Best Head Type
- Thread starter TurboWarp
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- Sep 16, 2003
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electric heads have a pump/macerator in the base to flush and grind solids.
vacuflush have a vacum pump further down the line, along with a vacuum tank. when when you flush, you open a ball valve and the vacuum sucks things out thru a venturi which breaks down solid.
Top of the line electric heads like the Atlantes are probably jsut as good as vacuflush, i don't think one is really better. One thing which I really like about VF is their simplicity... just one simple bellow pump and even if they have a problem, like a vacum leak, or bad switch, etc... they will still be usable.
vacuflush have a vacum pump further down the line, along with a vacuum tank. when when you flush, you open a ball valve and the vacuum sucks things out thru a venturi which breaks down solid.
Top of the line electric heads like the Atlantes are probably jsut as good as vacuflush, i don't think one is really better. One thing which I really like about VF is their simplicity... just one simple bellow pump and even if they have a problem, like a vacum leak, or bad switch, etc... they will still be usable.
Another plus is the VacuFlush system uses only about 4 to 6 amps at 12 volts when creating the vacuum for about 10 TO 15 seconds. Typical Electric heads draw in excess of 20 amps. Since I switched from an electric head to a Vacuflush I would never consider another standard electric head. Manual heads work fine draw no current but use similar amounts of water to flush that the electric head uses.
quote:
Originally posted by PascalG
manual heads belong on small sailboats
OK, OK! Or on small cruisers.
I've got a Wilcox Crittenden Head-Mate on the boat. It's been on there for about ten years now and is used with a Purasan Type I sanitation device.
As manual heads go, this is good one. Small size and inexpensive: perfect for my 26' cruiser. I've rebuilt it once and replaced pump shaft bushings a couple of times. All manual heads have to be rebuilt periodically. It's about a one hour job. Changing out the shaft bushing takes minutes.
Manual heads are, well... manual. You pump them by hand. Takes a real boater to use one so real boats have manual heads. Vacuum or electrics heads are for RVs.
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>
Bravo, YZER, spoken like a true member of the Flat Earth Society!!!
[:-jump] [:-jump2] [:-jump] [:-jump2]
Bravo, YZER, spoken like a true member of the Flat Earth Society!!!
[:-jump] [:-jump2] [:-jump] [:-jump2]
Thought that might get a rise out you, Vic. I was just kidding.
Seriously, as you might expect manual heads leave something to be desired compared to the other types but if you have a good one like I do, they can do the job and operate relatively trouble free. I haven't had a clog with our system yet (knock on wood).
The different head types have their own advantages. Manual heads are a favorite of some long-range cruisers because they won't use any onboard power. A lot of them still come standard on smaller boats, so they are a no-brainer for easy replacement.
I have an old boat that's restored and equipped to give me long cruising or anchoring times without the racket or fuss of a genset. I use solar to meet the amp/hr draw of a boat that's equipped for very low power use. The non-electric manual head fits the bill perfectly for us. We stay anchored out for 5-6 days before needing to make an ice run. Not many 26-footers will do that without a genny.
At the high end of the manual head line you will find that Wilcox Crittenden Skipper II head. At nearly $1K, the old story goes that the state-of-the-art manual Skipper II will flush a rain coat. That thing has a 4" I.D. pump. Very impressive, but I don’t think I have room for one.
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As YZER mentioned, what is the best head depends on your particular boat and how you use it. On a 26 foot sailboat or powerboat, the actual size of the head and if it is, electric, it's power draw, are paramount when making your decision. If you have a 90 foot houseboat, where space and power aren't a concern, then you want the best, most trouble-free toilet available.
Cost also comes into the equation. Marine toilets begin at about $129 and go all the way up to a couple of thousand. The Baby Blake manual toilet, made in England, brags about the fact that it is the most expensive manual marine toilet in the world. With their current price at around $3K, they are absolutely correct! The Wilcox-Crittenden Skipper head, as has been noted, is probably the best and also most expensive American manual toilet made - it's within spitting distance of $1K.
Electric toilets begin at about $350.00 and go up from there, depending on make, model and features. Being employed by Raritan, I tend to steer people to the PHII manual toilet - world famous as the best manual toilet in the world for under $500.00. On the electric side, the Raritan SeaEra offers the best "bang for the buck" at around $650 for the base model. These are retail prices I'm tossing out, BoatFix offers them at substantial discounts.
Other popular toilets are the Jabsco 29000-series manual toilet, that you'll find on many new smaller boats. It is the base model and usually has a lifespan of under 5 years. Then there's the Jabsco 37000-series electric macerating toilet. It works OK but is noisy enough to wake the dead. The VacuFlush heads are popular on medium size and larger power boats, and work very well. They generally run $2K+ in cost, and the VacuFlush people must install it or check out and approve your installation, in order for it to be covered by their warranty. The Blake/Lavac, also made in England, is a manual vacuum toilet that is very popular on midsize and larger sailboats, particularly those that cruise outside the U.S. In the U.S., replacement parts for them are difficult to find, and are very expensive, although the toilets are quite reliable - they rarely break down. The Techma electric toilet is gaining in popularity, largely due to its comparitively low cost. It is made overseas and is imported by Thetford/Wilcox-Crittenden. They have a pretty good dealer network in the U.S. for parts and service. Raritan's top of the line is called the Atlantes "Freedom", and is available in several configurations. Retail cost runs betwen $1100.00 and $1500.00. Then there's the old tried and true Raritan Crown Head, which has been around since 1965. There are crusty old captains who won't have anything else. It was the first electric macerating toilet on the market, and is still around, after 40+ years.
To sum it all up, marine toilets are like automobiles to a large degree. A Ford Escort will take you the same place as a Lincoln Town Car. If it meets your needs and budget, there you are. But if you have more elegant tastes and the funds to go along with it, you'll likely lean more toward the Town Car. It also has to do with personal favorites - is a Lincoln better than a Cadillac, or vice versa? Does anybody really know? But if you've had good results with one, you're more likely to get another one of those, rather than trying something different. Much of the same "logic" applies to marine toilets...
Cost also comes into the equation. Marine toilets begin at about $129 and go all the way up to a couple of thousand. The Baby Blake manual toilet, made in England, brags about the fact that it is the most expensive manual marine toilet in the world. With their current price at around $3K, they are absolutely correct! The Wilcox-Crittenden Skipper head, as has been noted, is probably the best and also most expensive American manual toilet made - it's within spitting distance of $1K.
Electric toilets begin at about $350.00 and go up from there, depending on make, model and features. Being employed by Raritan, I tend to steer people to the PHII manual toilet - world famous as the best manual toilet in the world for under $500.00. On the electric side, the Raritan SeaEra offers the best "bang for the buck" at around $650 for the base model. These are retail prices I'm tossing out, BoatFix offers them at substantial discounts.
Other popular toilets are the Jabsco 29000-series manual toilet, that you'll find on many new smaller boats. It is the base model and usually has a lifespan of under 5 years. Then there's the Jabsco 37000-series electric macerating toilet. It works OK but is noisy enough to wake the dead. The VacuFlush heads are popular on medium size and larger power boats, and work very well. They generally run $2K+ in cost, and the VacuFlush people must install it or check out and approve your installation, in order for it to be covered by their warranty. The Blake/Lavac, also made in England, is a manual vacuum toilet that is very popular on midsize and larger sailboats, particularly those that cruise outside the U.S. In the U.S., replacement parts for them are difficult to find, and are very expensive, although the toilets are quite reliable - they rarely break down. The Techma electric toilet is gaining in popularity, largely due to its comparitively low cost. It is made overseas and is imported by Thetford/Wilcox-Crittenden. They have a pretty good dealer network in the U.S. for parts and service. Raritan's top of the line is called the Atlantes "Freedom", and is available in several configurations. Retail cost runs betwen $1100.00 and $1500.00. Then there's the old tried and true Raritan Crown Head, which has been around since 1965. There are crusty old captains who won't have anything else. It was the first electric macerating toilet on the market, and is still around, after 40+ years.
To sum it all up, marine toilets are like automobiles to a large degree. A Ford Escort will take you the same place as a Lincoln Town Car. If it meets your needs and budget, there you are. But if you have more elegant tastes and the funds to go along with it, you'll likely lean more toward the Town Car. It also has to do with personal favorites - is a Lincoln better than a Cadillac, or vice versa? Does anybody really know? But if you've had good results with one, you're more likely to get another one of those, rather than trying something different. Much of the same "logic" applies to marine toilets...
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I am in the process of installing a new Tecma "Easy Fit" electric head, replacing a 20 year old Raritan Crown Head. Today I was able to make the connections and do a test run (or flush) before bolting everything back down and making the connections more perminant. I wanted an Atlantes Freedom, but it wouldn't fit. My first impression is that we are going to like the function of the fresh water flush vs the old raw water flush as well as the press the flush button and walk away function of the Tecma. The Crown head requires that you hold the flush button down until the bowl is entirely clear.
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Tenna-Sea-N, just about all of the newer top-of-the-line electric toilets have the timer feature, and it's even now available as an extra-cost option for the Crown Head. Sorry to hear that the Atlantes Freedom wouldn't fit, [:-cry] but I'm sure you'll be happy with your Tecma - particularly from the pressurized fresh water standpoint - you'll really gonna like that!
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I've had VF, Lectra-sans, and a whole littany of electric heads...manual flush gets my vote hands down and if you have a big enough fw tank, manual w/fresh water flush is even better...and even I can re-build one