How about the new Sealand Traveler?

[Tom Boles]

Hi Peggy-Given the talk about head issues, the problems with holding tanks & the need to be frugal with water, I wonder what you think of the new Sealand "Marine Traveler Head". It's shown on page 506 of the new WM catalog.It looks similar to heads found in RVs, and probably has a ball valve or slider to seal. The poop & peep drop into the tank below, and use very little water. I could see putting this in a boat and plumbing it with a y through a pump to the already installed holding tank or to the deck pump-out. The tank in the head would be for "normal" use while the holding tank could be used for "overflow" or extra guests or long week-ends. At a pint a flush, it could make 9 gallons last a long time!What do you think?

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

Marine Traveler toilet isn't new...

It's been around for decades and is a very popular system. In fact, the bowl assembly the same one as the VacuFlush, but without the pedestal assembly. The only downside to it is the size of the tank footprint--about 19" x 20"...it won't fit in a small head. If it'll fit in yours, go for it (Defender has a MUCH better than WM, btw). However, there are a couple of things you need to know about it: it can use AS LITTLE AS 1 pint/flush, but that doesn't include any water you'd add to the bowl ahead of solids (that's done by lifting the flush pedal), and it's not always enough to send all the TP down the hose or especially erase skid marks. So in actual practice it uses an average of about a quart a flush--about half that of a manual marine toilet. Meaning that 9 gallon tank holds only about as many flushes as an 18-20 gallon tank connected to a manual marine toilet. if your existing holding tank is aready that big, you'd only just come close to doubling your current capacity. Which means I wouldn't put a y-valve in the line between the Traveler and a larger holding tank...'cuz you wouldn't gain anything with it.Another issue is the size of the larger tank. That one has to be a multiple of 9-11 gallons. Why, because the Traveler Tank holds 9 gallons... As long as your larger tank is 18-20 gallons, 27-29 gallons etc, no problem...it'll hold two Traveler tankfuls with room to spare. But let's say your larger tank is 16 gallons. You move the contents of the Traveler to it once, leaving a remaining capacity of only 7 gallons more. Same thing would be true if the larger tank is 24 or 25 gallons...it'll hold two Traveler tankfuls, but not the entire third. So either you'd have to be VERY good at knowing when to stop the macerator before the second tank overflows, or lose almost a third of its capacity because you're afraid to risk it. I'm not trying to discourage you from buying it...it's a great system. But if you think it could almost give you the equivilant of a 50 gallon holding tank connected to your current toilet, you'd be very disappointed.

 

[Tom Boles]

Good points! What I thought, thou was this:

The sealand has no pump. It's a straight drop to the tank below. If the output went to a manual pump, one could pump as much as one would want into the other tank (already in the boat). You could, I think, fill up both tanks pretty well and gain that much more capacity. If there is no need for the additional tank, then it stays pretty empty. The main idea is to do away with the complexity of the marine head ( 2 pumping modes, lots of parts, a joker valve (!!!), the high water consumption and the need to rebuild or replace every 2 years with a simpler system. Electrics seem to use too much power & too much water, and while I have no personal problem with Portopoties, the capacity is very limited. The vaccu-flush system seems interesting, but looks like a lot of support plumbing is needed and then you have the 12v vac. pump to keep running. (How reliable are they?)So, two more questions- Can you really pump black water reliably with a manual henderson or gusher pump made for the purpose?Any idea how the various 3 way valves perform under slight vacuum, as from a dockside pumpout station?Thanks very much for your comments!

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

Nothing is 100% maintenance-free

And I think that's what you're hoping to accomplish. But you'd really only be swapping minimal maintenance of one toilet and holding tank for the maintenance of two holding tanks (both of which must be vented, which means another hole in your boat) and are subject to the same odor control issues--but now one tank would be in the head), a manual pump and at least one y-valve...for which you'd spend nearly $400 vs about $2 for a tube of SuperLube that, used annually, would eliminate about 90% of your current toilet complaints. You'll spend far more time pumping waste from one tank to the other than you'd ever spend maintaining a toilet...and lubing a toilet doesn't ever require you to head up in the middle of the bay to man the Henderson because your wife or a guest has just announce that the first tank is full.For not much more money, there are electric macerating toilets that also use pressurized water, and almost as little of it as the Traveler or the VacuFlush and have an even lower AH consumption than the VacuFlush. They don't come with holding tanks, though.But to answer your questions...yes, a Henderson waste pump will move waste with no problem. As for how ANY y-valve performs under a vacuum, that depends on whether it's completely open in the direction of the suction. If it is, suction wouldn't put any stress on it.