Greetings.
We spent our first weekend on our “new to us" 1986 Carver 3607 Aft Cabin and already had a problem with the aft head.
When I found that the bowl wouldn't empty and started troubleshooting I accidentally broke the "open/close" knob off of the head. I later came to the conclusion that the head, although likely due for a rebuild, as it had sat unused and dry for nearly 2 years prior, was likely not the issue. The tank was full. That will teach me not to let the 3, 4, and 5 year olds flush the toilet by themselves... one day and they had filled the 30 gallon tank!
So, I have ordered a rebuild kit for the PHE II, and a new valve (that is the part that I broke the knob off of when troubleshooting)... but I'm wondering if I'd be better off to return the $70 rebuild kit and valve and order a Lavac manual pump head for $400.
Here's my reasoning (sorry, I'm about to start rambling):
-I have very limited personal experience with marine heads, but am told that the PHE II likely uses about 1 to 1.5 Gallons Per Flush. Doesn't take long to fill up my 30 gal tank.
-I've also read that the PHE II is generally a pretty reliable head, but prone to the same easy clogging issues as most manual marine heads (it is electric, but works just like a manual pump head).
-As I already found, there are some easy to break parts on the PHE II.
-My first experience with scooping feces laden water from the bowl was bad enough that I would rather pay a bit more to minimize the frequency of that task.
-I've read that the Lavac is very simple and has comparatively fewer potential failure and clog points. Most of what I've read about Lavac suggest that they are considered to be some of the most trouble free heads out there. Although they work differently than most heads, and some people don't like that.
-Also read that the Lavac uses significantly less water per flush... so it shouldn't fill up my tank as quickly.
-I think I can handle $400. Some of the other heads that I've seen range from $200 to $2500. I don't have a good feel for whether this is an area where price is a good indicator of value. In some posts (here and elsewhere) I see the Lavac referred to as “expensive", while in other post people talk about heads that cost double, or more, as if they are a bargain.
-I'm assuming that with a manual pump head folks will be less likely to use too much water, as compared to just holding the electric flush button longer than necessary (which I've caught my kids doing… they like seeing the water swirl down the drain).
I'm also going to get a tank status indicator so I can more easily see how full the tank is. It was embarrassing when I realized I had just spend an hour and a half reading the Raritan manual and troubleshooting, just to find that the tank was full.
Thoughts anyone.
Are there more cost effective alternatives that tend to be on the “less-likely-to-clog" end of the spectrum, while using relatively less water?
Am I completely off base here?
I'm new at this, so I don't even know if any of my base assumptions are valid.
Thanks, in advance.
Jeff
We spent our first weekend on our “new to us" 1986 Carver 3607 Aft Cabin and already had a problem with the aft head.
When I found that the bowl wouldn't empty and started troubleshooting I accidentally broke the "open/close" knob off of the head. I later came to the conclusion that the head, although likely due for a rebuild, as it had sat unused and dry for nearly 2 years prior, was likely not the issue. The tank was full. That will teach me not to let the 3, 4, and 5 year olds flush the toilet by themselves... one day and they had filled the 30 gallon tank!
So, I have ordered a rebuild kit for the PHE II, and a new valve (that is the part that I broke the knob off of when troubleshooting)... but I'm wondering if I'd be better off to return the $70 rebuild kit and valve and order a Lavac manual pump head for $400.
Here's my reasoning (sorry, I'm about to start rambling):
-I have very limited personal experience with marine heads, but am told that the PHE II likely uses about 1 to 1.5 Gallons Per Flush. Doesn't take long to fill up my 30 gal tank.
-I've also read that the PHE II is generally a pretty reliable head, but prone to the same easy clogging issues as most manual marine heads (it is electric, but works just like a manual pump head).
-As I already found, there are some easy to break parts on the PHE II.
-My first experience with scooping feces laden water from the bowl was bad enough that I would rather pay a bit more to minimize the frequency of that task.
-I've read that the Lavac is very simple and has comparatively fewer potential failure and clog points. Most of what I've read about Lavac suggest that they are considered to be some of the most trouble free heads out there. Although they work differently than most heads, and some people don't like that.
-Also read that the Lavac uses significantly less water per flush... so it shouldn't fill up my tank as quickly.
-I think I can handle $400. Some of the other heads that I've seen range from $200 to $2500. I don't have a good feel for whether this is an area where price is a good indicator of value. In some posts (here and elsewhere) I see the Lavac referred to as “expensive", while in other post people talk about heads that cost double, or more, as if they are a bargain.
-I'm assuming that with a manual pump head folks will be less likely to use too much water, as compared to just holding the electric flush button longer than necessary (which I've caught my kids doing… they like seeing the water swirl down the drain).
I'm also going to get a tank status indicator so I can more easily see how full the tank is. It was embarrassing when I realized I had just spend an hour and a half reading the Raritan manual and troubleshooting, just to find that the tank was full.
Thoughts anyone.
Are there more cost effective alternatives that tend to be on the “less-likely-to-clog" end of the spectrum, while using relatively less water?
Am I completely off base here?
I'm new at this, so I don't even know if any of my base assumptions are valid.
Thanks, in advance.
Jeff