Fitting a Thetford Cassette

[Ray T]

We have jut purchased a Thetford C200 Cassette toilet to replace a rather vintage Porta Potti in our recently acquired first boat.

 

The instructions (or as the Missus puts it, DEStructions) assume it is being fitted in a caravan, so can we ask for your expertise in fitting it to a boat. We have two options to fit the access hatch for the cassette, a large vanity unit in the bathroom or creating a hatch in the corridor wall (as in Grathan Booth's Narrowboat planning book).

 

We will be using a qualified boat electrician to do the wiring but the other bits we will sort ourselves.

 

Thank you.

 

Ray T

[MoominPapa]

We have jut purchased a Thetford C200 Cassette toilet to replace a rather vintage Porta Potti in our recently acquired first boat.

 

The instructions (or as the Missus puts it, DEStructions) assume it is being fitted in a caravan, so can we ask for your expertise in fitting it to a boat. We have two options to fit the access hatch for the cassette, a large vanity unit in the bathroom or creating a hatch in the corridor wall (as in Grathan Booth's Narrowboat planning book).

Can't help, but can say "me too", the courier delivered a C200 from Limekiln Chandlers today. We have a full-width bathroom and the plan is to access the cassette from the engine room via a hatch in the bulkhead.

 

MP.

[alan_fincher]

Well firstly your decision not to follow the "destructions" and cut a hole through "the outside of the vehicle" is a good one

 

I'd say no contest, if you can place your loo so that it backs on to a corridor wall past the bathroom, and allows a hatchway into that corridor, that is by far the best solution. It's unlikely there will not be adequate width in the corridor to draw cassettes out, as they are not that long.

 

This is what we did. We only had just enough wall, and the loo has to be at a 90 degree swivel, but it has worked out very well indeed.

 

It's 1000% better than the stand-alone unit it replaced, and we are well pleased with it.

 

If by "vanity unit" you mean trying to extract it through cupboard space, I'd say avoid that if you possibly can. The beauty of these things is being able to swap cassettes in seconds. The last thing you would want is to be trying to rearrange cupboard contents.

 

A tip:

 

If remodelling bathroom try very hard to provide permanent out of sight storage for a spare (or filled) cassette. It's a shame to have a neat solution to the loo itself, but then have to leave a canister of "poo" somewhere on display.

[alan_fincher]

Hopefully this gives an idea as to how little wall they can actually be fitted in to.

 

This one needs to be left at 90 degrees for use, but in theory can be swivelled out of the way to generate a bit more space when using the bathroom for showering - in practice we seldom bother.

 

One more thing:

 

Unless it has changed, the "destructions" only show you a template for the hole you would need to cut in a "recreational vehicle", (RV), if using the Thetford supplied door.

 

The hole required on a boat to get the cassette through is much smaller than this - it needs to only be marginally larger than the cassette is, viewed end on. But there's no template - you have to carefully work this out for yourselves.

 

[chris w]

Mine "exits" into a corridor too. Very easy access - no issues.

 

Chris

[Ray T]

Thank you for your prompt replies. We found this when we were looking for a boat but like a "dumbo" I didn't take measurements!!!

 

[Albion]

We have jut purchased a Thetford C200 Cassette toilet to replace a rather vintage Porta Potti in our recently acquired first boat.

 

The instructions (or as the Missus puts it, DEStructions) assume it is being fitted in a caravan, so can we ask for your expertise in fitting it to a boat. We have two options to fit the access hatch for the cassette, a large vanity unit in the bathroom or creating a hatch in the corridor wall (as in Grathan Booth's Narrowboat planning book).

 

We will be using a qualified boat electrician to do the wiring but the other bits we will sort ourselves.

 

Thank you.

 

Ray T

 

 

On Albion we had the Thetford base sat across the boat (on the port side) with the cassette access facing into the centre of the boat. The bowl was swivelled to face towards the stern. There was a small 1/3rd height bulkhead with a door in it that allowed the cassette to be pulled out into the bathroom itself. Forward of the Thetford (in fact the wall that your body backed on to while seated on the throne) was an airing cupboard that, in the bottom, was a specifically designed area with shelves that contained two spare cassettes. I haven't got a picture, I'm afraid, but if you care to look at the boat sale details at http://www.nortoncanesboatbuilders.co.uk/b...tails.asp?id=11

and scroll down until you see the picture with the washing machine in it you'll see, if you look to the left, the very top corner of the small bulkhead (and the edge of the Thetford) that I am talking about. It was a walk-through bathroom so we had room to extract the length of the cassette and this required length should be taken into consideration when designing a similar set up. I know of one other nb that copied this idea.

Roger

[Richard T]

We fitted one on our boat when the bathroom was sorted out. It was very easy - it simply sits one side of a bulkhead with what we call the 'cat flap' on the other. The water supply was taken from a tee by the wash basin and the power from a spare fuse in an adjacent box. The cat flap is not pretty but it is functional and its by side steps and doors for taking directly out of the boat. The bottom step has been extended to form storage for a spare cassette. A couple of pictures -, I think I might modify the arrangement to the one with the sliding hatch cover which looks very neat.

[Moley]

Just one small tip, ours pulls through the wall into the corridor too, but when you remove the cassette, ALWAYS carry it through the boat horizontally, rather than vertically by its handle.

 

The main seals may be good, but the little vent can't always be trusted, and you might have a trail of blue spots across your new carpet, and perhaps even a duvet.

 

Don't ask me how I know this.

[chris w]

You must have a leaky seal as I have 2 cassettes and this has never happened - not even once.

 

Chris

[alan_fincher]

Just one small tip, ours pulls through the wall into the corridor too, but when you remove the cassette, ALWAYS carry it through the boat horizontally, rather than vertically by its handle.

 

The main seals may be good, but the little vent can't always be trusted, and you might have a trail of blue spots across your new carpet, and perhaps even a duvet.

 

Don't ask me how I know this.

 

 

You must have a leaky seal as I have 2 cassettes and this has never happened - not even once.

 

Chris

 

Perhaps it depends on how pressurised what's inside has become.

[Albion]

Just one small tip, ours pulls through the wall into the corridor too, but when you remove the cassette, ALWAYS carry it through the boat horizontally, rather than vertically by its handle.

 

The main seals may be good, but the little vent can't always be trusted, and you might have a trail of blue spots across your new carpet, and perhaps even a duvet.

 

Don't ask me how I know this.

 

In the immortal words of Aleksandr the Meerkat - Simples!

The vent valve removes with a 60 degree -ish anti-clockwise twist. You will then see a whitish (was white) float, a plastic whitish plate, a rubber seal and a spring etc all secured onto a thin plastic shaft. Push the float and plate slightly up against the spring and rotate 90 degrees and it should then slide off as it was retained by a swage on the shaft that fits into an oval hole in the float/plate part. Clean the surfaces of all the seal and plate and reassemble. Refit to the cassette (careful, the lugs are designed so that it only goes in one way) and job done. You will probably find that there is a sort of crusty dirt on the plate and seal which is a combination of limescale and other things

Job done, test out the carrying outside with fresh water first though just to ensure you've done it all correctly.

Don't ask me how I know this!

Roger

 

Edited for typos

Edited May 12, 2009 by Albion