Installing a marine head

[rgranger]

I must be crazy!

Okay I said it so you won't have to (I'm nice like that). I have a wife and three daughters and we have been sailing a lot over the past 10 years. They don't like the port-o-potty.

So I found the parts (tank & head) for installing a marine head... My question is this.....

I've never had to do this pleasant job before so... How does the pump-out work? Is it a vacuum? Does the connection have to fit air tight or do you stick the hose down into the .... stuff.... and vacuum it out?

I think I understand the basics of installation and I found a nice page by Don Casey on-line that diagrams everything...

But it sure would be nice to find a Kit that has the head, tank, hoses, through hull and pump out plate all in one package.

Anybody?

r

 

[rgranger]

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Most holding tanks have a pump out tube already installed which extends to just above the bottom of the tank. Just install a fitting to it and run it to a deck plate to which you attach the dock's pump out hose and suck away.

 

[Steve_Catalina]

Not completely crazy

R,

List you post In the "Head Mistress Forum"Group, Peggy Halll is the number one authority of boat plumbing (accept no substitutes).
This may help you think of your setup in a slightly different way.

I would suggest a 5-6 gal "pumpable" portapotty. For the size of your boat this may be the ideal arrangement. This would hold about the same number of flushes as a 20 gal tank connected to a marine toilet. To install a reqular marine pump out head would require much too much space on a 22’ boat. A pumpable portapotty has little plumbing and requires almost no maintenance...

Steve

 

[higgs]

You will need a deck mounted pump out fitting wehich will be connected via a hose to your holding tank. The deck fitting will have threads in it that accepts a pump out hose.

Use the highest quality hose that is made for toilets. It is expensive, but you don't want odors.

Use hose lube and consider a heat gun as the hose will be a tight fit over any fittings. Peggy Hall would be a good surce for how to plumb it. As i recall she will recommend to vent hoses..

Be sure you secure your tank well.

I have installed a cuple of these and done OK with them.

 

[rgranger]

STEVE!
a Pumpable port-o-potty?

I don't think I've ever seen one of those...... sounds like a great idea.
I'll go searching ....

THANKS!
r

T

 

[DannyS]

Here you go. Easy to install. I wouldn't go with a traditional marine head on your boat. Like the others have said, you need to keep all the storage space you can for goodies, not cr@p!
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|51|806|81394&id=902441
I went this route on my 35 footer.
Here's another brand, this is the one I have.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...1&storeId=11151&partNumber=10730224&langId=-1

 

[Stu Jackson]

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...1151&catalogId=10001&page=Heads-Holding-Tanks

 

[sailingdog]

As for hoses: For the 1.5" waste hoses, use Trident 101/102. For the vent line and water intake hoses, use Trident 148.

Given the size of your boat, I would recommend going with a MSD version of a porta-potty. It will give you far more capacity and use less space than a traditional marine head and holding tank.

 

[gboase]

Have fun! I'm in the same project myself. Wife is not keen about the porta-potty either. In my case though I already have a head installed, but not the tank. I bought a waste bladder instead of a rigid tank.
Pump-outs do use a vacuum so you need a special deck fitting that seals tight. You also need a vent to allow for air pressure changes.

Enjoy!
George