The head on Seaglass was state of the art when the boat was manufactured, but that was 25 years ago and things have moved on a bit since then. The original head was a Groco unit which started it's life as a manual toilet and then was upgraded to electric operation by adding an electric motor at some time in the past by a previous owner. The head worked but there were a couple of things that I did not like about it, all the pipework was on display below the bowl giving a rather industrial look and making it hard to clean, and secondly it used sea water for flushing. As part of the general refit of the boat, a Grand Banks 32 trawler, I wanted to install a toilet that was somewhat more streamlined and more importantly used fresh water for flushing. Boat toilets have gotten a bad rap in the past as being smelly with a propensity to clogging. Correct use and maintenance are critical for the proper operation of any heads afloat, the plumbing needs to be top notch and nothing should be flushed down the toilet that has not been eaten first. The sulfurous smell is often mistakenly attributed to waste in the tank and pipe work but it is often actually caused by the seawater used for the flush. Seawater contains millions of tiny micro organisms and when these sit in sanitation hoses they die and as they decompose they start to give off that rather evil smell that sadly is all to often considered a necessary part of life afloat . That is not to say that sewage smells of roses, it doesn't, but providing it is sent properly and completely to a holding tank there should be no issue with any unpleasant odors as these sent to outside through the tank vent.
Walking the aisles at the Miami boat show earlier this year I spent a fair bit of time looking at the offerings from various manufacturers but one caught my eye. Raritan are a well known name to many boat owners primarily for their water heaters but they also manufacture a range of toilets. The Elegance is an apt name for the model that I chose to install. It has a stylish look that will blend in well with many boat interiors. Available in seawater, fresh water or a combination of the two. Other options are for a straight or sloped back, high or low seat height and a choice of white or bone color. As these toilets are electric flush control there are options here too from a simple push to flush switch to a programmable control. All these options mean that there are few vessels where these toilets could not be used. The macerator pump is built into the back of the toilet concealed behind the china and as if this were something from a Star Wars movie it has what Raritan calls Vortex Vac flush technology which chops up any waste and pushes it into the holding tank most effectively.
After some careful measurements I opted for the white low seat model with fresh water flush and programmable control. The other thing that I had not considered until my wife pointed it out to me is that the toilet looks and works just like the one at home and does not require an engineering degree to flush, visitors aboard especially like it because you simply tell them where to press the button and the electronic control takes care of the rest and there is no more 'move the little lever to this position give five strokes, close the lever then pump ten more times.'
Installation took me three days in total which included stripping out the old head and pipe work, making good the fiberglass pedestal base that the head sits on before finally installing the new toilet, plumbing and electrical connections. This is a fairly advanced DIY job for sure and you need to be confident of your skills but providing that you have a decent tool kit, patience and a methodical approach it is not out of the reach of a skilled amateur. Every boat is unique of course and circumstances differ so although the final result may be similar the method may be slightly different to what you see here.
Here's I did it.
The old head worked but it leaked,was noisy, used sea water for flushing and I disliked the exposed plumbing so it had to go.
Step one was to turn off the power and close the sea water intake.
As I was installing new plumbing and electrical wiring I simply cut these out of the way. The raw water intake pipe was cut off adjacent to the intake seacock which was later repurposed for a anchor sea water wash down.
The waste pipe was disconnected from behind the bowl. Although this was being replaced I did not want to simply cut it as I had no idea what treats might be lurking inside!
With the bowl free of all connections I unbolted it from the pedestal and removed it from the boat.
I now had a free space and although the new head would be going into the same position as the old toilet the holes through the fiberglass for the water intake and waste hoses were in the wrong place and had to be filled and gel coated.
The new toilet was sat into position so that I could check that there was proper clearance for the seat to open correctly.
Once I was confident that the toilet was in the right place a pencil mark was made around the perimeter and at the centerline of the bolt holes which is required to correctly align the stainless steel mounting bracket.
After double checking my measurements I bolted the bracket in position in accordance with the enclosed instructions. The pencil line previously drawn around the base and at the hole centerlines is required for this step as a set back measurement is required from these marks.
Extra holes had to be drilled for the water intake, waste and electric wiring. Sizes are given in the instructions and a sharp hole saw makes short work of this job but if the pedestal is close to the hull be careful not to drill to far and go through the bottom of the boat!
Connecting up the electrics is straight forward but you must follow the instructions with regard to wire sizing. The electronic relay is installed close to the head but out of sight. Mine fitted very nicely in the cupboard behind the head. This black box is wired differently depending on how your particular toilet is configured. There are connections for a tank level monitor and automatic start for a Lectrasan or other sanitation treatment tank if your vessel is so equipped.
As I was installing the fancy programmable control I chose a position on the side of the vanity. A 11/2'' hole was needed for this so I drilled a 1/16th pilot hole first to give the center drill of the hole saw something to follow. The vanity is very polished and drilling pilot hole ensures that the large drill will not slip and mar the finish.
The control was then screwed into position using the supplied mounting screws and then the cat 5 cable was run to the black box and plugged in. I was careful to ensure that all wiring connections were well made using crimped connectors where appropriate and neatly clipping back cables to prevent them from sagging and getting snagged.
With the wiring complete you can then turn your attention to the plumbing. As I was installing a fresh water flush I had to tee into the cold water feed to the faucet. My boat is plumbed in PEX style piping so his was a fairly easy job. Had I been using a raw water flush model it would have been even simpler and I could have simply replaced the hose that runs to the seacock.
I had to wrestle the waste hose down through the pedestal then through a bulkhead into the engine room before finally connecting to the waste holding tank. A helper would definitely have made this job easier but I finally prevailed. On a side note I used new sanitation hose from Raritan which I ordered with the toilet do not be tempted to use flexible corrugated hose for water tanks. It may be easier to run in but it will smell and the undulating internal bore will trap waste.
Connect up the hoses to the back of the toilet using new pipe clamps then turn on water and check for leaks, it is tight for space here and you can just about make out the screwdriver tightening up the water supply hose clamp. At the this stage the toilet bowl is also finally bolted to it's bracket but you need to be careful as over tightening will crack the china. Next turn the power back on and if all is well the toilet should flush.
The finished job, neat and tidy with no ugly pipes on show.
Many thanks to the folks at Raritan especially Dale Weatherstone for assistance with this feature.
I too bought and installed a Raritan Elegance toilet, along with the smart panel. This was back in April of 2009. I'm a woman living aboard and so the toilet gets a lot of use, every day. This toilet is superb. It's full size, indestructible, and has never let me down. I had a great experience with the Raritan folks as well. And it was easy to install.
Posted by: Denise | August 15, 2014 at 07:48 PM
Nicely done, Mark. Beautiful installation. From where did you source your fresh water for flushing? I plumbed our toilet to draw water from the lavatory drain. Also, how much water does it use per flush?
Rick
Posted by: Rick Bailey | August 16, 2014 at 12:59 AM
As you can see from the picture I used a PEX style tee and spliced into the cold water feed to the vanity basin which is very close to the toilet. What you can't see is the stop valve I also installed so I can isolate the water supply to the head if needs be. As to the water consumption this is quite small. With the computer control you can set the amount of water used for flushing but I found the factory defaults work well for me so I did not alter them. The beauty of the computer control is that you essentially have two types of flush, one for number 1's and a longer flush for number 2's which uses more water. Even for the big flush it's no more than a couple of pints. We have 110 gallon fresh water tank and we honestly do not notice Ny appreciable difference now we are drawing water off for the toilet
Posted by: Mark | August 16, 2014 at 10:23 AM
I'm planning on a similar installation but I'm stuck on tee-ing into the fresh water system. I also have PEX (15mm). I saw your photo of the tee fitting. Did you then connect PEX to the head? I've only seen heads requiring standard 1/2 inch I.D. intake lines. And I haven't been able to find a fitting going from PEX to standard 1/2 inch hose...
Posted by: Jim | April 06, 2015 at 01:55 PM
Jim
What I did, but is not shown in the pictures was to connect a short length of copper pipe from the TEE to a stop tap, so that I can shut off the water to the toilet should I require it. I then connected another length of copper pipe three inches long on the other side of the stop tap and from there I slipped over a length of plastic water hose, double clamped it and then from there ran it to the toilet.
Posted by: Mark | April 10, 2015 at 09:42 AM
I am deciding to purchase either the Raritan Marine Elegance Electric Marine Toilet or the Thetford Easy Fit. Both seem pretty similar. I am wondering if either model requires a pump for the fresh water feed or if gravity feed from a separate (10 gallon Moeller) tank mounted about 4 feet higher in a cabinet would suffice. I'm trying to avoid having to have my main fresh water pressure system on if only toilet (head) use is needed. Any advice on this would be helpful.
Posted by: Jim Anderson | June 13, 2015 at 08:07 AM
Jim
Rita and I love the Elegance, it's a great toilet. As I mentioned in the story you can change the program to suit your preference but the toilet uses only about a pint per flush so your 10-gallon tank will have plenty of capacity! Seriously, the installation you propose will be fine so the four feet of head will give more than enough pressure.
Posted by: Mark | June 14, 2015 at 10:49 AM
Sometimes time will help tell. After installation, it's interesting to see how things work out after entropy has its way.
We own a sailboat that is bareboat charter service in San Juan/BC waters, in use by guests for 12-18 weeks per year, some of these outings w/crew of up to 8, rarely ever fewer than 4. Charters run from 1 to 4 weeks each.
Work out the numbers and this turns out to be hard service for any toilet.
Almost goes without saying, many of our charter guests don't know much about special toilet operations. Who should, really?
Zero clogs and zero repairs required after who knows how many flushes. Both toilets operate exactly as they did when installed.
For my part, given my daily back pain budget I'd rather spend it grinding than pumping.
Posted by: Doug Bostrom | April 19, 2017 at 08:35 PM