New Toilet Advise - Want to Get it Right

dlochner · Jun 5, 2021

The person to ask is @Peggie Hall HeadMistress.

Even though they are more money, I'd tend to favor one of the Raritans.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Jun 5, 2021

The Raritan Marine Elegance is the top rated electric macerating toilet...designed to use onboard pressurized fresh water, but with the addition of a remote intake pump can use sea water...in fact, adding the "sea-fresh" system will even allow you to switch between fresh and sea water at will. Those options do run the price up quite a bit, though.
Whether you go with any of those options or not, I do recommend that you go with one of the optional flush "buttons"--either the 4 option "Smart Flush" panel or the slightly less expensive 3 option "momentary flush" panel. This retailer has the Elegance WITH Smart Flush panel for $750...with Momentary Control for $715...with "SeaFresh" option for $1010.
Boatersland Marine Elegance

The SeaEra is also top rated in its class, and is available in both sea water and pressurized flush water versions. The price difference between the Elegance and the freshwater SeaEra QC is so little that IMO it makes no sense to go with it instead of the SeaEra. Boatersland Raritan SeaEra fresh water

The Jabsco 37010 is just a basic sea water electric macerating toilet that Jabsco has offered for several decades...you already know that it's noisy.

The SaniMarin is a lower price knock-off of the Italian Tecma.

--Peggie

CarlN · Jun 5, 2021

Another happy Marine Elegance owner for over 10 years. By far the best head I've ever owned - and I've owned many.

If you have a watermaker aboard, there's not much reason for the raw water option unless you have very small tankage. The head uses very little water. You won't notice it compared to someone taking a shower or washing dishes with fresh water. If offshore you'll be making plenty of water so the head use isn't much more. And if the watermaker breaks, you have a bigger problem than flushing the head. But without a watermaker, it's a good idea.

I strongly suggest you look at one of the smart controls. They are much more careful with water use so that your holding tank will fill much more slowly (and you'll use much less fresh water). Depending on which button you push, it does one or three "mini" flushes that does a great job cleaning the bowl while using much less water than a heavy handed person on the button. You can also program the flush time to get it just the way you want it. You'll quickly save the extra cost in saved pump out fees. It's also very helpful if you have guests as they feel much more comfortable that they are "doing it right" by just pushing a button once than trying to remember your instructions of how long to hold in the button.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Jun 6, 2021

Your configuration looks right IF you really need the SeaFresh controls...Carl has given you some advice about that.
We can discuss all your options in a lot more detail via email or, better yet, on the phone. So how 'bout sending me a PM to start that ball rolling.

--Peggie

sesmith · Jun 6, 2021

Concerning fresh water and sea water flush one possible option. When I replaced ours with the Sea Era model, I bought the version with a separate pump for the flush water. I also reused the porcelain part of the head, so bought just the working base (saved a few bucks that way). I wired an second momentary push button switch (normally closed) between the main switch and the sea water pump. Push the main button, you get a wet seawater flush. Push both buttons, you get a dry flush, or in our case we use the shower hose to fill the head for a wet flush when we're in the marina and aren't worried about conserving water.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Jun 6, 2021

You can actually buy what Raritan calls their "Momentary Control," which is a 3 option switch that allows you to JUST bring in flush water, dry flush, or do both simultaneously. It works with both sea water--including a remote pump-- and fresh water toilets. Raritan Momentary Control owners-manual

sesmith · Jun 6, 2021

Yes you can and I'm sure it's more "elegant" than my solution. Elegance comes with a price, though. About $150 for that switch. I'm cheap, so my less than $20 solution seemed genius to me, at the time.

MitchM · Jun 6, 2021

on my old 1980 boat i had the omnipresent parjabsco manual head w hand pump and w a raw water intake. lake erie water had horrid critters in it. i re plumbed the water intake to come from a a gravity feed 6 g. holding tank (like in the 1920' s that my grandma had in her house. ) which gravity tank i filled w fresh water . we mainly sailed weekends so i could fill gravity tank w dock-quality h 2 0. for longer trips on the greatest of lakes when we were away from dockside h 20 suppplied the raw water inlet could be y valved back in in . when i sold the boat in 1996 the new owner loved the system. and it was quite inexpensive...

Ward H · Jun 6, 2021

I installed the Raritan Sea Era QC fresh water version with the #2 Multifunction Control. 3 years ago. I ordered it with the household sized bowl. If doing it again I'd go with the SMART Control.
Everyone who uses does love it.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Jun 6, 2021

The water in Lake Erie is a LOT cleaner now than it was in 1980, Mitch...do you think you'd still need a dedicated flush water tank? Even if you do, or now sail in sea water, there's a better way to flush with fresh water SAFELY than installing a dedicated tank...it's an easy job on all boats that have the toilet and the head sink on the same side of the keel:

Sink drain thru-hulls are below the waterline on almost all sailboats. So re-route the toilet intake hose to tee or wye it into the sink drain line as close to the seacock as possible because the connection must be below waterline to work.
This will allow you to flush normally with sea water. After you’ve closed the sink drain seacock in preparation to close up the boat (you do close all seacocks before leaving the boat to sit??), fill the sink with clean fresh water and flush the toilet. Because the seacock is closed, the toilet will draw the water out of the sink, rinsing the sea water out of the entire system—intake line, pump, channel in the rim of the bowl and the discharge line,(Water poured into the bowl only rinses out the toilet discharge line). If your toilet is electric, be careful not to let it run dry…doing so can burn out the intake impeller. Or you can keep the sink drain seacock closed except when it's needed to drain the sink and flush with fresh water down the sink all the time...your choice.
It may also be necessary to keep the sink plugged except when in use, with a rubber sink plug or by installing a conveniently located shut-off valve in the drain hose. Otherwise the toilet may pull air through the sink when you try to flush, preventing the pump from priming.

I first learned about this solution to sea water intake odor from a Tartan owner in the mid '90s. At that time Tartan and some other boat builders plumbed their boats to use the sink drain thru-hull for the toilet intake too, 'cuz it eliminated one hole in the boat (toilet intake), and also saved 'em the cost of another seacock. I thought it was such a great idea that I've been recommending it ever since.

--Peggie

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Jun 6, 2021

Why would you go with the Smart Flush panel instead of the Momentary Control if you had it to do over, Ward?

--Peggie

grandpasteve · Jun 7, 2021

Peggie Hall HeadMistress said:
The water in Lake Erie is a LOT cleaner now than it was in 1980, Mitch...do you think you'd still need a dedicated flush water tank? Even if you do, or now sail in sea water, there's a better way to flush with fresh water SAFELY than installing a dedicated tank...it's an easy job on all boats that have the toilet and the head sink on the same side of the keel:

Sink drain thru-hulls are below the waterline on almost all sailboats. So re-route the toilet intake hose to tee or wye it into the sink drain line as close to the seacock as possible because the connection must be below waterline to work.
This will allow you to flush normally with sea water. After you’ve closed the sink drain seacock in preparation to close up the boat (you do close all seacocks before leaving the boat to sit??), fill the sink with clean fresh water and flush the toilet. Because the seacock is closed, the toilet will draw the water out of the sink, rinsing the sea water out of the entire system—intake line, pump, channel in the rim of the bowl and the discharge line,(Water poured into the bowl only rinses out the toilet discharge line). If your toilet is electric, be careful not to let it run dry…doing so can burn out the intake impeller. Or you can keep the sink drain seacock closed except when it's needed to drain the sink and flush with fresh water down the sink all the time...your choice.
It may also be necessary to keep the sink plugged except when in use, with a rubber sink plug or by installing a conveniently located shut-off valve in the drain hose. Otherwise the toilet may pull air through the sink when you try to flush, preventing the pump from priming.

I first learned about this solution to sea water intake odor from a Tartan owner in the mid '90s. At that time Tartan and some other boat builders plumbed their boats to use the sink drain thru-hull for the toilet intake too, 'cuz it eliminated one hole in the boat (toilet intake), and also saved 'em the cost of another seacock. I thought it was such a great idea that I've been recommending it ever since.

--Peggie

Peggie - if I plumb my Ericson 32-3 this way does the line from the sink drain to the head pump need a vacuum breaker?

Ward H · Jun 7, 2021

Peggie Hall HeadMistress said:
Why would you go with the Smart Flush panel instead of the Momentary Control if you had it to do over, Ward?

--Peggie

Water conservation. Make it even easier for guests.
I believe the Smart Flush is/was about $60 more than the momentary control in your link and I now think it might have been worth it..