Toilet paper questions

[CABecker]

Just bought my first boat with electric heads. The manual states minimal toilet paper. I was thinking about doing "The Box" as made famous in every Mexican resort/bar we've ever been to. But that leads to stink and having to store poop laden things. But man I really don't want to unplug the head. What are you mixed sex couples doing about that?

[ttex]

We use a small trashcan, about 10 inches tall, with a lid and a foot pedal. We use shopping bags in it and it is where the paper goes.

We live on the boat at a marina full time while we are working to save up. Haven't had any issues with smell using the small trash can setup.

We have a composting head if that matters.

[Mike OReilly]

I have a composter. Poop tp goes in the box. My spouse diverts her urine wipes, stores them in a ziplock bag. No problems.

[highside]

Been living aboard and cruising for 5 years with electric heads. We use only as much toilet paper as needed and/or flush multiple times. No problems. I'm sorry but I would never ask someone to put their poop paper in a basket and I would never want to do that myself.
Yes, I've travelled plenty and done this in other countries when there was no other option. This is my boat and my rules and I will never keep a basket full of human feces on my boat.

[motion30]

I use Scott's single ply TP, have never had a problem

[CarlF]

It depends on your head. Old ones used to have lots of trouble with toilet tissue. Newer ones not so much. My electric Raritan Elegance doesn't care.

It's important to use a toilet paper that completely breaks down after a few minutes. Most brands do. Never put things like wipes - that don't break down - in a head.

I've used West Marine two ply tissue for a decade. I expect it's just a repackaged supermarket brand but the cost isn't enough more to figure out which one. A few times a year West has a buy-one-get-two sale and I stock up.

[PLANET EXPRESS]

Bidet

[dhenline]

Originally Posted by highside

Been living aboard and cruising for 5 years with electric heads. We use only as much toilet paper as needed and/or flush multiple times. No problems. I'm sorry but I would never ask someone to put their poop paper in a basket and I would never want to do that myself.
Yes, I've travelled plenty and done this in other countries when there was no other option. This is my boat and my rules and I will never keep a basket full of human feces on my boat.

you are my kind of sailor. Totally agree

[ttex]

I have pooped in buckets at job sites and wiped my behind with my own shirt and carried all back home with me.

Used paper in a trashcan doesn't bother me but I guess I'm a gross mfer. haha

[sailorboy1]

Had the very basic Jabsco head for 9 years and used double ply TP and never had a clog. Now I have a fancy electric head and use the good TP, never clogs.

There is never going to be crap covered TP in the trashcan on my boat!

[peghall]

Any TP that can pass this test is safe to us--in limited amounts!--in any marine toilet:
Tear off a couple of sheets and put 'em in a mason jar or glass of water. Come back in an hour and shake the jar or stir the glass. If the water is milky and all you see is "snow" that TP is can safely be flushed through any marine toilet. But if the sheets are still intact or even mostly intact, try another brand.


NEVER flush a wet wipe! There isn't a marine toilet made, manual or electric, that a wet wipe won't clog.


--Peggie

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by highside

I'm sorry but I would never ask someone to put their poop paper in a basket and I would never want to do that myself. . . . . This is my boat and my rules and I will never keep a basket full of human feces on my boat.

My sentiments exactly.

Whilst I don’t have electric macerator toilets (mine are both manual Jabsco), the only time I’ve had a blockage is when a visitor had used a folded wad comprising probably 8 or 10 squares of TP that was simply too fat to pass through the skin fitting. After the unpalatable task of removing it, I enclosed it in a ziplock bag and showed it to the offending visitor who was suitably embarrassed and never repeated the event.

I once nearly turned down a lucrative delivery when the owner told me that flushing TP through toilets was forbidden and all fecea-coated toilet paper had to be stored on board. Not on any boat I’m responsible for.

[Ded reckoner]

Years ago, I stayed for a week in a Munich bed-and-breakfast. The building was many hundreds of years old. For the first time, I was introduced to the request not to flush toilet paper but to place it in a dedicated waste basket after use. I imagined those antique pipes had very small diameters making for great difficulty unclogging them.

We have a Vacuflush system and I change the duckbill valves annually. The maintenance process is enjoyable enough that we have a *no* flushed toilet paper rule. When visitors are on board, we advise them of the rule and request they fold their used paper and tuck it into a ziplock bag which is then placed in a small lidded trashcan. The ziplocks contain the smell but require land disposal eventually. For these visitors, we also switch from Northern/Charmin type TP to recreational vehicle (RV) type TP (just in case they forget). This is available in many stores such as Walmart in the sporting goods section. I suppose someone associates RV TP with outdoor activities. RV TP dissolves very quickly in water which can be a detriment with personal use, too (which is why we use Northern/Charmin routinely).

[Lepke]

In a lifetime on the ocean, I've never had a problem with reasonable amounts of TP plugging a marine head. Now I use Incinolets that burn the waste. Anything that burns, other than fuel, can be put in the toilet. That includes large amounts of TP, plastic applicators, etc.

[Souzag818]

Originally Posted by highside

Been living aboard and cruising for 5 years with electric heads. We use only as much toilet paper as needed and/or flush multiple times. No problems. I'm sorry but I would never ask someone to put their poop paper in a basket and I would never want to do that myself.
Yes, I've travelled plenty and done this in other countries when there was no other option. This is my boat and my rules and I will never keep a basket full of human feces on my boat.

+1