General question about heads on a sailboat

[malbert73]

I’ve been on boats with multiple heads, where owners say- “thank goodness I have 2 because #1 broke again…” And I see their heads, with the cheapest manual toilets with old hoses and deferred maintenance.

I’ll repeat myself from upthread. If you take the maintenance, money, time from multiple heads and instead put all of that money, attention, and time into a single head- you can end up with a setup that you never have to worry about. Particularly if you replace key item on a schedule- like joker and hoses.
One of the most unpleasant jobs out there but I’m thankful to only have to work on 1 head. No restrictions on TP flushing in my boat- except to flush first if more than 2 wipes
My setup goes years and years, 100s and 100s of uses and has not failed. (Raritan elegance, direct to holding tank with deck outlet and macerator for offshore)

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by jleonar

I
I will admit there is a boat I really like that just checks all the boxes for us. My wife hates two things about it. It is a single wet head. She isn't thrilled about wet heads but that can be overcome. I hope with some of the feedback in here, I can show that one head isn't a disaster.

I suggest that means that boat does NOT "check all the boxes for us." (You both.)

FWIW, my own opinion about wet heads is that they suck.

Another FWIW, our previous boat had a single head (separate stall shower) and the toilet was an electric freshwater flush. Worked fine. I replaced the macerator at about the 11-12 year mark, otherwise no maintenance required (i.e., aside from cleaning).

Our current boat has two heads, but also more staterooms so there's a slim chance we might have guests aboard more often. Given that, we do like having another -- one for us, one for them. That's generally more about being able to perform simultaneous "operations" so to speak, not specifically maintenance-related... although additional privacy is nice.

-Chris

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by peter loveridge

here's something I have not seen on this thread. Macerators are always giving trouble.

Not our experience. Unless you mean replacing a macerator after 11-12 years of service is "always." Near as I could tell, ours would chew pencils if we asked it to.

Assumes crew and guests are able to follow rules about flushing (no rags, etc.). Our guest instruction was "You clog it, you fix it" and that seemed to be sufficient.

-Chris

[dlj]

My boat came with two heads - I swapped both out for the OGO composting head - I'll never go back to a standard marine head. The space gain, simplicity, and complete lack of odors has me a believer!

Just this past weekend I had a potential crew on board and they commented on how nice the head was. They were skeptical when I told them I run composting heads.

dj

[Diantre]

Originally Posted by jleonar

My wife and I are in the process of narrowing down our target search for a boat we want to purchase in the next 12 months.



This will be our first sailboat and we will be liveaboards(mostly at anchor). One area of concern for her is the number of heads. I am mechanically inclined, I can do plumbing, electrical, etc.



I think a boat with a single head is acceptable as long as we carry essentially all the spares to rebuild it if something breaks. She is worried that a repair will take too long and not having a backup isn't a good idea.



I am trying to compromise by saying, look, when we buy the boat, I will buy two sets of spares. I will immediately rebuild the entire thing just so I have direct experience on how to do it. That way the next time it will take less time to do a repair.



She is open minded on this but since we don't have any direct experience, she wants to go the safe route even if it limits some of the boats that could fit our needs better than some boat that has two heads but isn't as ideal overall.


So in the worst case, how long does it take most people to do repairs on their marine toilets?

Better idea go for a chemical toilet (no pipes, holding tank, bad smell). Easy to manipulate and no pump out

[Jeff on Aurora]

Good morning!

I have an Island Packet 38 with two heads but only one holding tank. Here are some of my thoughts and experiences:



* I would happily trade the second head for additional storage space. A properly maintained waste system is reliable. As for me, I don't need an entire backup head.



* Even inexpensive toilets like the basic Jabsco manual seem to hold up pretty well if you don't force them. I get about 2-3 years daily use out of one with two adults on board.



* Don't bother with rebuild kits for pumps; spend the extra $30 and replace the entire pump - a 10 minute fix.



* I've had more problems with HOSES than the toilets. Mineral build-up is the worst when you have limited holding tank space and you're not flushing away urine with several gallons of sea water to dilute it.



* Vinegar does NOTHING to dissolve mineral build-up in hoses. Use muriatic acid 3x per year. See other posts for how to do this safely. For me, this is the #1 thing that keeps the system working without problems.



* A big source of problems can be a clogged vent hose or vent fitting. Easily cleared out with a water hose, but even better not to overfill the tank and cause the problem in the first place.





Fair winds and friendly harbors,


Jeff
s/v Aurora, Key West

[NYSail]

We have 2 electric jabsco heads with separate holding tanks in our new boat (7 years new to us). Never thought I would like 2 heads and didn’t want electric. However would never go back. In the 7 years I changed the joker valves 1 time and changed gaskets on one of the u it’s 1 time as well. Flush paper as well but no wipes obviously. Replaced all hoses and switched to gravity discharge option when bought the boat. We have zero head smell. And on old boat….. a 1986 Pearson with a manual head and small holding tank, also not a trace of any smell. Hoses need to be changed. Like anything else you have to take care of mechanical things and they will take care of you…… until they don’t!

[svtickles]

We have two electric toilets. The outlet on the head in our front cabin got clogged soon after we moved in. It took 3 weeks for me to land somewhere that I could find the parts to replace. Yet they didn't have like for like parts and I needed to modify things a bit. Major pain!

If we didn't have the second head, going over the side or in a bucket would become a necessity (and risk of falling overboard!!).

[Happ]

One of the reasons many have gone to composting heads. You eliminate so many moving parts, hoses and the holding tanks. In your case you eliminate all the electrical components.

[OneBoatman]

I have stayed with a manual head but do have an opinion based on some work on other people's boats having electric heads, meaning those having macerator pumps. It seems they make good sense on boats that spend most of time at the dock and near shore, and those serving larger crews where pump out needs are more frequent. I use no commercial products as they are expensive, and some shorten the life of components if used too liberally. Best to avoid using bleach or dilute 10:1 with water using only less frequently as it attacks bronze, brass and to a lesser degree any Copper components. I suggest a head should be given a final rinse with fresh water after use and treated 2-3 times per month with 3-4 oz of 3% hydrogen peroxide to kill bacteria and this keeps the head odorless, same approach for galley and head sinks, those served by a through hull leading to the sea. This routine kills marine bacteria and eliminates the low tide hydrogen sulfide smell that will otherwise be unpleasant. Manual heads use no power, and there is less to maintain. Cruising or voyaging, choose your poison, but suggest you sail with a service kit aboard so as not to be caught without the ability to restore function.

[Rockinar]

Never owned a boat before? Heads are the least of your worry because nobody is going to insure newbies on a boat that is big enough to have two heads.

[svtickles]

Originally Posted by Rockinar

Never owned a boat before? Heads are the least of your worry because nobody is going to insure newbies on a boat that is big enough to have two heads.

Yikes!

They insured us on a 45ft!! Yes, two electric heads. First boat we own.

[OneBoatman]

One thing to keep in mind, regardless of whether or not you intend to insure your boat is: Improper maintenance of your head may leave you swimming with the fishes.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by OneBoatman

One thing to keep in mind, regardless of whether or not you intend to insure your boat is: Improper maintenance of your head may leave you swimming with the fishes.

Unless you have a composting head, in which case the worst you'll end up with is a fly infestation .

[malbert73]

Because I only had to upgrade a single head boat, I was able to spend the $350 for an entire replacement electric pump/joker assembly to keep onboard for my Raritan elegance. A worthwhile spare I’ve never had to use, and probably less than an hour to replace- then can take my time and fix/rebuild the old one
And if the control panel fails, that can be rewired into a simple switch temporarily to flush the head.