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Choice of Cassette loo


RickS

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Not sure whether this post should be here or in Boat Equipment.

I am new to boating and was pleased to see that composting toilets were a viable option, or so I thought. I have been following the lengthy couple of threads about disposal of waste from a composting loo, which at times were informative, challenging, a bit silly and downright hostile.

I am now rethinking my choice until I have a suitable place to compost it properly, but now have to get another toilet.

Having shelled out the best part of £400 for the composting one, i don't really want to spend that much again unless I have to.

I have narrowed my choices to a Thetford cassette (can't remember the exact model C240 ?) which has a manual flush and fill. I would rather this option as it simplifies the installation and reduces risk of mistakes.

The other choice is the Thetford Excellence - considerbly cheaper and seems to tick all the boxes.

I would be grateful for any pros and cons for either model please (or, indeed, any other model you know about)

Ta

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23 minutes ago, Rick Savery said:

I have been following the lengthy couple of threads about disposal of waste from a composting loo, which at times were informative, challenging, a bit silly and downright hostile.

 

 

Not just this forum, it is becoming a major subject across boating social media look at he YOu Tube Vlog (there are comments at the end of folks in the same position as your self - they seem to have made similar decisions)

 

 

https://youtu.be/QE-KVtXpxbw

 

 

Edit to add :

 

we are having a new hull built, starting this week ,and we have already got a compost toilet as part of the procurement process, however ,having thought about what you have said in this video, we have contacted the toilet manufacture and will be sending it back or using it as a 2nd unit in the bedroom ,in a cupboard ,and using a thetford cassette toilet as our main toilet. And the compost toilet will be for urine only which will be dispose of at elsan points any way as it should be .not like it has been said in various vlogs which are made boat boat tubers ,who seem to be unaware of their responsibilities and tip it out behind a tree .

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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We have a  Thetford C200 manual flush in our caravan and a C200 electric flush in the boat. 

I fitted the electric flush in the boat, not a difficult task using HeP2o piping, wiring easy too.

 

Only proviso with the boat, make sure it is secured to the floor - don't ask.  :ninja:

The manual flush model needs the header tank topping up now and then plus batteries for the warning light, where as the electric flush doesn't.

Not a hardship anyway.

 

Spare cassettes are easy to obtain either new or second hand off eBay. Even seen one floating in the cut but decided to leave it be. 

 

Both cassettes for the van and boat need emptying at a similar frequency.

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23 minutes ago, Ray T said:

We have a  Thetford C200 manual flush in our caravan and a C200 electric flush in the boat. 

I fitted the electric flush in the boat, not a difficult task using HeP2o piping, wiring easy too.

We are the same, electric flush is the way to go on a boat as filling the flush tank on a boat would be a pain.

I have lived with a C200 for 15 years I can see no reason to change. We do have 3 cassettes on the boat as dunny dumps are few and far between on EA Anglian rivers. 

31 minutes ago, Ray T said:

Spare cassettes are easy to obtain either new or second hand off eBay. Even seen one floating in the cut but decided to leave it be. 

If it was floating it wouldnt have been full ;)

 

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C200 taken out of a scrap caravan, electric flush, tank filled with shower hose. The l/r hand of the gubbins can be swapped over, I fitted the door into the heads wall, tank slides out into corridor. Got a spare tank from Caravan scrap yard too. Also got the same in the caravan so can carry that tank too. 

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2 hours ago, bill brown said:

We have the Thetford Excellence with electric flush which has proved reliable over 3 years we've had it. Only problem is we had to buy 2 to get a spare cassette as Thetford doesn't sell them separately.

Yes, I have one, it's proper height and shape.?

It's manual, not a problem to top up tank with pink or, even laundry liquid diluted

It's in year 2, quite a lot of scratches on the lid, but today I cleaned it with cheap blue laundry liquid on a cloth, and it is looking good, I also started using the laundry liquid in the bowl, and all seems well. When near a sanitary station it lasts a week and is easy to empty, if not near an Elsan it lasts 10 to 14 days, I use the Thetford Blue and minimal flushing, not so easy to empty. I don't have room for a spare, have considered a small porta potti for urine only / emergencies.

Edited by LadyG
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Your other choice if you're still intending to install the composting toilet is a Porta Potti - dirt cheap, doesn't require fitting and could even be kept after the composter is installed as a urinal that doesn't need emptying very often

 

Not going to pretend I particularly like the Porta Potti my boat came with and I'll probably end up installing a ceramic bowled C260 in its place, but it's a more obvious temporary option if you intend to replace anyway.

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2 hours ago, Loddon said:

We are the same, electric flush is the way to go on a boat as filling the flush tank on a boat would be a pain.

I have lived with a C200 for 15 years I can see no reason to change. We do have 3 cassettes on the boat as dunny dumps are few and far between on EA Anglian rivers. 

If it was floating it wouldnt have been full ;)

 

Not completely.

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3 hours ago, bill brown said:

We have the Thetford Excellence with electric flush which has proved reliable over 3 years we've had it. Only problem is we had to buy 2 to get a spare cassette as Thetford doesn't sell them separately.

Thanks Bill

So buying two to get the spare cassete would mean you had a spare top half? would you keep that for spare parts?

Thanks for the replies everyone. Annoyingly, when I got the boat there was a new portpotti, which I promptly sold 'I won't be needing that!' I thought. That'll teach me.

 

Interesting that no-one has any real negatives about either model/type, which is good, so I'll have to start shopping around now and see exactly what costs what.

 

Thanks again

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1 hour ago, Rick Savery said:

Thanks Bill

So buying two to get the spare cassete would mean you had a spare top half? would you keep that for spare parts?

Thanks for the replies everyone. Annoyingly, when I got the boat there was a new portpotti, which I promptly sold 'I won't be needing that!' I thought. That'll teach me.

 

Interesting that no-one has any real negatives about either model/type, which is good, so I'll have to start shopping around now and see exactly what costs what.

 

Thanks again

Yes have kept it for spares. Both types  are available on Amazon.

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Just over an hour ago I looked at the manual Excellence on Amazon and it was £104 just looked again and it's now showing at £139 ?. I can only assume that's something to do with their pricing algorithm.

 

Edited by bill brown
typo
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Hi Rick, I have a C200 on my boat. The advantages are they are very simple to install and there is not much that can go wrong with them. The negatives are the frequent need to empty. With two of us onboard a cassette lasts about two days. I bought two extra cassettes, they are about £100 each, I think they call them "a freshen up kit" and come with a spare loo seat. I personally wouldn't go the second hand route as after a few years the seals on the openings and air vent can start to leak. You can buy a kit to replace the seals but not a nice job. 

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Thanks all. I think I will go with the Excellence for the time being - just because I need to get one and am baulking at the thought of lashing out nearly £500 - but definitely keeping that as an option. Appreciate everyone's input - possibly not the best term in a post about toilets !

  • Greenie 1
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