Looking for a good head....Any sugestions?

[rebel heart]

I seriously don't know why anyone uses anything other than a Lavac. I've had the Raritans and Jabscos, but they really missed the mark about head design.

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

We installed the cheapest Jabsco at around $120. 3 kids and two wives regularly use it on the weekends. It's holding up well.

Two wives, Dan?! We're going to have to start calling you the Sultan of Singapore!

Never mind the toilet, how are you holding up?

TaoJones

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

but they really missed the mark about head design.

Bad aim, I guess.

[sluissa]

I'll put my two cents in for a port-a-potty style head, assuming you don't regularly have more than a couple of people aboard.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

Two wives, Dan?! We're going to have to start calling you the Sultan of Singapore!

Never mind the toilet, how are you holding up?

TaoJones

I traded my 1 X 40 y/o in on 2 X 20 y/os...

When in Rome - LOL

[Seeratlas]

I'm seriously considering putting a Natures head on The Pearl, but I sail shorthanded. For a couple or less it seems to make sense.

Ecovita Villa

sure simplifies plumbing and has no valves, pipes, etc. For parties where the boys come over to drink and boat, you can rig up a holding tank for the urine which is separated out.

seer

[MidLandOne]

We have had an ITT Jabsco with plenty of use for over 11 years (including some periods living aboard) and no problems - would do the same again. Only complaint we have had is that cleaning products remove the ink off the valve operating instruction label on our older model (but the local agent sent us a bunch of free spares of those .)

In fact only replacements bits have been the top seal on the piston rod and the joker valve in the discharge. The joker valve replaced immediately after the boat was launched and only because the builder's new apprentice (well that's who I'm assuming it must have been ) installed it back to front so that it inverted itself.

An advantage of that style head is they are very clean to work on if one is fussy in that department. The only parts exposed to the pooey stuff are the joker valve, and the inside of the piston cylinder and bottom of the piston - the last two being pretty much self cleaning.

We lift the top and give a squirt of lube in the cylinder when it starts to feel a bit stiff (maybe every 6 -12 months depending on ones own diet ). Lots of silicony type things available but we find the big sqeeze tubes of lubricant used by plumbers to slide O'ring seals onto large diameter PVC pipes handy and cheap - only requires a small squeeze.

I have had a number of people complain to me that they have had problems with replacement parts fitting or not working correctly but when I have asked if they bought the correct kit for their age of pump they went all wide eyed and quiet . There are two different kits, dependant on the age of the pump - seems some don't read the kit label closely when buying.

Have been told that the more recently built Jabscos are not as well made as the old, but don't know if that is a myth or not.

[Pblais]

For the cheap Jabsco or actually the W/C Head Mate the key with the cheap heads is to make sure the runs on the supply and the waste are as short as possible. I had trouble when the the supply line was a bit long and it would trash the mechanism on pumping supply side in short order. This is where the better heads won't fail. The rebuild kits on these cheap heads are about $30 less than a new head.

[never monday]

another vote for the Jabsco...good $ value

BUT...replace the hose (5/8") between the pup and the bowl with a longer section and a vented loop up high.
I guess I should add comment for this.
I've had 2 boats here set up siphons in the bowl due to the switch in the pump failing to lock over. With the siphon break this minimizes the problem. And the subsequent surprise of having the sole awash.

[MidLandOne]

Originally Posted by never monday

BUT...replace the hose (5/8") between the pup and the bowl with a longer section and a vented loop up high.

While I agree this is the usual and recommended installation and the following may be regarded as a bit adventurous by some, the following is an alternative for the Jabsco (or similar) which in many boats will result in less pipework and ease of hiding the anti-siphon loop. Some may like to try it, but whatever, as Pat says, if the toilet is below the waterline fit a loop one way or another.

If one uses an anti-siphon loop similar to the Forespar ones one can put it on the suction side of the toilet's pump by doing the following. Take the top cap off and remove the little duck bill one way valve. Replace it with a small block of soft porous foam (a small piece cut off window or door draft strip is ok) large enough so that is is squished up a bit when you screw the top cap back on.

The foam has enough resistance to air flow so that it does not leak enough air to affect the pump suction but is porous enough so that it lets down the water level in the loop when you stop pumping. It also does not leak (at least no worse than the dribble one sometimes gets from the original duckbill valve) as when there is water in the loop the loop is under suction from the pump.

Doing this means that between the head's pump assembly and the bowl you just have the short piece of plastic hose the toilet comes assembled with. To/from the pump is just the suction for the flushing water and the black water discharge from the pump. The anti siphon loop can be hidden away in a locker.

By doing this one avoids the untidy second set of hoses to get to the loop and back and makes it easier to hide the loop away.

When this was recommended to me by our boatbuilder I did a but agreed to it and it has worked perfectly - has been like this for many years. I had also thought it would forever need cleaning to remove salt buildup but again that has not proven to be so - I squish the bit of foam out in fresh water around once every blue moon.

If doing this I would recommend checking that it is working as planned by when pumping stopped put a bit of water over the top of the valve and see if it gets sucked in as the water drops in the anti-siphon loop. Obviously, as always, the loop should also be above the highest waterline.

[stoupidmonkey]

Great info guys! I will continue to do research; my little lady will be most pleased.

[Lancerbye]

Check out the Mansfield Vacuflush. uses little water which is good for a holding tank app. soon to be required on all boats. Uses fresh water, no smell, no manual pump and levers that guests don't understand. Have had no problems and women like it. Its like home.

[GordMay]

It’s a good thing that the VacuFlush toilet only uses between 1.0 & 1.5 quarts of FRESH water, and 1/10 Amp/Hour electricity per flush, because my 20 Gallon FW Tank, and 100 A/H (usable) Battery Bank couldn’t have taken much more.

BTW: My Blackwater Holding tank was bigger than the Fresh Water potable tank. Go figger ...

[Boracay]

My objection to the Lavac is that when it is installed with a KISS system holding tank the sewerage tends to flow back through the pump and into the bowl.

Only solution that I have come up with so far is lots of toilet cleaner and very thorough flushing.

I'm contemplating replacing the pump. Hopefully a new pump will have better valves.

Also on my to do list is "Y" valves to pump directly overboard.

[Ex-Calif]

Without doing my own research are there manual toilets with a foot pump? That would be way more convenient for the pax.