Hi all, ready to use the head for the first time on my new 2022 GW 235 freedom. I want to maintain it being clean without odor. I have a porcelain bowl, electric flush with macerator jabsco. I plan to discharge the tank after each trip properly to the law. What’s the best process to keep the head and lines clean without odor and scale? Can you clean the head while it is on the trailer? I want to prevent any issues before they start. Thanks.
Cleaning the head properly
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The only sure way to 100% prevent scale and odor is to not use the head
If your head is salt water fed, then flushing it just runs dirty sea water into the holding tank. There are chemicals you can add that will reduce odor but over time things will need maintenance.
If you have a fresh water vacuflush type of head, you have a much better chance of less odor and less scale buildup.
FYI, if you have opened the seacock for raw water (assuming raw water operation) and pressed the button or pumped the unit to see if the bowl fills, pee or no pee you have already used the head!
On a trailer most heads can be flushed as far as the bowl goes. Just use a hose to fill with fresh water and then 'flush' into the holding tank. To flush the holding tank assuming you have overboard discharge, you need to place a container under the discharge port, open the seacock and run the macerator. Then you have to legally empty the container. Depending on what was in your holding tank, that task can be messy and smelly.
If your head is salt water fed, then flushing it just runs dirty sea water into the holding tank. There are chemicals you can add that will reduce odor but over time things will need maintenance.If you have a fresh water vacuflush type of head, you have a much better chance of less odor and less scale buildup.
FYI, if you have opened the seacock for raw water (assuming raw water operation) and pressed the button or pumped the unit to see if the bowl fills, pee or no pee you have already used the head!
On a trailer most heads can be flushed as far as the bowl goes. Just use a hose to fill with fresh water and then 'flush' into the holding tank. To flush the holding tank assuming you have overboard discharge, you need to place a container under the discharge port, open the seacock and run the macerator. Then you have to legally empty the container. Depending on what was in your holding tank, that task can be messy and smelly.
Thanks. I flushed it in a freshwater lake to make sure everything is working. So needless to say, it has been used, but I do not want the lake water to stay in the tank. So are you saying basically while it is on the trailer to close the inlet and the discharge seacocks, take a hose to fill the bowl with freshwater, then turn the toilet knob to flush the freshwater into the tank. Maybe even add a little vinegar just to kill and clean any bacteria. Then open the discharge seacock and press the level/sleep then empty buttons in the head to discharge the water outside from the discharge port. Anything I may be missing?The only sure way to 100% prevent scale and odor is to not use the head
If you have a fresh water vacuflush type of head, you have a much better chance of less odor and less scale buildup.
FYI, if you have opened the seacock for raw water (assuming raw water operation) and pressed the button or pumped the unit to see if the bowl fills, pee or no pee you have already used the head!
On a trailer most heads can be flushed as far as the bowl goes. Just use a hose to fill with fresh water and then 'flush' into the holding tank. To flush the holding tank assuming you have overboard discharge, you need to place a container under the discharge port, open the seacock and run the macerator. Then you have to legally empty the container. Depending on what was in your holding tank, that task can be messy and smelly.
If on a trailer you don't need to close the sea cock since it cant suck in anything. ( Note that during winter storage you want the seacock open if freezing is possible)
An interesting fact is that in some cases, lake water has more bacteria and pathogens than sea water.
You process to flush and drain the tank is valid as long as you drain into a tank or pail and empty that pail in an appropriate manner which is often pouring it down a land based toilet. Legally you are not allowed to drain the holding tank onto land or into waters that ban discharge, even if the tank is full of fresh water.
An interesting fact is that in some cases, lake water has more bacteria and pathogens than sea water.
You process to flush and drain the tank is valid as long as you drain into a tank or pail and empty that pail in an appropriate manner which is often pouring it down a land based toilet. Legally you are not allowed to drain the holding tank onto land or into waters that ban discharge, even if the tank is full of fresh water.
So, your head has a raw water intake. Fresh or salt primarily? If I were going to the trouble of emptying and cleaning the tank after every use, I would go ahead and find a space somewhere for 5 or 10 gallons of fresh water, which should be plenty for a day or 3 trip, and convert to fresh water supply.
How much freshwater does your boat hold anyway?
Dennis can correct me on this, but IIRC, my ‘88 270DA used the same freshwater tank for the vacuflush, as it did for the galley, with some sort of backflow preventer, I’m sure.
How much freshwater does your boat hold anyway?
Dennis can correct me on this, but IIRC, my ‘88 270DA used the same freshwater tank for the vacuflush, as it did for the galley, with some sort of backflow preventer, I’m sure.
Primarily I will be in freshwater, but most likely out in saltwater 5-7 times a year. The GW 235 comes with a 20gal freshwater tank with nozzle and a raw water wash down setup too.
By 'flushing' the tank using a hose or a bucket of fresh water will just result in your holding tank filling faster. Just use the chemicals made to keep the system smelling fresh, pump out as often as you can until you get tired of pumping out and plan on changing the sanitary hoses every 5 years or so.
wahoo33417
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If your head area has a sink with a pull-out faucet with sufficient reach (I'll admit I know nothing about the 235), you could fill the toilet bowl with fresh water prior to using the pottie. You could leave the toilet's seacock closed on those 5-7 days a year in saltwater.
Not necessarily. Non vacuflush MSDs use raw water. Vauflush models usually use fresh water and a lot less per flush.
teaklejr
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Wouldn't it be a vacuflush head since it's electric? I had always thought if you had a manual flush head it was using raw water.
No. I have an electric head but it is not a vacuflush. They are very different in operation and equipment needed. Vacuflushes have a vacuum tank, vacuum pump, and pressure switches in addition to a holding tank and probably a separate macerator.
teaklejr
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Well I learned something today. So how does the water get into the toilet when you flush? Does it have a pump that turns on and pulls raw water from sea and fills it up?
Are you asking about my electric non vacuflush?
If so, there is an electric pump that pulls in raw water into the bowl, at the same time, a built-in macerator in the toilet starts pumping the contents of the bowl into the holding tank.
A separate macerator pump is used to empty the tank when discharging overboard. Of course it can also be emptied at a pumpout station.
A separate fact that you probably weren't aware of is that there are manual vacuflush systems that don't have electric pumps
My head is like seasick described. I do not have a vacuflush system. I assume that you can never eject all fluid from the holding tank, correct? I guess like wahoo mentioned could be done, close off inlet secock and fill bowl with freshwater then open discharge seacock to eject from boat.