Which toilet to get?

[Iza]

I have a barge on the environmental agency part of the river and am deciding between a cassette or waste tank holding toilet... I know the pros and cons of each but am still undecided. One of my main focuses is I would like which ceramic and looks and feels like a good quality toilet... any suggestions?

 

 

Sadly after dealing with Eco-Toilets, they have put me right off a composting toilet. I purchased one from them, and then urgently needed the money (as we sometimes do) was 2 days late in returning the item and they only offered me 75% refund. A few weeks on, friends offered me the money and they said I would need to pay full price.

 

[NB Lola]

Simple differences, you watch your “stuff” go down the “loo” from the cassette.  Service is free and you will empty according to your body movements

 

you pump it out with a holding tank, costs about £17 and a larger tank will last you longer.  Thee are fewer emptying facilities available but we have never found that a problem.

 

we have a ceramic loo and it’s like being at home

Edited June 19, 2018 by NB Lola

[mrsmelly]

If you dont mind either type then its a no brainer. A cassette or porta bog will be MUCH cheaper to install will take up MUCH less space and can be emptied in LOADS more places usualy for FREE. There are models with ceramic liners.

[Mike Hurley]

As you have the boat already, what is in it now? Is there a tank in place for a pump out, are you cruising or permanently moored, what facilities are around you to empty cassette/pump out. You can get a cassette with a ceramic bowl and electric flush or keep it simple and get a porta poti, no plumbing or electrics, just have the fun of disposal when full.

All down to personal choice.

[Iza]

Both options are available to me. Cassette emptying facilities - though I don't particularly like the thought of using the chemical they put in them; and tank pump out just up the river less than 10-minute cruising - appreciate still the same chemical problem... but at least this one I don't need to empty.

 

My question is more around the unit its self, does anyone have a ceramic unit which works well and how do they use it... most of what I can find online is plastic...

[Mike Hurley]

Thetford C260 with ceramic bowl, google it.

[Iza]

Thanks Mike. Waste tank capacity says 17.5L how long does that last you? 

 

Assuming you can also get spare cassettes? 

[Clodi]

I fitted one of These into a library bus motorhome conversion I did and it performed very well. We had an extra casset and they had the bonus of being slightly larger and wheeled like a shopping trolly. Plus wenever used any chemicals only the enviro' stuff you can buy in France (I think Aldi sell it now)

[Mike Hurley]

2 minutes ago, Iza said:

Thanks Mike. Waste tank capacity says 17.5L how long does that last you? 

 

Assuming you can also get spare cassettes? 

You can get spares, how long it lasts is down to your usage, i can get a week out of a porta loo easy.

[Iza]

Thanks Mike. Do you live alone or is there two of you? Appreciate it is down to usage, just looking to build a realistic picture based on others experiences

Thanks Clodi... how long did it take to fill with you? was it a week or less, and how many of you were using it?

 

[Mike Hurley]

2 of us, used in caravan and boat.

[Jerra]

The boat has a pump out thank god, but using various chemical toilets over the years (caravans mainly) all models tend to last 2 to 3 days for the two of us.

 

[Iza]

Hi Jerra, are you glad for the pump out solely on the amount of times you need to empty it? Does it not start to smell after a while? 

How frequently do you pump it out?

[Dr Bob]

We've got a vacuflush pump out from Leesan. Very good system but expensive. No smell if managed right. Good choice of ceramic bowls. Pretty robust piece of kit. We pump out every 4 weeks. 

[Nightwatch]

Regarding chemicals. We don't used any recognised 'chemicals' in the holding tank of the Pumpout or the Portable Potti. We give them a dose bio washing liquid. It's more of a guesstimate really but it seems to work. However, emptied our porta potty yesterday and there was one stubborn, determined to stay, lump. Managed in the end though. Too much detail for some perhaps. 

 

As a footnote, we intend to get rid of the pump out when funds and motivation exist.

[Alan de Enfield]

I would suggest that there are more boaters who remove their toilets with a pump-out tank and replace it with a cassette, than the other way around.

That may tell you something.

 

It sounds as if you may be working within fairly tight financial constraints so it will come down to what you can afford.

If the boat already has a holding tank then that will probably be the cheapest way to go - just buy a toilet. You can always change to the 'proper' system (cassettes) in the future when funds allow.

 

You say you are aware of the pros & cons of each system so now you know that you can get a cassette system with a porcelain toilet - that's surely the decision made ?

[Jerra]

50 minutes ago, Iza said:

Hi Jerra, are you glad for the pump out solely on the amount of times you need to empty it? Does it not start to smell after a while? 

How frequently do you pump it out?

I much prefer pumpout to lugging several kilograms of waste to an elsan point.  The time between pumpout naturally depends on how much it is used so difficult to say.  Our tank isn't large so say if on the boat continuously once a fortnight (3 or 4 people).

 

Some people a aware of smells some not.  We use odourlos, others use everything from yeast through bio washing powder to "Blue".  Personally I find blue has two problems.  Firstly talking of smells I don't like the smell of it.  Secondly it is nasty chemicals which aren't good for the environment and will do damage to a sewage system if it gets into the normal filter beds.  Obviously it shouldn't from a boat it is more likely in caravans if people empty at home rather than at a recognised elsan point.

 

Smell hasn't been a problem for me.

[OldGoat]

The question was more about a ceramic bowl than which type of unit.

W have two pumpout loos -

A full domestic size pan in the bathroom, with a wooden seat - 'cos that's what the Management prefers,

A 'standard' (smaller) unit in the rear loo which I feel obliged to use, with a plastic seat

Both are china bowls.

The forward one is nicer.... 

[Machpoint005]

39 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I would suggest that there are more boaters who remove their toilets with a pump-out tank and replace it with a cassette, than the other way around.

That may tell you something.

That there are a lot of people who have never lived with the practicalities of a cassette system?

[Iza]

10 minutes ago, OldGoat said:

The question was more about a ceramic bowl than which type of unit.

W have two pumpout loos -

A full domestic size pan in the bathroom, with a wooden seat - 'cos that's what the Management prefers,

A 'standard' (smaller) unit in the rear loo which I feel obliged to use, with a plastic seat

Both are china bowls.

The forward one is nicer.... 

Hi OldGoat, do you know the make and model of the toile units you use?

[Señor Chris]

45 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

That may tell you something.

It tells me that it's much easier to convert a pump-out to a cassette than the other way round.

 

[Iza]

I don't already have a waste tank fitted, so cassette certainly is the easier and cheapest option...

 

Though also want the look and feel to be of a high quality, and get the feeling with a pump out toilet you have more options for look and style

[OldGoat]

29 minutes ago, Iza said:

Hi OldGoat, do you know the make and model of the toile units you use?

Ours are Leesan Dometic units like this one:-

https://www.leesan.com/shop/all-toilets/drop-through-toilets/dometic-sealand-traveler-511-511ps.aspx

There quite old (still shiny though, 'cos they're china) - so I don't know what the quality's like nowadays.

I'm afraid boat loos are  not a thing of beauty, so you may have to compromise, but there's a good range - at a price - from Leesan.

 

You infer that cost was a consideration, fitting a pumpout retrospectively will be expensive and cause (some) disruption and more cost if it's done properly, especially if the looks are (more) important than function.

[NB Lola]

We had a steel tank fitted under our bed, linked to a jabsco macerator and loo, supported by a lee san filter unit.  The tank is 3/4 the size of our double bed, way larger than our previous tank or before that, dump through.  It’s ideal for our needs and lasts about 4 weeks with normal useage.

[mrsmelly]

3 hours ago, Jerra said:

I much prefer pumpout to lugging several kilograms of waste to an elsan point.  The time between pumpout naturally depends on how much it is used so difficult to say.  Our tank isn't large so say if on the boat continuously once a fortnight (3 or 4 people).

 

Some people a aware of smells some not.  We use odourlos, others use everything from yeast through bio washing powder to "Blue".  Personally I find blue has two problems.  Firstly talking of smells I don't like the smell of it.  Secondly it is nasty chemicals which aren't good for the environment and will do damage to a sewage system if it gets into the normal filter beds.  Obviously it shouldn't from a boat it is more likely in caravans if people empty at home rather than at a recognised elsan point.

 

Smell hasn't been a problem for me.

This one always makes me giggle. Why does anyone have to lug several kilograms of waste to an Elsan point? Do you  lug your boat under your arm to the pumpout point? You park the boat at the elsan and carry the cassettes a few feet and have it emptied quicker than messing around with sewage pipes. The main difference I have found over the years is when canal is frozen up I could carry on a wheeled trolley a cassette to an elsan point/car to take to an elsan point for disposal but couldnt carry twenty five tons of boats to a pumpout machine. On more than one winter we have been frozen in solid for well in excess of a month at a time, nearly two months in 2009/10