Vaccuflush or Macerator?

BlewByYou88

BlewByYou88

Member
Jul 24, 2010
963
Arizona
Boat Info
268 Sea Ray Sundancer 1988
Engines
2X 4.3L 4bbl Mercs w/ Alphas
I want so desperatley to get rid of the stupid potta potti in the head of my boat. SO...I'm looking to install a complete holding tank and overboard discharge system. I have plans to design the system so I can hook a pooper hose to the overboard discharge when at the house, and pump it out so I don't have to use pump out stations unless I'm on extended trips or overboard for ocean going trips.

My question is should I go with a Vaccuflush system or macerator toilet? I tried searching some threads and couldn't find really anything more than you guys complaining about duck bill seals on the vaccum pumps.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated....:smt001
 
In the past year there have been some helpful posts in this area. CSR member Melida installed a holding tank on his 280 that already had a vacuflush installed. That will give you the run down on installing a holding tank. Lazy Daze has come up with a removable pump that has the pump out fittings so that he can empty his holding tank into a RV waste outlet that is part of his home's sewer system. If you haven't seen these look them up. You might contact Lazy Daze directly as I don't recall he published part numbers for the bits he used.

My first suggestion would be to not consider anything that looks like an overboard discharge through hull. Given your inland location, you probably can't use it legally.

A vacuflush system is going to cost more money than a liquid pumping system. But it will use a lot less water. This is important for a couple reasons. You have two choices for water source. The first being from where you are boating, the second the fresh water tank from the boat. The problem with the first choice is that lake, river, or ocean water is full of microscopic life. This life will thrive inside a nice warm holding tank. In turn it will make a big stink. Water from the freshwater tank will have less life in it (no life if you dose it with an ounce of bleach to every 30 gallons). Using a vacuflush makes it possible to use the fresh water tank as the water source not only saving a through hull and that plumbing but a big stink. Oh and yes, more water in the flush means the holding tank fills up faster and has to be emptied more often.

The other advantage of a vacuflush is that it is a complete system, so all you need to do is buy the toilet, vacuum generator and holding tank and all of the engineering with respect to hose sizes, tank sizes, pump capacity is all done. Your engineering will be limited to how long the hoses need to be and how many clamps you need to buy.

I've had boats with traditional head systems and the vacuflush is the closest things yet to a home toilet I've seen. That's not a real big factor to me, but it certainly has a lot of importance to other members of the family.

Henry
 
Last edited:
Henry Boyd said:
I've had boats with traditional head systems and the vacuflush is the closest things yet to a home toilet I've seen.
Click to expand...

+1 :thumbsup: Best system afloat!

Just carry a few spares with you and you are set for careless boating :wink:
 
I found the posts from lazydaze. Thanx for that, my head is spinning now with different ideas.

I see all the junk regarding the Vaccuflush toilets and it just seems easier to do a macerator, but if you guys are happy with vacs, then I dont see why I wouldnt be.
 
The manual pump toilet is pretty simple and easy to repair. Don't count it out! It's in a LOT of boats out there.
 
Guess who would like the vacu flush......
IMG_1367.jpg
 
Guess who would get one?

Before you go through all the trouble, you might just look at buying a bigger boat with one already installed. Then you'll make her double-happy.

And you know what they say, right?

If mama ain't happy...no one's happy.
 
The Vacuflush head is a great system, but I don't think it is a great value for you to retrofit to your boat. I would go with something like the SeaLand Sea-Era electric flush. Everything that Henry said is correct, I just think to retrofit a Vacuflush to your boat is going to be very difficult (there isn't allot of room left in that boat with your motors and a genny). I helped a friend years ago install one of the Sea Land Sea Era heads in his boat and was very impressed, it had a macerator in the base and you could through "almost" anything in it without clogging. As stated I would not bother with an overboard discharge just a deck plate and plan on sucking it out. I have a Vacuflush and have had people clog my toilet, I don't think it's posable to clog the Sea Era toilets...
 
I have zero experience with using manual flush heads, so I can't comment from experience. However, I must say that I absolutely love (using that word loosely...) the vac system. Duckbills are very easy to change, depending on your access to the suction pump, of course.

However, just another thought... If you wanted to, there is a really easy, and relatively inexpensive, thing you can do. Just add a pump-out (waste) fitting to your porta-potti and the topside of your boat. If your potti won't support that, a new one is typically between $100 and $200, depending on what you select.

Also, if you only have the small (about 2.5-gallons) potti, you could get a 5-gallon bottom section for it.
 
If you go with the Vacuflush make sure you put up a warning label.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtOO3BRpqoE[/youtube]

PS: Scott made me post this.
 
mistercomputerman said:
Guess who would get one?

Before you go through all the trouble, you might just look at buying a bigger boat with one already installed. Then you'll make her double-happy.

And you know what they say, right?

If mama ain't happy...no one's happy.
Click to expand...

LOL!:smt043 Quite frankly, it doesn't matter about what anyone else wants, this is my girl (bby) and I'm trying to update a classic. The 89s were able to fit a vaccuflush system down in there by moving one battery bank and pushing the water heater further aft. Granted I may only be able to get 7.5 to 20 Gallon tank down in there, I would be happier with it. I plan on doing some very different boating then what it has been used to in the passed, and I want capabilities. WHile cost is always an issue in these times, I'm about doing things right and making it work. I know I may have to pull an engine, but my little 3 gallon portta potti just pisses me off.

I wouldn't trade this boat for the world. I may buy a bigger one someday, but even then I will still keep this one. I don't know if you read my thread in the newcomers lounge, but this vessel has special history with me, and I'm going to be keeping her. Besides, bigger isn't always better, and this is a big beast to tow around as it is!:smt001
 
Sounds like you're pretty set on getting rid of the porta-potti!:lol:

If you haven't already, check out Dometic's "HTS-VG" line of holding tanks. They combine the holding tank, vacuum tank, suction pump and, I think, even the transfer pump (similar in function to a macerator, if you end up needing that) all into one, compact unit. I believe they start at 10 gallons.

I agree with Henry, though, if you can avoid installing an overboard discharge (whether through the hull bottom like usual or through the transom like mine) it can make your life simpler. I'm just mentioning that as a word of caution - you obviously know your future boating needs better than us.
 
Sundancer said:
The manual pump toilet is pretty simple and easy to repair. Don't count it out! It's in a LOT of boats out there.
Click to expand...

I just read over Quint4's install of a manual flush on his previous vessel. Looks simple enough:smt038

Do you have a manul flush on your boat or are you just speaking from prior experience? How do they work exactly? :smt017
 
I have the same need for my boat, '81 sundancer. i have to go down to the marina today and lift the porta-potty out to dump and clean.not a fun task :smt009
 
BlewByYou88 said:
I just read over Quint4's install of a manual flush on his previous vessel. Looks simple enough:smt038

Do you have a manul flush on your boat or are you just speaking from prior experience? How do they work exactly? :smt017
Click to expand...

+1 for the manual flush. A couple of years ago I had a discharge hose spring a leak. It took me 20 minutes to fix. The toliet doesn't need power to use- a nice option if you get in a pinch. It uses lake water to rinse. I add some of the head chemical and I have no issues with smell even after a couple of weeks between pump outs. I bet it would be pretty easy to set up in youe boat. It wouldn't be unlike going with a 5 gallon porta potti plumbed to be pumped out. All you need is a holding tank, water inlet, and deck discharge with associated hose and connctions.
 
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