Lavac Toilet

Hi,

We are in The Bahamas right now (Warderick Wells). Unfortunately, our forward head toilet got jammed and is not functional. It will need to be rebuilt.

Then, within 12 hours, the handle on our aft head toilet broke. The plastic base that the handle slides into cracked in half.

So, we took the handle from the forward toilet and put it on the aft toilet and have one that functions.

When we get to Staniel Cay or Georgetown over the next 3-4 weeks, we are going to replace both toilets. They are 20+ year old Raritan IV's that have seen better days. The question we are pondering is should we go with a Lavac "Popular" instead of the Raritan IV? We really like their reputation for reliability and ease of use. Looking at the Raritan rebuild kit that I have onboard does not look fun.

Has anyone else retrofitted a Lavac onto their boat? We're looking for experience shares on how easy this was and what additional materials or tools were needed, as we'll be having these flown in from the US.

We have a Brewer 12.8 though I assume the heads don't differ between models.

Best,
--Kevin

Correction, it is the Raritan PHII that we have.

--Kevin

We replaced our forward head with a Lavac and aft head with a Nature's Head. For ease of install and simplicity of design, the Nature's head is the way to go. The Lavac is also a very simple design with few mechanical parts that could break or clog. Having both gives us options (compost, holding tank, or overboard) depending on where we are cruising.

For us, the hardest part of installing the Lavac was determining where the pump should be mounted as it is separate from the bowl assembly. We decided on the surface mounted pump, installing it on the wall behind and to the aft side of the head, just above bowl level. I've seen others mount the pump inside a cabinet, but I could not find a location that allowed for easy access to the back side of the pump for service. Where the pump is mounted will affect the routing of hoses to the tank or overboard.

Other than the separate pump assembly, the only plumbing difference with the Lavac is routing the supply-water hose. It must be looped above water level - just like the outlet hose is for overboard discharge. Plan on needing a longer supply hose to make this loop.

I don't recall needing any special tools beyond what you would expect for rerouting hoses - drill, hole saw, heat gun, knife, etc.

If interested, I can post a few pics when I get back to the boat this weekend.

Scott
Joie de Vivre

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the reply. So you've been happy with the performance of the Lavac since installation?

I would appreciate some pics when you get a chance. We'll be in Staniel Cay in about 5 days and then will make a decision as to which way to go with the heads (Raritan or Lavac) and will have the appropriate ones flown in.

Best,

--Kevin

PS: It seems the pump on the head is okay. The problem with the pumping is the calcium deposits that have built up in the discharge hose going from the toilet to the thru hull. The Y-valve and sanitation hoses have a very thick crystallized build up in them. At one point in the system there was only about 5 mm of clearance. So, I took a screwdriver and chiseled out as much as I could get access to. Once I put the hoses back together, the pump was working well, so cudos to Raritan.)