Hi, I'm about to put in a new Jabsco manual toilet but is uncertain how to place the pipework both securely and not obstructing the slideable washbasin. The old installation felt a little bit risky due to the discharge going straight up to the bottom of the septitank with no vented loop with the (well there was a valve between, but is was way back in below the washbasin to be easy to use every time) My idea is to install the new pipework accordingly to the option 3 on the fig below, with the alteration that I will extend the 38 mm hose after the vented loop to go in at the existing tail at the bottom of the septitank and with a T-joint with a valve for the option of letting it go directly out through the seacock. My question is if any of you have any good suggestions how to make all the pipework fit, how have you all set it up? Thanks in advance /M책rten 
 | Hi Marten: In the Accommodation Section, there's a "general plumbing + holding tank" posting about a project similar to yours. I have a Jabsco toilet with a holding tank in the same position as in your boat, although I've got rid of the sliding sink. Take a look and let me know if you've any questions. Just in case, I've modified the drawing you posted to show you my installation. Nicholas Moments of Clarity #334 |
 | We have the same setup that Nicholas has, except we dont have a loop in the pump to bowl connection, which results in a flooded forecabin every time we forget to close the seacock while sailing and heeling to starboard. It's only seawater but a mess anyway. I'll put in a loop in the flushing system if I can, as soon as possible. Jesper |
 | Hi Nicholas (and Jesper), Thanks for your replies.
Yes, you are correct I'll do roughly the same job as you Nicholas have described, after having looked at your pictures. If skipping the sliding sink it's not a very big problem just making the installation nice looking . Have any of you managed to keep the sink in one way or other? Since this is a demand from my "crew"  . /M책rten |
| I haven't removed the zink. I don't know why it should be removed. I consider adding som clicks to it, so that it will stay out, and stay in, when so desired. Is that what you meen? |
| Hi Marten: I don't think it's necessary to remove the sink. I had to because the ready-made Vetus holding tank wouldn't fit otherwise. From your photo, I noticed that the base of your holding tank is well above the sink's rails so it shouldn't be too difficult. With a sink, you have two more hoses to deal with (faucet and sink drain) but I think you can manage. I found that paying extra for high-quality hoses helps in the routing as they're very flexible and strong. This is especially true of the toilet discharge hose which is of 38mm diameter. In your photo I also noticed a gate valve. I hope you'll forgive me for saying so but gate valves are unsuitable for boats. First, you can't tell if they're open or closed and, second, the knob can corrode and break very easily. Ball valves are much better. Nicholas Moments of Clarity #334 |
| True, We bought the boat last year and the two remaining gate valves are now being replaced together with the not stainless hose clamps etc...
I' will try installing with the sink left in place, proably resulting in some drilling to cramp all the hoses in place. /M책rten |
 | Hi Nicholas, Have followed your projects with interest. Really like your storage ideas. Concerning the plumbing for the head, used the same basic configuration as you did. It works really great and there is no chance of an accidental dump in restricted areas. However, as with Jesper, I left the sink in place as a means to provide fresh water flushing for the head, really kills the odor. Most of my sailing is in a bay area, so fresh water is easy to come by. For extended periods off shore I use saltwater. Believe it was you mentioning installing a fitting for flushing your engine with fresh water (?).... In my bilge, I replaced the 90 degree fitting with a "T" and use a plug in the forward end. When flushing I use a fitting with a hose barb and just draw fresh water from a large bucket. Also have used this to detect leaks by putting vegetable dye in the water....it works well. Regards, Dan Acqua di Vita |
 | Hi, I know I'm a Vega owner (still a Ballad "want-to-be) but the heads in the two boats appear very similar, so I thought I'd share my experiences. I recently installed a new head, plumbing, and holding tank system using the "K.I.S.S." (keep it simple, sailor) system.  Details of plumbing: -I made the tank out of 1/2" (12mm) plywood and epoxy, with a laminated back to fit the curve of the hull. It holds about 10 imp gallons (45 liters) . - I reversed the location of the pump-out handle on the toilet to the left side. This is very easy to do on the Jabsco model I have. It gets the outlet fitting on the head away from the thru hull in the boat. - The outlet fitting on the head connects to a tube in the bottom of the left side of the tank. This tube continues up through the inside of the tank, almost to the top, then has a 90 degree elbow on it. This is just like running a hose up the outside of the tank and dumping it in the top, but a whole lot tidier. - One the right side of the tank bottom is a drain-out fitting that connects to the thru hull with a short length of hose. - The thru hull is a 1 1/4" (32mm) valve with a 1 1/4" (32mm) pipe to 1 1/2" (38mm) hose 90 degree fitting, (Groco part No. FFC-1250). - All other hoses and pipes are 1 1/2" (38mm) and are common hardware store plumbing fittings. - On the top left of the tank there is a pump-out tube that extends inside, down to within 1" (25mm) of the tank bottom, and up to a deck plate. -On each side of the top of the tank is a 5/8" (16mm) vent piped to the outside to provide air circulation, and prevent the tank from imploding when being sucked out at a pumpout station. I used ordinary marine fuel tank vents for these. Operation: All waste from the head is pumped into the tank. If the thru-hull is closed the waste stays in the tank, if it's open it drains directly into the sea. Pumpout is done through the deck fitting in the normal manner. The system has been in use almost a year and works very well. As a side note, I'm a fanatic about having thru-hulls closed except when in use ... this has probably contributed to the success of the system. Peter. |
| Hi Peter. Looks like very very nice work, and how considerate of you to rewrite "Keep It Simple, Stupid" into "Keep It Simple, Sailor", goes to show the very good tone we have here. I am fascinated by the idea of building a tank in plywood and epoxy, would you please tell us how you did that? Jesper Milling |
| Hi Dan: I do miss the sink a bit but the dimensions of the Vetus holding tank wouldn't comply. Maybe I'll find another solution since my water pump is right under the toilet base so access to fresh water is very easy. Regarding the fresh water engine flushing, I haven't done it yet but I will so soon. Your trick with the vegetable dye is great. As for the extra storage space, it's amazing what you can do if you let your mind wander. A boat is full of nooks and crannies that can be put to good use. -Nicholas Moments of Clarity #334 |
| Hi Jeper, I wanted to get the maximum capacity possible into the available space so I made it to fit the curve of the hull. I used 12mm plywood. I made cardboard patterns of the two sides, top, and bottom. When I had the boat apart I had traced the bulkhead curves onto a large sheet of cardboard, so that allowed me to get the curvature correct. I knew I'd need those curves someday! I made three prototype tanks using my patterns and duct tape, then took the successful one apart and transferred the layout to plywood. The curved back was made with 50mm wide strips of plywood horizontally across the back of the tank, with a liberal amount of thickened epoxy on each joint. All the straight inside corners are braced with triangular-shaped battens. The curved corners are filleted with thickened epoxy. I coated the entire inside with medium weight fiberglass cloth (6 oz.) and epoxy, and epoxy flow-coated all interior surfaces to get them smooth. The inlet and outlet tubing was installed, the top went on last, fitting into a rabbet and screwed and glued with 3M 5200 sealant. I hope I never need to get in there again! I was worried about attaching the tank solidly to the bulkheads as there must be some flexing going on when sailing hard. So the tank sits on a shelf to support it's weight and is held in place with battens around the face, attached to the frame on each bulkhead. It was a lot of labour for a small tank, but the material costs were low and the result was satisfactory. Peter. |
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