Potty advice

[Alastairdent]

I've been suffering the terrors of a composting toilet (too many people on board for toilet to cope).

We have an old RheinStrom that I could fit. All seals are worn out, a spares kit is 97 quid.

A Lavac will cost 110 quid, and we have a new Whale pump.

It seems to me that getting the Lavac is the best option. Opinions?

Now for a question or two. Any replacement would be fitted above the waterline. There is a seacock with a riser pipe that ends above the waterline, and a very large seacock that was previously used for a dutch toilet.
I was thinking of fitting an Intake pipe to the large seacock, and the Outlet to the old intake.
How large does the outlet seacock need to be?
(Toilet paper will be going in a bin, not down the toilet.)

 

[Jake]

Hi Alistair

I've got a portapotti at the moment (joy) but am thinking of plumbing in a holding tank above the waterline and using it as a gravity discharge. Lee Sanitation do a great kit, but pricey.

(The tank sits just below the deck, with a through-and-through discharge so you can rod-out any blockages from outside. A clear section of laminate acts as a guage. Yotties who have said they don't like a full tank so high up have been told that it is only full when in port, and gets emptied as soon as you are offshore. No pumps needed. I know a DIYer has made his own from a simple GRP layup on a fibreboard mould. It's coupled to a Lavac system, which has a good reputation for reliability)

With great emphasis now on containing waste, and discharging when away from anchorages and marinas, would a holding tank and associated system not be the way to go? Sounds like you could probably couple it to your existing outlets. I know it's a big outlay, but it could cope with a lot of guests, and be designed to be (comparitively) low maintenance.

I had experience of a composting loo in Finland. Hell of whiff, and it couldn't cope with a party of international journalists full of free beer!

For dimensions, I would have a look at the Lee Sanitation website. Lots of good info there.

 

[Alastairdent]

Erm, debates on a holding tank aren't really relevant, I'm just after opinions on fitting a Lavac Popular vs repairing the Rheinstrom.

Blake's website tells me that the outlet needs to be 38mm, but neglects to say whether this is internal or external diameter.

 

[davidbains]

They are referring to hose ID.
Many yotties use Lavacs, I would convert if I were you.

 

[jerryat]

Yep, agree with that. The Lavac is definitely the way to 'go' /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Superb gear IMHO.

 

[Abaker]

Yes, IMHO the Lavac is the best choice. Ours has worked well during a good many years of full time liveaboard use. It's much superior to the elegantly designed but virtually unrepairable bronze Groco that the factory installed when the boat was new.

 

[ccscott49]

outlet 38mm ID

 

[Sea Devil]

I agree go for a Lavac... when I got my moody 36 it had two fitted but one did not work because of bubbling on the pan top... cost of a new pan was almost a new lavac so I changed to a 'pump out' type for half the price.

In the following 8 years I only changed the seals on the old lavac once... the other I used service kits and when not available was forced to chang the entire model 3 times... wish I had just installed a new lavac instead...................