Boat toilet (marine head). How would you do it?

[pbearsailor]

This sailor thinks you've made a wise decision.

-steve

[bredlo]

Originally Posted by pbearsailor

This sailor thinks you've made a wise decision.

Aye aye, cap'n.

[AWCHIEF]

Really a shame you could not come up with a way to make it work. Sure would have looked sharp.

[slowmover]

Hang a picture on the wall, with the caption: "My other toilet is a . . . . "

.

[bredlo]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Really a shame you could not come up with a way to make it work. Sure would have looked sharp.

I know, I'm kinda bummed - plus it would've made a killer story to brag about my creative recycling skills.

Originally Posted by REDNAX

Hang a picture on the wall, with the caption: "My other toilet is a . . . . "

Maybe I'll be brave (bored?) enough to build a custom mahogany seat for whatever I wind up with... or cast a vintage-looking pedal in aluminum.

[Crusty]

There you go - make a mahogany seat and cover for the RV model and varnish it up real pretty and you'll still have a loo to be admired, just not quite as cool as a polished bronze marine head.

BTW, buy the water saver option too if you get the Dometic. It's essentially a spray wand like you find at a kitchen sink and using it to clear the bowl when flushing results in much lower fresh water usage. After having mine for a while I now believe that all toilets should be equipped with this simple accessory because having a ready source of fresh water when cleaning the bowl is exceedingly handy.

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by bredlo

I know, I'm kinda bummed - plus it would've made a killer story to brag about my creative recycling skills.






Maybe I'll be brave (bored?) enough to build a custom mahogany seat for whatever I wind up with... or cast a vintage-looking pedal in aluminum.

Definitely!

Make that mahogany seat.

Then, for the rest of your new throne:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbKRQfOlhhI

You'll really have a conversation piece.

[Crusty]

Originally Posted by bredlo

RV systems are designed to push water in and out of the toilet, whereas the hand pumps in these marine heads aren't.

You've got it just backwards (if I understand what you're saying).

RV toilets operate like a glorified outhouse - the waste falls from the bowl into the tank below when the foot valve is opened and pressurized water is allowed in to clean the bowl. An RV toilet hooked up to an elevated water tank could be used to make a nicer outhouse.

Study the photo of the Blakes Baby to understand how a marine head works. The baby has separate pumps for flush water and waste ejection so it's operating functions are easily seen.

The T handle of the flush water pump when pulled upward draws flush water into that pump. A downward push pumps the water into the bowl.

The black handle of the waste ejection pump when pulled upward draws the waste and flush water mix from the bowl into the ejection pump. A downward push pumps the waste mix into the holding tank.

In the W-C head that you have, the two pumps have been replaced with one pump for both functions. The two different functions happen according to the position of the foot valve when the handle is operated. That's why it's possible to get fresh water contamination with that head since it was designed to use sea water for flushing rather than potable water. All marine heads operate using these two functions but there is a wide variety across models in the implementation.

[bredlo]

Originally Posted by Crusty

In the W-C head that you have, the two pumps have been replaced with one pump for both functions... That's why it's possible to get fresh water contamination with that head since it was designed to use sea water for flushing rather than potable water.

I Gotcha - yes, that's what I was trying to say, but butchered it. I have no interest in adding a separate water supply, incorporating a backflow preventer so we don't get waste in the fresh tank, or any other options to try and reinvent this head.

It's on eBay and will hopefully find a happy home in a charming old boat... right where it belongs.