I'm restoring a Chris Craft Commander 410.
The boat had two full heads with separate showers.
I've pulled out both toilets, and will soon pull the marine sanitation hoses as well. The hoses are at least 20 years old - so I'm not even going to question them - they're gonna go. The two AWESOME things are that:
1) The boat hadn't been used in YEARS - so the heads and hoses (and hopefully tank) are all DRY!!! SOOOO much better than if we had used the heads for a while, and then got around to replacing...
2) The boat is laid out in a way that I can get to everything!!! For both heads, the hose starts at the toilet, goes through a bulkhead or two immediately into the engine room, makes a vertical loop (smell containment?) and then runs to a Y (one branch from each toilet) before dumping into the holding tank.
I'm planning to first replace the forward toilet, which serves the forward V-berth, and acts as the "day head". My plan is to replace the old raw water toilet with a fresh water toilet. Possibly the Raritan Marine Elegance, as it's the only one I've found so far that is designed for a fresh water supply without requiring additional solenoids, etc. (If there are other options that are already configured for a fresh water supply - please let me know!)
But I'm not so sure about immediately replacing the toilet in the master head. I will likely hold off at least for a little while to stem the wallet hemorrhaging... I've had thoughts of trying a composting head in the master, with a conventional forward, but that's a different thread.
Bottom line:
Is ONE toilet enough?
I would expect that I'll entertain during the day, but RARELY have more than one couple spending the night. My current/previous boat(s) only had one head - and that was fine.
Having the head and noise (bodily and from pumps, etc.) on the other side of the boat from the person still in bed might be nice.
Similar to the "one engine or two" argument - One head instead of two means less maintenance, parts, expense, and more room in the tiny aft head. It also implies that there is "no backup" if the one toilet fails (though a bucket or porta-potty could be used in the spot where a toilet would normally go in the master bath).
If I don't immediately put in the 2nd toilet, the next question is how much prep of marine sanitation lines should I do for it?
Should I JUST run the line for the first toilet?
In an effort to avoid a messy addition in the future, I could go ahead and put in a new Y in the line from the first toilet to the holding tank. If I do that, do I run the hose all the way to the aft cabin (good hose is DANG expensive!), or just stub it off? If I stub it off, it would be nice to do so in a way that adding the rest of the hose later wouldn't be a nasty job (hence going ahead with the Y and stub).
I thought about running the line from the forward head to the Y, and on to the tank. The other branch of the Y could go to a ball valve, so I'd have a clean, sealed end to work with for adding the second toilet later. The question here would be: Will the ball valve stick shut if it's not operated for a year or so?
Thoughts?
Link to MIC
Marine Sanitation & Supply opened it's doors in to provide ethical means for yacht sanitation needs. From working with the local Coast Guard to assist in writing of rules for boaters that made sense from the boaters point of view, to free advice to boaters on "how to" issues, as well as having the convenience of a one stop showroom.
From Toilets, to Holding Tanks, Treatment Systems and Parts - Marine Sanitation & Supply makes sure you are up to date with the latest, most fashionable and economical sanitation options out there. We are a Dometic SeaLand master distributor for VacuFlush and stock distributor of all the sanitation products they make. We provide other brands like MasterFlush, Groco, Thetford, Tecma, Raritan and others. We have parts in stock for most brands of marine toilets, and for those toilets that you may think have seen their days.
Our goal is to help you meet Coast Guard regulations and provide you the knowledge of such products. No one enjoys being stuck in the middle of a trip, vacation and or work day with a busted toilet, and not being up to date on your repair parts or maintenance requirements. The good old Bucket method or jumping in the drink, while it gets the job done, isn't the most flattering way to go about your 'business'.
Marine Sanitation & Supply can provide you with all the necessities to legalize and freshen your outlook on sanitation. And we enjoy what we do.
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Our store is located in Seattle WA across the street from Gas Works Park & North Lake Union at
N. Northlake Way, Mariners Square #121
Seattle, WA
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