for a pump out when you're fainting when you flush??? i'm leary to set and use the head yet for what should be obvious reasons. if anyone can explain why a holding tank is set up this way, i would appreciate it. thanks matthew
holding tank as clean water source?
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Where does the outflow hose connect to
and there must be a thru hull for the head even if not presently hooked to a hose. Sounds like the boat is out of the water. So go operate the head to see what the hell happens. You may be reading the hose flow direction wrong. Assuming this wasn't a spoof post.
and there must be a thru hull for the head even if not presently hooked to a hose. Sounds like the boat is out of the water. So go operate the head to see what the hell happens. You may be reading the hose flow direction wrong. Assuming this wasn't a spoof post.
You have a recirculating system
The second person here this week to buy a boat that has one. In the '70s there were a few boat builders who used to use a Raritan Compact toilet in conjunction with either the 5 gal. Raritan wrap-around portable tank or 5 gallon remotely-mounted tank made by Kracor as a recirculating system. Raritan never approved of it or warranted it, but it was done. It's supposed to be "charged" with a couple of gallons of water and chemical in the tank...which is recirculated as flush water, along with waste as it's added till the tank is full. It does NOT prevent overfilling the tank...however the odor if it isn't pumped out after about 24 hours prob'ly will, if the "privilege" of getting to review your previous deposits again with each flush doesn't prevent you from using it at all. I'd pull the whole thing out and replace it. The toilet is at least 20 years old--twice its useful age--not worth putting ANY money into...and the tank is too small to hold more than about 10 flushes from a toilet plumbed the way it should be (to a thru-hull). This boat is gonna present you with plenty of things to spend your hard won money on--they ALL do--new, old, neglected or immaculately maintained--'cuz they're boats. So, for this season at least, I suggest you replace it with a portapotty (you can pick up one at Walmart for under $50.) instead of spending several hundred $$ for a new toilet, tank big enough to be worth the effort and expense, all the related plumbing AND a new thru-hull/seacock. Even a small one will hold about 50% more flushes than that recirculating nightmare...and you won't have to look at 'em but once either. You can decide over the winter whether you want to keep it or spend the money for a new system.
The second person here this week to buy a boat that has one. In the '70s there were a few boat builders who used to use a Raritan Compact toilet in conjunction with either the 5 gal. Raritan wrap-around portable tank or 5 gallon remotely-mounted tank made by Kracor as a recirculating system. Raritan never approved of it or warranted it, but it was done. It's supposed to be "charged" with a couple of gallons of water and chemical in the tank...which is recirculated as flush water, along with waste as it's added till the tank is full. It does NOT prevent overfilling the tank...however the odor if it isn't pumped out after about 24 hours prob'ly will, if the "privilege" of getting to review your previous deposits again with each flush doesn't prevent you from using it at all. I'd pull the whole thing out and replace it. The toilet is at least 20 years old--twice its useful age--not worth putting ANY money into...and the tank is too small to hold more than about 10 flushes from a toilet plumbed the way it should be (to a thru-hull). This boat is gonna present you with plenty of things to spend your hard won money on--they ALL do--new, old, neglected or immaculately maintained--'cuz they're boats. So, for this season at least, I suggest you replace it with a portapotty (you can pick up one at Walmart for under $50.) instead of spending several hundred $$ for a new toilet, tank big enough to be worth the effort and expense, all the related plumbing AND a new thru-hull/seacock. Even a small one will hold about 50% more flushes than that recirculating nightmare...and you won't have to look at 'em but once either. You can decide over the winter whether you want to keep it or spend the money for a new system.
Get rid of it all!!!
On small boats like yours and mine, a Pearson 26, you don't need all that plumbing, fancy toilet, and a messy holding tank. Rip it all out! Listen to Peggy and get a portapotty. I did three years ago and am much happier. David
On small boats like yours and mine, a Pearson 26, you don't need all that plumbing, fancy toilet, and a messy holding tank. Rip it all out! Listen to Peggy and get a portapotty. I did three years ago and am much happier. David
Peggy, the depth of your knowledge...
never fails to amaze me! I'd never even heard of such a system, but it sounds like a lousy idea and kind of gross too! Matt, take the advice and replace the whole thing with a porti-potty. I can't see the need for a plumbed system on a 25' boat, and I'll bet there's a lot of other stuff on the boat you'd rather be working on!
never fails to amaze me! I'd never even heard of such a system, but it sounds like a lousy idea and kind of gross too! Matt, take the advice and replace the whole thing with a porti-potty. I can't see the need for a plumbed system on a 25' boat, and I'll bet there's a lot of other stuff on the boat you'd rather be working on!
Thetford still makes a recirculating toilet
The "Electra-Magic." There were several electric recirculating toilet mfrs in '70s...at least one--the Monogram Monomatic--was even a certified Type I MSD. Builders "cobbled up" the system Matt has for use n small boats that didn't have the power resources to support an electric system. Most used Raritan Compact toilets...a few used the Jabsco manual. But by the early '80s, all recirculating systems had been discontinued, but there are still a few "survivors" left on '70s boats. Thetford (only they and God know why) reintroduced theirs 7 or 8 years ago. It's really a camper toilet (for that matter, so is a portapotty), for use in the woods where no flush water supply is available...which also makes 'em suitable for use on small boats 'cuz they're self-contain and require no plumbing...but that doesn't make 'em desirable. I wouldn't have ANY recirculating system as a gift, even if the tank were stuffed with $1,000 bills if I had to use it as a condition of keeping the money.
The "Electra-Magic." There were several electric recirculating toilet mfrs in '70s...at least one--the Monogram Monomatic--was even a certified Type I MSD. Builders "cobbled up" the system Matt has for use n small boats that didn't have the power resources to support an electric system. Most used Raritan Compact toilets...a few used the Jabsco manual. But by the early '80s, all recirculating systems had been discontinued, but there are still a few "survivors" left on '70s boats. Thetford (only they and God know why) reintroduced theirs 7 or 8 years ago. It's really a camper toilet (for that matter, so is a portapotty), for use in the woods where no flush water supply is available...which also makes 'em suitable for use on small boats 'cuz they're self-contain and require no plumbing...but that doesn't make 'em desirable. I wouldn't have ANY recirculating system as a gift, even if the tank were stuffed with $1,000 bills if I had to use it as a condition of keeping the money.
Peggy H. hits it on the 'head'....
Thank you all for your responses. Peggy, it is in fact a Kracor tank with a Raritan head unit. And you're suggestion to perhaps (or definitely) chuck the system is worth considering. The inefficiency of such a small tank on 25 footer(something I hadn't considered), along with (at the very least) a re-build of the head AND creating a through-hull for water intake...all starts to sound a bit masochistic. Thanks everyone for the feed back. I'm glad to have found this forum site! not losing my head by losing my head, matthew
Thank you all for your responses. Peggy, it is in fact a Kracor tank with a Raritan head unit. And you're suggestion to perhaps (or definitely) chuck the system is worth considering. The inefficiency of such a small tank on 25 footer(something I hadn't considered), along with (at the very least) a re-build of the head AND creating a through-hull for water intake...all starts to sound a bit masochistic. Thanks everyone for the feed back. I'm glad to have found this forum site! not losing my head by losing my head, matthew
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