Sanimarin 31C electric toilet

[athene]

We've inherited a Sanimarin 31C electric toilet on our recently acquired motor yacht. Having had manual toilets on all our previous boats and having serviced them annually I'm wondering what - apart from obviously descaling - I need to do to keep this toilet in good working order.

It's the only toilet on the boat, so it's pretty critical that it works! I've put a request several times to the UK agents for advice on servicing and spares, but had very little response.

Does anyone know a. how reliable these toilets are and b. what servicing they need to keep them in good order? Also, c. any recommendations on spares to carry aboard?

Any advice gratefully received.

GORDON KNIGHT

[peghall]

The Sanimarin is a decent toilet, a knockoff the Tecma made by a French company with manufacturing in Romania. Aside from descaling, electric toilets need very little maintenance. If you don't have an owners manual you should be able to download one from the Sanimarin site Sanimarin SFA : the benchmark for automatic toilets - Sanimarin SFA.

[athene]

Originally Posted by peghall

The Sanimarin is a decent toilet, a knockoff the Tecma made by a French company with manufacturing in Romania. Aside from descaling, electric toilets need very little maintenance. If you don't have an owners manual you should be able to download one from the Sanimarin site Sanimarin SFA : the benchmark for automatic toilets - Sanimarin SFA.

Thanks for that, Peggie. I've got the owner's manual - it's just that it gives very little guidance on troubleshooting and maintenance.

Do you have any recommendations on spares to carry or is it your experience that failure is so unlikely (barring mistreatment, of course) that it's not worth carrying any?

My wife (fussy thing that she is) isn't entirely enamoured with the idea of doing her business in a bucket.

GORDON KNIGHT

[peghall]

There's not much that can go wrong with it...As for maintenance, it doesn't appear that any preventive maintenance is called for in the Sanimarin OR the Tecma. In the unlikely event of a clog, reversing the motor polarity will cause it to run backward, usually spitting up the clog. Give Sanimarin's customer service a call about how to do that and for any maintenance suggestions.

[KittleCommander]

Hi Peggie,
Can you also help me out with one these Sanimarin units?
In May 2015 year I bought a widebeam barge that has a Sanimarin unit. Originally I was quite impressed by its performance but I had some problems with blockages and now find that the unit does not have the power that it used to. I have disassembled the unit and cleaned it thoroughly. It appears to be in very good condition. I have descaled it and the non-return valves, and also left descaling fluid in the pipes. The holding tank has been pumped out and rinsed. So far as I can tell the pipework between the unit and the holding tank is not blocked. In operation, the unit works to some degree in Normal flush mode but the lack of power becomes evident as it tries to drain the sump. In Eco mode it does a poor job of draining the sump, and in Empty mode the macerator can be heard running but it does not drain the sump.

I have a video of it in action (or not...) at https://goo.gl/photos/zLDtsiKmm99vN5NT7

Any advice Peggie? anyone?

Many thanks.

[peghall]

The holding tank has been pumped out and rinsed. So far as I can tell the pipework between the unit and the holding tank is not blocked. In operation, the unit works to some degree in Normal flush mode but the lack of power becomes evident as it tries to drain the sump. In Eco mode it does a poor job of draining the sump, and in Empty mode the macerator can be heard running but it does not drain the sump.

What sump??? Are you trying to use the toilet to dump the tank??? I'm gonna need a LOT more information to help you with this one!

Meanwhile, if whatever you're doing has worked previously to dump the tank, check the tank vent for a blockage. A main funtion of a vent is to provide source of air to replace contents as they're being pulled out...if insufficient or NO air can come in, the pump can't pull much if anything out.

The two most common locations for a vent blockage are the vent thru-hull and the other end of the vent line--that end of the hose and the vent fitting on the tank. Clean those out and I suspect your problem may be solved. However, unless I'm just not reading your post correctly, it might be a good idea if you learned what does what in your sanitation system...'cuz the Sanimarin is a toilet and toilets don't dump tanks. I 'll be glad to help you with that.

[KittleCommander]

Peggie,
So grateful for your thoughts. Sorry perhaps me using unclear terminology: when I say ‘sump’ I mean the U shape bend at the bottom of the toilet bowl that generally holds water. Currently the macerator has trouble clearing this once the water level drops to the point where air can get in. Sometimes, when I press ‘empty’ it does not even suck this out at all, but the macerator can be heard whirring but doing nothing.
Hope all is clear now.

Graham

[peghall]

This is what passes for installation instructions for the 31-c, Sanimarin 31 C but they don't include an exploded drawing showing how the discharge should be plumbed. But unless it's actually built into the bowl, that "sump" (aka "p-trap") shouldn't be there...it isn't in any other manual or marine toilet, but they do tend to show up in toilets installed by people who try to apply domestic (land) plumbing standards to marine installations, creating problems. So I think the solution to your problem MAY be to take it out. Alternatively, give Sanimarin a call to see what if any help they can offer.

[KittleCommander]

Thanks Peggie - I have some more clarity on this now I have found the original documentation that went with the units installation in 2012. I is in fact a a 35ST. Yes, this 'sump' that I am talking about is the bottom part of the porcelain bowl, i.e. the bit below the normal water level before the macerator, not any additional external plumbing. There just doesn't seem to be enough suck.
Sorry for the confusion.
Regards, Graham,