Looking for options: Electric Head, for H37C, with Lectra San

[coleman]

I am considering buying a replacement head. I need it to have a compact base, a household bowl is a big plus, and compatability if not interoperability with the Lectra San is a must.

For the manual heads, PHII is a clear option. Household bowl, factory specified compatability with the Lectra San, and I have seen photos of it installed in H37C heads. The converted electric version, PHEII, is not appealing for the cost.

I'd like to know if there are electric heads that can be made to fit the H37C, have a household bowl, and can be made to run along with the Lectra San without a need for me to be inventive (guest resistant, and to keep the boat's systems generally next-owner friendly). Some sort of momentary contact trigger and hands-off operation of the complete system, like a home toilet, would be much preferred.

Anyone done it on a H37 or similar boat?

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

A couple of possibilities

Every toilet on the planet, manual AND electric, is compatible with the LectraSan-ElectroScan-PuraSan...so your toilet choices are only limited by size and your budget.

If you'd like a small all china "throne," check out the Tecma "Easy Fit" http://www.thetford.com/HOME/Products/PermanentToilets/TecmaEasyFit/tabid/107/Default.aspx and the Raritan Marine Elegance.Raritan Elegance toilet

If your budge needs to stick with something a bit more mundane, your best choice is the Raritan SeaEra. Raritan Sea Era The base can be oriented to discharge out either side or the rear.

If you decide to stay with a manual toilet, the PHII or PHC (compact version of the PHII that uses the same pump, but on a compact base) is your best choice...and by FAR your most economical if you opt to go with the "conversion" sbo.com PHII PHC LBA

 

[coleman]

Thanks for the advice, Peggy. The compatability issues are just from my not knowing the cleaners or recommended service; etc. I wouldn't want something silly like a recommended cleaner for the head damaging the Lectra San. Seems like a stretch... If you say it's good I'll just keep my eyes open for red flags instead of certifications.

If you look at Renasci's photo of the head floor, you can see why I listed "compact base" as a requirement. There is a really irregularly shaped floorpan and there is little room for a head such as the Raritan Marine Elegance. Thetford's Tecma easy fit is one I have looked at online, I need to do some measurements to see if it can be made to fit with an adapter. I do like the idea of these residential style heads, but I'd like to know if there are smaller-based options that might not be as heavily sold or well known.

The SeaEra is one I had overlooked, and is likely more along the lines of what I actually can fit. The more modular fit of it makes it more adaptable to the space I need to mount it in, and not having a bulkhead to seal against is good for me (I like east access to the plumbing). Any thoughts on this head, or are there any similar units out there?

Thanks much!

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Where is it cast in stone that...

You have to keep that irregularly shaped space? Why can't you cut it out and replace the "damage" with some nice varnished teak or mahogany paneling? Judging from what I can see around it, that doesn't appear to be undoable, and would prob'ly solve some major problems!

 

[coleman]

Where is it cast in stone that...You have to keep that irregularly shaped space?

I believe that it is molded in fiberglass - that's the hull which makes the shape so odd. You can see why I have to find small footprint installations

ComfortMate Electric looks like its two-piece design is too large to fit without remote mounting the large pump/switch unit, so I doubt that's going to work. Any others I may have missed?

 

[Ed Schenck]

Way back when I installed a Raritan Cricket model(http://www.raritaneng.com/products/toilets/manual/archive_this_today/cricket.html ) in my H37C. I think that Peggy didn't like my choice. I like it because of the nearly failsafe pump design. Nine years later it still works as new. I have never had anything not flush. Women use it as if they were at home(not good but whatcha' gonna' do?).

The footprint was entirely different so I lag bolted an oak platform to the fiberglass. I needed one additional inch of overlap(front of toilet).

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

SeaEra is the bext choice...

It's been on the market for nearly 10 years, and has an outstanding track record for trouble-free reliability and durability. The Thetford Comfort Mate is brand new--TOO new to have any track record at all--good OR bad--re reliability, so it would be an expensive gamble. The only other choices are Jabsco (which I don't recommend) and toilets that couldn't even come close to fitting that space.

However, what I'm looking at in that photo isn't the hull...the back of it may be, and the bottom half...but the top half of the white thingy has a lot of space inside it. Whether or not it's empty is impossible to tell from the photo. What's to the right that has the power tool sitting on a big block of wood on it? I don't think that's hull either.

But that's neither nere nor there...it's the size of the platform at the bottom that matters...and I suspect you could build out a little more of a shelf for a toilet to sit on.

 

[Ed Schenck]

H37C head replacement

That picture is from a project in the H37C modifications forum. The original head installation is like the picture below. Except that the original hose run was behind the head, nothing like we see here. Mine all run behind a teak panel. The second picture is the end result of the same project. The owner, Renasci, simply wanted a fiberglass bulkhead to hide the hoses.

The original holding tank was just to the left and under the shower seat. Most of those are long rotted away and have been replaced with "plastic", usually in the v-berth locker.

 

[Johnb]

I built a platform

There is actually so much space I built a plaform and put in a Sealand with integral tank. This is seriously bullet proof but a bit short on capacity. I decided that realistically I would always be pumping out so I did'nt install any Y valves etc and eliminated a lot of ugly piping running around the boat.

John Brecher

 

[ybrad]

Re: I built a platform

Johnb-

I'm getting ready to install a new head on my H37c and had the idea of building a platform also. Wondered if anyone else had done so and you answered that.
Are you happy with the installation? Any downside? Lessons learned?

Thanks,

Brad