Electric heads advice

T

Travelling Westerly

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 Dec 2019
Messages
460
Location
Dorset
Visit site
Afternoon all

Im thinking about replacing my Jabsco manual head with an electric version. Seems straight forward enough but I would like some recommendations concerning quality makes, availability of spares etc.
Ive got my eye on a Sanimarin SN 31. Anybody else use one of these?

Thanks in advance
 
There's a conversion kit for the Jabsco available. I've had two Matromarine ones, one of which was rebadged as Force4. I have now fitted a TMC toilet which seems to be better quality. However, the bowl is a lot smaller than the Matro/Force4 and, in hindsight, I would have kept the old bowl and fitted it to the new base.
 
I took the manual pump from my Jabsco and fitted an electric diaphragm pump as a pump out and fitted a small pressure pump to supply flush water.

1 push buttons completed the installation one for each pump
 
Cornishwesterly said:
Anybody else use one of these?
Click to expand...
No, I have jabsco, but a couple of points, my motor went u/s and cost of replacing was equal to a new toilet.
2: leaving salt water in the pan caused corrosion around macerator, you can increase longevity by turning off salt water i/p and flushing with fresh before you leave the boat.
 
LadyInBed said:
No, I have jabsco, but a couple of points, my motor went u/s and cost of replacing was equal to a new toilet.
2: leaving salt water in the pan caused corrosion around macerator, you can increase longevity by turning off salt water i/p and flushing with fresh before you leave the boat.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip (y)

Im going to plumb it into the fresh water supply so hopefully it should last a bit longer (fingers crossed)
 
Last edited:
Cornishwesterly said:
Afternoon all

Im thinking about replacing my Jabsco manual head with an electric version. Seems straight forward enough but I would like some recommendations concerning quality makes, availability of spares etc.
Ive got my eye on a Sanimarin SN 31. Anybody else use one of these?

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

tecma

expensive but worth every penny.

you use it every day after all.

quiet. Easy to clean no exposed pipes or nooks and crannies. Intuitive for guests. It just works.

You’ll never go back.
 
I have looked into this as we have a jabsco manual. I have always worried about the noise of the electric jabsco so have never changed as I believe a quiet reliable version is a tecma however don’t know how the noise of a sanimarin compares ? Is there a heads noise table maybe ?
 
We've just had a pair of Tecma Silence+ 2G Lo Toilet C/System 2 Switch 12V freshwater flush units fitted along with a 200l holding tank.

They are nice and quiet compared with the Jabsco unit removed, very efficient and use minimal water, as mentioned elsewhere, not cheap but money well spent.
 
Resolution said:
I have a Jabsco Liteflush running on fresh water. After 15 years the macerator motor developed a tiny leak from wear on the shaft, so we have made a simple replacement.
Click to expand...
Running a Liteflush on fresh water is undoubtedly the optimum but not something that people with smaller boats could manage. The problem with the Liteflush in seawater is that the flush volume is minimised to avoid filling holding tanks too rapidly but this causes heavy deposition of salts. Not only does the joker valve become caked up requiring cleaning monthly, on a liveaboard boat, but the hoses, impeller and other internals suffer similarly. Regular dosing with hydrochloric acid helps but stripping the thing down is required quite often. After persevering with ours for quite a few years we have now reverted to a manual Jabsco.
 
To each his or her own isn't it - my FT liveaboard Colvic Watson 34 had (when I bought her) a Vetus 12v fresh water flushing into a 150L or so holding tank via a macerator loo that, to me, was a nightmare needing to be dismantled, descaled, cleaned, etc., etc. far too regularly for my liking. Such set-ups are not suitable for full time liveaboard use IMHO. I now have a large tool locker where the holding tank used to be and a separator loo that has absolutely nothing to go wrong with it, zero maintenance other than cleaning. The little Bowman 26 has a Lavac that I'm happy with...
 
V1701 said:
To each his or her own isn't it - my FT liveaboard Colvic Watson 34 had (when I bought her) a Vetus 12v fresh water flushing into a 150L or so holding tank via a macerator loo that, to me, was a nightmare needing to be dismantled, descaled, cleaned, etc., etc. far too regularly for my liking. Such set-ups are not suitable for full time liveaboard use IMHO. I now have a large tool locker where the holding tank used to be and a separator loo that has absolutely nothing to go wrong with it, zero maintenance other than cleaning. The little Bowman 26 has a Lavac that I'm happy with...
Click to expand...
You don’t have to wear a hair shirt just because you’re on a yacht.

Have a diverter valve to send liquid waste over the side and store only solid waste. That way you save tank space and can flush more to save scaling.

Lavacs are the work of the devil. Yucky gunk round the seal. Pipes everywhere so they look ugly and again hard to clean. And if you have to give guests instructions how to use the loo it’s no good as far as I’m concerned.
 
V1701 said:
To each his or her own isn't it - my FT liveaboard Colvic Watson 34 had (when I bought her) a Vetus 12v fresh water flushing into a 150L or so holding tank via a macerator loo that, to me, was a nightmare needing to be dismantled, descaled, cleaned, etc., etc. far too regularly for my liking. Such set-ups are not suitable for full time liveaboard use IMHO. I now have a large tool locker where the holding tank used to be and a separator loo that has absolutely nothing to go wrong with it, zero maintenance other than cleaning. The little Bowman 26 has a Lavac that I'm happy with...
Click to expand...
I'm not sure I see how an electric loo is not suitable for full time liveaboard.
I to am a FT liveaboard and to be honest I'm getting bored with pumping the blooming thing all the time! I think a little convenience can't harm life aboard. It's not like the Jabsco manual is unbreakable either. I'm on my second pump rebuild now.
I agree with elessar in that you don't have to slum it just because it's a sail boat. ?
 
Cornishwesterly said:
I'm not sure I see how an electric loo is not suitable for full time liveaboard.
I to am a FT liveaboard and to be honest I'm getting bored with pumping the blooming thing all the time! I think a little convenience can't harm life aboard. It's not like the Jabsco manual is unbreakable either. I'm on my second pump rebuild now.
I agree with elessar in that you don't have to slum it just because it's a sail boat. ?
Click to expand...

Unsuitable in my experience because of the frequency with which the one I had needed to be dismantled, descaled, cleaned, reassembled in full time use. My current separator loo is zero maintenance, no pumping required, I empty the pee bottle once or twice a week and that's about it really. To me that is infinitely preferable to the alternatives and doesn't feel like slumming it. But, as I said, each to their own and as long as you're happy with what you've got...(y)
 
V1701 said:
Unsuitable in my experience because of the frequency with which the one I had needed to be dismantled, descaled, cleaned, reassembled in full time use. My current separator loo is zero maintenance, no pumping required, I empty the pee bottle once or twice a week and that's about it really. To me that is infinitely preferable to the alternatives and doesn't feel like slumming it. But, as I said, each to their own and as long as you're happy with what you've got...(y)
Click to expand...
You are right the cheaper electric loos are a liability. It's a shame you've not experienced a decent one or I suspect you may have a different view.

I bought a £400 one and it was awful. I replaced it after a year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top