Higher toilet

[shekinahsailor]

As an off-season project, I'm considering raising the toilet in the head of my MK II about 3.5 - 4 inches for comfort.  At present I'm thinking of making a "butcher block" arrangement out of 2x4s with epoxy finish and bolting under the original equipment toilet. Has anyone else tried this?  Are there drawbacks?  Are there other solutions to getting the toilet at a more conventional height?  Thanks in advance.

[dave davis]

John, that sounds like a great plan. I often thought of raising the head for the same reasons plus it will result in bringing the head above the water line. That would be nice for boats that have not installed a high loop vent valve. Maybe I will do the same thing just for the comfort aspect. I would use a platform made out of a treated 4x4. I would think that you could use the same mounting bolt holes only use longer lag bolts through the pre-drilled 4x4. Let us know how you come out. Dave Davis

[pklein]

Will the installation of an electric flush toilet mechanism raise the bowl?  This might accomplish what you wish and add a nice feature to the boat.

Phill Klein
Andiamo #977
Montrose Harbor - Chicago

[shekinahsailor]

Interesting thought, Phil.  I haven't considered.  It brings up a whole different topic but I've often wondered if 1) the electric toilets use too much of the precious commodity (electricity), and 2) if for whatever reason power is lost to the toilet, does it mean you can no longer flush?  Back to the original question, I'll look into the height thing.

[beang]

It's supposed to be a head, not a throne (couldn't resist).  The three complaint's I heard about an electric head is that they use a fair amount of water and electricity and that they are noisy (I can attest to this, having rafted to an electric flush boat before).  

Something we discovered when calibrating our new Snake River Tank Watch Monitor is that the specs for the MkII boat's holding tank is wrong.  The spec says 18 gallons like the MkI boats, but in reality you only have 13 gallons.  The MkI boat's macerator and thru hull is on the end side of the tank where the Battery and windlass switches are for the MkII.  Our holding tank is narrower, as the macerator and thru hull is along the side of the tank.

[jentine]

Have you looked at the larger size toilets in the catalogs.  There are larger units that are similar in size to a home toilet.  I don't know if it would fit, but the height is certainly greater.

From one who hangs on a hook most of the year, electric heads consume far less electricity than the refrigeration, radios, lights, winch, heating system, or any other consumer aboard.  The draw is approximately 4.5 Amps for less than 30 seconds.  If that is too much power, you have a problem.   As for the noise, it lasts as long as the power drain (30 sec.).  I don't pay for the water in the ocean, so excessive use is not a concern.  I must add that there is no smell in the boat because the power toilet uses enough water to flush the waste all the way to the tank and does not leave in in the hoses to create a problem at a later time.

Jim Kane

[hdevera]

Jim,
With the electric toilet, have you found the small holding tank to be a problem?

[jentine]

No.  We primarily use the boat on weekends and usually pump the tank about once or trice a month.  You should be using the same amount of water with an electric or manual flush.  The waste must travel thorugh the same hoses to the tank.
Jim Kane