Pros and cons of an onboard toilet

[PDX293]

We have a 293. Absolutely love ours. Porcelain head and 25(?) gal waste tank. No issues with tank odor and it's easily pumped out from one of the stern hatches.

[billk2632]

One of the main "features" I wanted in my R5 was the head - we got one with the porcelain and vanity. Makes a world of difference, especially for the girls. As far as "maintenance" it's not a big deal at all, as long as you have access to a pump out. I have had head systems on other boats and never a problem. The biggest things are becareful what you put it in, RV/Boat TP and nothing else unless it came out of you! Certain "products" will cause big problems. Always flush a bowl of freshwater down when leaving the boat - believe it or not #1 is much worse for odor than #2. When you pump out, always pump it, fill the holding tank with freshwater then pump it again, then put in your favorite treatment. Occasionally it does not hurt to fill the tank 1/2 full of fresh water and go for a ride to rinse it, then pump it out.

Again, the two most important things for a head system:
Flush a fresh bowl or two of water down the head at the end of the day.
When you pump it out, fill the holding tank with fresh water, then pump it again.

[bruceb58]

I have owned several boat with both pump out heads and portable ones. Because of where we boat, the portable ones are better since there are less pump out areas where we boat. That has to go into your consideration.

[dustinm]

If there is an issue with odor you can put a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the tank, go for a half hour or better ride and rinse out. This should be done in a environmentally friendly location. You can purchase large quantities of H2O2 at the local beauty supply store.

[Titaniumboy]

I have owned several boat with both pump out heads and portable ones. Because of where we boat, the portable ones are better since there are less pump out areas where we boat. That has to go into your consideration.

Our boat came with the portapotti plumbed up to a waste deck fitting so it could be pumped out. It was never clear to me how this was supposed to work in real life? Somebody is going to successfully pump out a portapotti that only holds 2 or three gallons? How do you even get a suction going on something so small? And how the heck is the nasty residue supposed to be cleaned out? I always felt that doing a pumpout on the portapotti risked breaking it and creating a huge nasty mess.

Like Bruce, pump outs where we boat on the Delta or nearby lakes never seemed very convenient. It was far easier for us to disconnect the pumpout plumping, install caps on the portapotti, and just remove it from the boat when needed.

In actual practice the portapotti doesn’t get used all that much and I find it only needs to be emptied only once every two or three years. Sounds gross, but there isn’t ever any odors and it isn’t full, so I’m just going with the flow...

[bruceb58]

On one of my previous boats, I plumbed in a macerator pump to the holding tank. That was WAY better than a suction pump. It also allowed me to pump it out at home into a sewer cleanout. I have a macerator pump for my travel trailer too when I cant find a dump site...just drive it home...easy peasy.