Peggy,
Thanks for the quick response. I'm sorry to hear the effectiveness of the recirculating head system is so poor.
There were several recirculating systems in the late 70s and early 80s as builders and equipment mfrs tried to find cost effective ways to comply with the (then) new marine sanitation laws...not a single one was still being made by 1985. They're that bad. The tanks only hold about 5 gallons, 3 of which are filled up with the initial chemical and water "charge." And there's the odor issue.
A friend has suggested that I simply re-plumb the system so that I take lake water in from a through-hull rather than from the hold tank during a flush cycle. It sounds reasonable to me. Any thoughts on that approach? Joe
That was my first suggestion:
"Rerouting the toilet intake hose to bring in sea water instead of recycling waste from the tank is about all it would take to turn it into a "normal" toilet and holding tank. But I also questioned the wisdom of it because of the age of the toilet. Even the best compact manual toilets only have a productive life expectancy of about 10 years...yours is more than THIRTY years old. As I've already said, at the very least it needs a rebuild kit...that's about $50...with no guarantee that the pump cylinder won't crack or something else won't fall apart, and NO parts except a kit are still available for it. Putting ANY money into keeping that toilet is highly risky.
Then there's the matter of the thru-hull for the intake, which I forgot to mention...it's highly unlikely that one was ever installed, 'cuz one of the alleged "advantages" to a recirculating toilet was that it eliminated a hole in the boat (translation: saved the boat builder the cost of a thru-hull and seacock). However, that can prob'ly be overcome by teeing the head intake line into the head sink drain line. If not, a thru-hull, seacock and a vented loop (anti siphon device) for the intake , plus labor, will cost you more than my Plan B above...with no guarantee that you won't also be spending a couple hundred $$ for a new toilet so you can use 'em.
And finally, your holding tank, even if you don't have to half fill it with a chemical "charge" only holds about 10-12 flushes--barely enough to last two people 24 hours aboard.
My "Plan B"--a 5-6 gallon MSD portapotty that's permanently installed and fitted for pumpout--holds 50-60 flushes (you'd need at least a 25-30 gallon tank to hold that many from a manual marine toilet) and doesn't require ANY plumbing except a pumpout line and a vent line. The online store here has the Thetford 365 MSD for $163...a few feet of 1.5" and 5/8" sanitation hose is the only other thing you'd need.. $200, you're good to go, all brand new and RELIABLE.
That plan is a bit marginal for a 36' boat...but IMO the perfect interim solution for a cash strapped owner, 'cuz it provides everything that a top of the line toilet and tank would give you, but for VERY little money...you can "upgrade" it after you've managed some economic recovery...meanwhile, you won't be under any pressure to do anything more.
That's my $.02 worth...but it's YOUR boat. You have a bunch of choices: 1. Keep the existing recirculating system...follow the directions to use Thetford AquaKem. 2. Keep the tank and toilet, but replumb it to use raw water to flush the toilet. 3. A NEW self-contained system (MSD portapotty)...and 4. A really cheap portable camper toilet to tide you over through the rest of this season.
Good luck!
