Marine Toilet

kloudie1 · Jan 31, 2016

This is a good place to start.. I highly recommend getting Peggy's new book (no, I don't have my copy yet, but judging on the last one..)
Check out the West Advisor as it kinda gives an overview of what ya need to think about.
http://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Selecting-a-Sanitation-System
My boat came with the one they label as "Our Favorite" . It has been unchanged since 1985 and suits me just fine.. I bought a "Y" valve many years ago thinking I'd put it in but never got annoyed enough at the original holding tank + pump out system.

wufibugs · Jan 31, 2016

You can make that project simple or very complicated depending on the options you want to build into your system. If you want to be able to pump out, pump overboard and pump into a holding tank, you will need at least 2 diverters and a pump. You might also wish to have a fresh water flush option using the head sink. You also have to decide if you want manual or electric toilet, macerator or no. I am completely satisfied with the manual PHII without a macerator.

Capt jgw · Jan 31, 2016

Biggest thing to think about is where to put the holding tank, and how big can it be. My '69 Columbia 36 came originally with overboard discharge, and a PO put in an eight gallon bladder tank under the head counter. It's legal but I hate it. Not big enough and we're pumping it out every few days. There's nowhere else to put a larger tank without giving up something more important like the potable water tank. We're on the Great Lakes so I have no other option.

wufibugs · Jan 31, 2016

If your boat is laid out same as mine, the head is just aft of the V berth [starboard side on the H31, but I think to port on your boat]. This pretty much dictates putting the holding tank under the V berth. You'll want something in the neighborhood of 20 gallons. A new pvc tank would probably run about $150 but you should be able to find something used.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Jan 31, 2016

sailnoproblem said:
When I purchased my project, she had a manual toilet that pumped directly overboard (1970 34C). Anyway I removed it and put in a porta potty. It was good enough for overnight but that was about the limit.
I want to put in a legal system, for weekend and longer trips. I need advice on this project. What I need and how to do it. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

I suggest you replace the PORTABLE portapotty with an "MSD"portapotty--the version that's designed to be permanently installed and is has fittings for pumpout and vent lines. A completely self contained system that needs -0- maintenance, no plumbing except a vent line and pumpout line, and a 5-6 gallon model holds 50-60 flushes...you'd need at least a 30 gal. tank to hold that many from any manual or electric marine toilet. Total cost: about $200...vs $500-700 for a decent quality toilet, tank and related plumbing.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Feb 1, 2016

sailnoproblem said:
Peggy I just looked into the MSD potty it seems like the way to go for me. But my question is how does a 5-6 gal hold as much waste as a 30 gal. holding tank? 50-60 flushes is more then enough for my planned trips.
Thank you again for the advice. Best Regards,

The average flush from any marine toilet is about 2 liters (.6 gal) including flush water. So you'd need at least a 30 gallon tank to hold 50 flushes. A portapotty, otoh, only uses about a cupful of water...50 flushes puts only about 3 gallons of flush water into the tank leaving plenty of room in a 5 gallon tank for waste.

Btw, if there's enough floor space in your head for the 20x-20 tank footprint, check out the Dometic/SeaLand 711-M28 "Marine Traveler"...an MSD portapotty on steroids!

Defender has the best description of it: SeaLand Traveler at Defender

Johnb · Feb 2, 2016

Btw, if there's enough floor space in your head for the 20x-20 tank footprint, check out the Dometic/SeaLand 711-M28 "Marine Traveler"...an MSD portapotty on steroids!

Defender has the best description of it: SeaLand Traveler at Defender

I have had one of those for 12 totally trouble free years. I did install a fresh water shut (red valve on the left) so you can aim for the hole (I will NOT elaborate) with no water running - this conserves a lot of ullage.
At pump out time you can rinse the tank insides until it is totally clean.
Anything that can't be pumped out can be harpooned and removed.
You can see the level through the translucent sides
The new ones have about 50% more capacity than mine.
A good solution if you have the space.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Feb 2, 2016

Johnb said:
The new ones have about 50% more capacity than mine.

It has the same 9.5 gallon capacity it's always had.

I have had one of those for 12 totally trouble free years. I did install a fresh water shut (red valve on the left) so you can aim for the hole (I will NOT elaborate) with no water running

There's a water valve on the back of the bowl that control flush water. It starts water flowing when you either step on the pedal to flush or lift the pedal to bring in water without opening the ball, stops it when the pedal is released. Those are the only times water should come into the bowl, so there shouldn't be any need for a shutoff valve in the water line. If you had to install one, the water valve has failed and should be replaced. They have an average lifespan of about 5-6 years, so it's not surprising that you'd need a new one.

Johnb said:
this conserves a lot of ullage.

A lot of what???

Adding a few inches of water to the bowl ahead of solids will keep the bowl much cleaner.

Johnb · Feb 2, 2016

Use imagination on why you might want the flush open with no water running.

Ullage - The word comes ultimately from the Latin oculus, “eye”, which was used in a figurative sense by the Romans for the bung hole of a barrel. This was taken into French in the medieval period as oeil, from which a verb ouiller was created, to fill a barrel up to the bung hole. In turn, a noun ouillage was created, which was the immediate source of the word's modern form, first recorded in Norman English about 1300, at first in the sense of the amount of liquid needed to fill a barrel up to the bung hole.

Ullage is also widely used in industrial or marine settings to describe the empty space in large tanks or holds used to store or carry liquids or bulk solids

You are never too old to learn.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Feb 2, 2016

Johnb said:
Use imagination on why you might want the flush open with no water running.

I have an excellent imagination but I cannot imagine any advantage to depositing "ullage" into a dry bowl...or any advantage other than ego massage to using the hole in the bottom of the bowl for target practice. A cupful or two of water ahead or after use will not make a significant difference in the number of flushes the tank can hold, but does leave the bowl a lot cleaner and therefore more pleasant for the next user...unless you're the only user, in which case it really doesn't matter after all.

Your serve

Johnb · Feb 2, 2016

Ullage is not put in the bowl, it is put into the tank by emptying it. (It is the empty space in the tank)

One perfectly genteel use for that valve is to cut the feed water off during pump out so one can have the flushing valve wide open without having fresh water running in. This also allows the ingress of a virtually unlimited amount of air, enhancing the efficacy of that procedure.
Another is it just gives one more control over how much fresh water is used. After 10 + years we have learned to play that toilette like a fine musical instrument.

You are right though, it is not absolutely needed.
On a more serious note I do recall at one time being disgruntled to read that newer models have a 9.5 gallon tank and ours is just 6.5 - in any event that would be moot since who would want a smaller tank?

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Feb 3, 2016

Johnb said:
One perfectly genteel use for that valve is to cut the feed water off during pump out so one can have the flushing valve wide open without having fresh water running in.

Why would you want to do that? Why not let water into the bowl to rinse it during pump out?

You wouldn't be the first person who thought he needed to reinvent the wheel......

Johnb · Feb 4, 2016

Peggie Hall HeadMistress said:
Why would you want to do that? Why not let water into the bowl to rinse it during pump out?

When we pump out we usually pump and rinse 2 or 3 times. The rinsing is done with dock water and includes back washing the air vent. This whole process takes 15 minutes or whatever time we need to do it to our satisfaction and it is my personal preference to not be running the fresh water pump for the duration.

Hopefully having that valve in there is not illegal, immoral, fattening or carcinogenic.

I also have one in the feed to the water heater.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Feb 4, 2016

It's YOUR boat...whatever floats it for you, whether it's a good idea or not, is ok with me as long as it doesn't actually do any harm.

Marine Toilet

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Attachments

.

.

.

.

Attachments

.

.

.