Recommendations for a new head
- Thread starter Afraal
- Start date
Afraal, Raritan toilets, manual and electric, are top rated because they're they best quality and therefore the most reliable. Their manual PH SuperFlush is the current version of their tried-and true PHII which has been the the top rated manual toilet pump ever since they introduced it in 1983. It will provide 20+ years of reliable and trouble-free service with minimal repairs if it's just kept well lubricated, joker valve is replaced annually and a rebuild it (about $60) installed every 5-6 years. PH Superflush | Raritan Engineering Defender usually has it for the best price--with the larger household bowl.
Raritan PH SuperFlush Manual Toilet at Defender
The Raritan SeaEra Raritan SeaEra Promo Sheet is the top rated "basic" electric macerating toilet. If you opt for electric I'll check out who has it for the best price.
How old are your hoses? If even close to 10 years old, it's time to replace those too, even if they don't stink. 10 yrs is the average working life of any hose 'cuz rubber and plastics dry out over time, becoming hard, brittle and prone to cracking and splitting. Raritan SaniFlex RaritanSaniFlex hose is the top rated hose because it has a 10 yr warranty against odor permeation plus it has the added advantage of being so flexible it can be bent almost as tight as a hairpin without kinking, making most re-hosing jobs a LOT easier. Don't be spooked by the list price...Defender has 1" and 1.5" for $10-$11/ft, which still isn't cheap but worth it if you only want to do this job ONCE. Flex PVC #148 (the cheap stuff) is ok for toilet intake and vent line.
I'll be glad to answer all your questions here or privately.
--Peggie
Raritan PH SuperFlush Manual Toilet at Defender
The Raritan SeaEra Raritan SeaEra Promo Sheet is the top rated "basic" electric macerating toilet. If you opt for electric I'll check out who has it for the best price.
How old are your hoses? If even close to 10 years old, it's time to replace those too, even if they don't stink. 10 yrs is the average working life of any hose 'cuz rubber and plastics dry out over time, becoming hard, brittle and prone to cracking and splitting. Raritan SaniFlex RaritanSaniFlex hose is the top rated hose because it has a 10 yr warranty against odor permeation plus it has the added advantage of being so flexible it can be bent almost as tight as a hairpin without kinking, making most re-hosing jobs a LOT easier. Don't be spooked by the list price...Defender has 1" and 1.5" for $10-$11/ft, which still isn't cheap but worth it if you only want to do this job ONCE. Flex PVC #148 (the cheap stuff) is ok for toilet intake and vent line.
I'll be glad to answer all your questions here or privately.
--Peggie
That's just a function of the bowl size specified--"standard" aka "marine' or "household"..interchangeable on all manual and most electric toilets. Just specify which size you want when you order the toilet.
No experience with electric either, but +1 for Raritan. My presumably 30-year Raritan PH manual head (I have only owned the boat for 9 years now) works flawlessly. I rebuilt it once in those 9 years, and lubricate the pump once in a while…and it works fine. Way better than the Jabsco I had on my previous boat.
Greg
Greg
I used Trident 101 when I replaced my sanitation hose. Very solid stuff, but it is VERY stiff, hard to bend at all, and hard to get on fittings (hot water didn’t help that much.
It is certainly cheaper than Raritan Saniflex (which I have not used), but I th it is more difficult to work with.
Greg
It is certainly cheaper than Raritan Saniflex (which I have not used), but I th it is more difficult to work with.
Greg
I installed a Raritan Sea Era QC Electric Head with fresh water flush back in 2018. We're very happy with it.
We went with the household size bowl for more comfort. Without the manual pump there was enough more room around the base which allowed us to angle the head away from the wall a little for more knee room.
Its much easier for guest to use as well.
We went with the household size bowl for more comfort. Without the manual pump there was enough more room around the base which allowed us to angle the head away from the wall a little for more knee room.
Its much easier for guest to use as well.
Trident 101/102 (same hose but with a white "skin") was the only hose I recommended for years...until Raritan SaniFlex had been on the market long enough (several years) without a single reported failure, or even any anecdotal reports of failures (and I'm active enough online that I'm sure I would have 'cuz I have seen a few--very few!--anecdotal reports of Trident 101/102 odor permeation failure, none of which had been verified) for me to considr it "safe" for me to begin recommending it instead, primarily because Trident 101/102 is almost as a stiff as hard PVC andSaniFlex is so flexible it can be bent almost as tight as a hairpin without kinking, which makes re-hosing jobs so much easier.
Defender has SaniFlex for USD $10-$11/ft and they offer free shipping on orders $100 +. Toronto is close enough to the US border that it would pay you to get a US shipping address in the nearest US town (there are always independent "mailboxes etc" type businesses in them) for all your purchases from US vendors. That won't help you with the rate of exchange but it'll save you bundle in "international" shipping charges etc--that Canadian retailers also have to pay... you'd get your purchases in days instead of weeks and a train ride back and forth to collect your purchases is so inexpensive that it makes a lot of sense IMO.
Just a suggestion
--Peggie
I helped (well, I did most of the work) a friend install a Raritan electric head on his 309 a few years ago. It was pretty easy to do. His crew likes it, seems like overkill, but it is a world full of choices. 
I installed a Raritan Marine Elegance with fresh water flush on my 310 last year - love it. It was straightforward to install, easy to use and has worked well. It sits a bit high, especially for my wife, but overall we like the upgrade from the manual seawater flush.
Only practical thoughts..
Get one that pleases the wife and fits your butt...
@Peggie Hall HeadMistress has the most knowledge of about this subject.
Get one that pleases the wife and fits your butt...
@Peggie Hall HeadMistress has the most knowledge of about this subject.
Remember not too many projects going at once, enjoy the boat too!
Good day all .......... anyone have some picks of how they set up fresh water for flushing. We have hand flush.
Cheers
2 OLD PIRATES
Cheers
2 OLD PIRATES
If by "hand flush" you mean a manual toilet, those should never be connected to the fresh water plumbing due to the risk of contaminating your potable water supply and every toilet mfr specifically warns against it. Some people just keep the intake seacock closed and use the shower head to flush, or install separate water tank to supply flush water...about 5 gallons should be enough...it will have to be vented btw.
Or you can reroute the head intake line to tee into the head sink drain line. Keep that drain seacock closed except when using the sink...use the sink to supply flush water. Better yet you can use seawater (seacock would have to be open) to flush, switch to sink water (close the drain seacock to do this) last thing before leaving the boat to sit to rinse all the sea water out of the entire system--intake line, pump, channel in the rim of the bowl AND the toilet discharge line. This is my favorite way to do it.
--Peggie
Or you can reroute the head intake line to tee into the head sink drain line. Keep that drain seacock closed except when using the sink...use the sink to supply flush water. Better yet you can use seawater (seacock would have to be open) to flush, switch to sink water (close the drain seacock to do this) last thing before leaving the boat to sit to rinse all the sea water out of the entire system--intake line, pump, channel in the rim of the bowl AND the toilet discharge line. This is my favorite way to do it.
--Peggie
Peggie ..... thanks for the heads up and feed back. I'll continue to use my 1litre bucket. Water from the sink. Does a good job.
Cheers
2 OLD PIRATES
Cheers
2 OLD PIRATES
Greg, don't see why you can't use your sink drain as a source of flushing water once you close off its thru hull valve. The entire drain line now fills with water and act as a source of flushing water. Sort of like this as the new Raritan was being installed :
I second this recommendation. I replaced all the hoses on our boat a few years ago and the SaniFlex hose is really easy to work with. Definitely worth the greater cost. I wouldn't use anything else.
We installed a Tecma Easy Fit fresh water electric in May this year and couldn't be happier with it. It is very quiet, and handles everything without drama. We went with a simple rocker switch flush, (wet fill or empty). My wife is super happy that I made this change. Many of the new local BC yacht brokers install these to owners looking to ditch their Jabsco hand pump units when commissioning new boats are installing Tecma heads. https://www.thetford.com/product/tecma-easyfit/
We also replaced our head hoses with the Raritan flexible stuff. Much easier to work with, hopefully it will give us years of trouble free service.
We also replaced our head hoses with the Raritan flexible stuff. Much easier to work with, hopefully it will give us years of trouble free service.