Marine Toilets

[Mark424]

Originally Posted by Bleemus

Best manual head? I would say Lavac. If you are not in the States they wre the most reliable manual heads I have used. Carry one spare seat seal and your good for years. As for macerators I will let Peg chime in as my experience with them has been nothing but troublesome.

+1 Lavac

[Saunter]

I have a Raritan PH II. It's worked flawlessly for the 9 years I've owned this boat. I've replaced the stem cartridge seal twice when it started seeping. Now it's developed a loud squeak on the down-stroke when pumping. I don't want to disassemble the whole toilet and rebuild it if I can avoid it, although I have a complete kit, minus the stem cartridge seal. Anyone have more experience with these than me?

[Stu Jackson]

The squeal is because the inside of the pump needs to be lubricated. You HAVE to take it apart to do that and should be part of regular yearly maintenance. SuperLube is what Peggie recommends.

I have a PHII, too.

[peghall]

Originally Posted by Saunter

I have a Raritan PH II. It's worked flawlessly for the 9 years I've owned this boat. I've replaced the stem cartridge seal twice when it started seeping. Now it's developed a loud squeak on the down-stroke when pumping. I don't want to disassemble the whole toilet and rebuild it if I can avoid it, although I have a complete kit, minus the stem cartridge seal. Anyone have more experience with these than me?

It's squeaking 'cuz it needs lubrication. You can either flush a tablespoon of veggie oil down the toilet every few days--'cuz anything thin enough to be flushed just washes out in a few flushes (any more than a tablespoon will wash out with the first flush)...or you can do it once or twice a year:

Buy a tube of SuperLube thick Teflon grease (Ace Hardware carries it)...SuperLube has a full line of liquid and spray lubricants, you ONLY want the thick grease in a tube! Remove the pump from the base--only requires removing 4 screws...stick the grease tube nozzle in the pump and give it healthy squirt--about a tablespoon. Put the pump back on the base, pump the toilet a few times to spread the grease all over the inside of the pump cylinder...you're good to go for a whole season if you're weekend warrior, at least 6 months if you're a liveaboard.

SuperLube grease is also great for lubing winches, y-valves, seacocks and anything else that stays wet or gets wet a lot. A tube of it will cost you about $5.95.

Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
http://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Bo...dp/1892399784/

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Saunter

I have a Raritan PH II. It's worked flawlessly for the 9 years I've owned this boat. I've replaced the stem cartridge seal twice when it started seeping. Now it's developed a loud squeak on the down-stroke when pumping. I don't want to disassemble the whole toilet and rebuild it if I can avoid it, although I have a complete kit, minus the stem cartridge seal. Anyone have more experience with these than me?

I've had good luck by being lazy and jamming grease in through the seawater suction side with the seacock closed. My method is to close the inlet seacock, remove the wet/dry selector valve handle and the valve body, put gobs of silicone grease on my finger and work it into the passage that leads to the pump. 3-4 smallish globs into the hole while working the pump up and down lubricates quite well.

[HopCar]

I think Stu is right but you only need to remove the pump, not disassemble it.
Remove the hoses, remove the base screws, smear a bunch of SuperLube or silicone grease in the cylinder, re mount the pump and you're done.

Wow a lot got posted while I was typing. Do what Peggie said.

[peghall]

....Remove the hoses, remove the base screws, smear a bunch of SuperLube or silicone grease in the cylinder, re mount the pump and you're done.

You have to be quick around here!

You don't even have to remove the hoses...just lift the pump off the base high enough to get the tip of the nozzle well into the pump.

And btw...if your toilet is a Jabsco, you don't have to remove the pump from the base...just remove the top of the pump (how to do that depends on the age of your toilet...they've changed it a few times).

Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
http://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Bo...dp/1892399784/

[Cheechako]

I think at reasonable cost the Raritan is the way to go, although it seems expensive to me for what it is. On the cheap the $159 Jabsco works and just replace it in a few years.

[bvander]

Forward head is a PH II, been going strong for 14 years with routine maintenance. Aft head Seaera, installed 10 years ago, had to replace motor last year, otherwise no problems, very simple design.
Replaced holding tank 14 years ago with designed to fit Ronco. No problems, only wish I went with a dip tube for pump out.

[peghall]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I think at reasonable cost the Raritan is the way to go, although it seems expensive to me for what it is. On the cheap the $159 Jabsco works and just replace it in a few years.

Raritan toilets are available for lower prices that you think. They've replaced the original PH II with a toilet they call the PH SuperFlush. It uses the PH II pump, but the base has been redesigned to make it a "plug and play" replacement for the Jabsco manual. It's available in both household and compact versions. Raritan PH SuperFlush So far, Defender is the only retailer who's advertising it, and for a VERY good price: Raritan PH SuperFlush Manual Toilet at Defender But I strongly suspect that HopCar can get close, if not match Defender's price for forum members.

If you have a longing for a toilet designed to use onboard fresh water, but don't want an electric toilet, the Raritan Fresh Head is the only manual toilets designed to be connected to the fresh water system FRESH_HEAD Promo Sheet The complete toilet is a bit pricy, but the "conversion" Raritan Fresh Head Retrofit Conversion Kit for PH II Manual Heads is quite reasonable...under $200.

Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
http://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Bo...dp/1892399784/

[bvander]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I think at reasonable cost the Raritan is the way to go, although it seems expensive to me for what it is. On the cheap the $159 Jabsco works and just replace it in a few years.

If your a dock queen then ya a cheap Jabsco works. But when your anchored off a remote island and your cheap jabsco craps out and the admiral is threatening to abandon ship and cruising lifestyle you will wish you had a good head.

[PaulinOz]

"But when your anchored off a remote island and your cheap Jabsco craps out and the admiral is threatening to abandon ship and cruising lifestyle you will wish you had" a multi hull with another 2 or 3 working spares.

Joking aside a real toilet question, Is there any valid reason that Jabsco supply toilets with painted chip board seats with screws that rust as opposed to a domestic all plastic soft closing seat.

I have just retro fitted my 3 heads for the sum total of less than $75 south pacific paseos with domestic seats, best money spent on the boat all year.

Also lightened boat by 7.5 kg

[Typhoon]

I know . isn't it just crazy that marine stuff is so expensive and most of it is junk ? I did the same thing , soft closing lids from Home depot .

Regards John Tully

[peghall]

Originally Posted by ColdEh Marine

, soft closing lids from Home depot .
Regards John Tully

Now if someone would just make a toilet seat that comes back down automatically....

Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
http://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Bo...dp/1892399784/

[Typhoon]

Originally Posted by peghall

Now if someone would just make a toilet seat that comes back down automatically....

Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
http://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Bo...dp/1892399784/

And back up again, LOL

Hey us boater guys sit any how , don't want to fall or clean up a mess

Regards John Tully