Lectra San Questions

[Roaminaway]

I am taking care of a big plumbing project that includes installing a new Electro Scan. I have installed them before, and I like the system.

This boat has a second head that has an old Lectra San installed. It is a model that utilizes the old dial controls. The boat owner would prefer that both heads function the same way. There is zero information on the Raritan website, but there is an upgrade kit, part number 32-700RFK that will effectively make a Lectra San into an Electro Scan.

I haven't checked the serial number on the old unit, but it is of the style that that does not have the attached circuit board.

Will the upgrade work with this Lectra San? (do I need to provide a modle # or serial # to find out?)

What are the components in the upgrade kit?

Does it include a new electrode pack?

Is there an installation manual available for me to look at before I order the parts?

I have read some things that hint that there is an automatic Electro Scan activator available for manual toilets. Does such a thing actually exist? Is there a part number?

I read in one of these threads that it is OK to run urine (w/o paper) through the Electro Scan. Barring a medical condition, like a bladder infection, urine is sterile. The manual says every flush must be processed. What is the story here?

I appreciate any enlightenment for offer,

Rick

For anyone who is interested, it takes me about a day to plumb and wire in an Electro Scan. The time in the install is taken up in prep. Running the power cables from the battery busses to the Electro Scan locker can take a long time, depending on the boat. Refitting the locker where the Electro Scan will live can take a while too.

The Electro Scan can be kind of loud while it is processing. I like to line the locker with 1" mylar faced engine room acoustic insulation. The most important thing is to get the Electro Scan sitting on the acoustic insulation to prevent it from resonating through the hull.

Rick

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

I've just emailed Vic Willman at Raritan to answer this one

He's their tech services manager...been there more than 36 years , and knows the answers to ALL your questions...I know the answers to half of 'em and would have to ask him for the rest, so it makes sense just to cut out the "middle person" and let him answer all of 'em. (Hey...I've never pretended to HAVE all the answers, only to know where to find 'em!) Vic posts here as "Headmaster"...he should be along soon.

 

[Head Master18695]

The upgrade #32-700RFK is relatively expensive ($885.80 fact. retail price). It includes the #32-700 "black box" controller, the #31-702 digital readout box, #31-705 Start/stop panel, and the necessary connecting cables. It DOES NOT include an electrode pack and does not include any other items that are already part of the older system.

For the older units with the dial-type timer, it contains everything necessary to update that model to the newer-style Electro-Scan. If the existing unit is currently in good operating condition, it will work with it. But, if the existing unit is in need of major repair work or general overhaul, I cannot recommend that it be upgraded. Instead, you would be better advised to go with a whole new unit, as the upgrade is more than 50% of the cost for a complete new unit. If the electrode pack needs to be replaced, you're looking at $350 +; if any of the motors need to be replaced, between the motor and the shaft seal, you're looking at $200+ per motor. So unless the older unit is in tip-top shape, I wouldn't even think about upgrading it. You could wind up paying for a new unit, but still have an old one. Between the cost and the potential aggravation when things don't go exactly the way you expected, I'd think long and hard before even considering an upgrade.

The electrical wiring for the Electro-Scan is a good deal different than it is for the older dial type Lectra/San, so be expecting to rip out some of the existing wiring and replace it with new.

No installation manual comes with the upgrade kit, with step by step instructions; only the Electro-Scan manual comes with the kit.

Manual toilet sensor: There is a gizmo that mounts in the hose of a manual toilet, between the pump and the toilet bowl, that is wired to the Electro-Scan. It is Raritan part #31-605 and runs $128.00. When the toilet is pumped and water is going through the connecting hose, it closes a switch and sends 12 volts to the Electro-Scan, firing it up. It is for people who are too lazy to press the button on the Start/Stop panel of the Electro-Scan.

Re: pumping plain urine through the system - it's OK to do from a mechanical viewpoint, provided that you're a guy who won't be using toilet paper when you tinkle. But if you're female, you're going to clog it up if you keep trying to flush wet toilet paper through the system without running it. According to law, anything that originates in your body and is flushed through the toilet, MUST BE TREATED before it leaves the boat and goes into the outside water.

 

[Roaminaway]

Great info

Vic and Peggy,

Thanks so much for the replies. This is just the information I was looking for.

I know the existing Lectra San is heavily calcified, so I will be pulling it apart to give it a good look over and cleaning. I will have a better idea of its condition when I have had a peek inside. Before I disconnected it, it seemed to function fine.

I will let the customer know about the 'hands free start switch'. It seems a little over the top, but he will be having a series of not so boat savy guests aboard and he wants to keep the head system as simple as possible.

Thanks again,

Rick

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

If it's heavily calcified it's prob'ly toast

'Cuz running a L/S when the electrode pack is so heavily "insulated" by sea water mineral buildup that it can't react with salt will destroy the electrode pack. And the odds are good enough to bet real money on that it HAS been run in that condition. (It's doing that which results in owners making claims like, "electrode packs don't last but a few years.")

So my advice: take Vic's advice...don't try to salvage it.

But if you insist on trying...

1. ANY odor is an indication that it's not treating.

2. The discharge from a unit that is treating should look like skim milk that's been cut about 50% with water, to which barely a pinch of instant cocoa has been added. Any more color than that means it isn't treating.

3. The entire treatment cycle is 2.5 minutes. Only the mixer and macerator motors run for the first 30 seconds...then the electrode pack kicks on. It SHOULD only run for two minutes. "Insulated" or failing/failed electrodes will cause it to run longer.

All of which brings me back to my original opinion: everything has a lifespan.
Any unit that still has a dial controller is more than 30 years old! Replace it!

 

[Roaminaway]

New is good

Vic and Peggy,

I got back out to this particular boat to give the customer the news. We decided that we could live without the auto-cycle switch. We also decided that an all new Electro Scan will do nicely.

I will be taking a look at the old Lectra San to see what its condition is. I am kind of curious about the hidden details, it shoulld be interesting to poke around

Thanks very much for all of the information. It was very helpful.

Rick

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Glad we could help

And both of us (I've known Vic long enough to be sure that's also true of him!) are always available any time you need help again.