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C-Head in a Catalina 250

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Carl in LA
Captain

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USA
284 Posts

Initially Posted - 01/02/2018 : 20:41:31

Hi all...

My circumstances caused me to switch from the Raritan marine head to a C-Head.

The C-Head with the cut-away fits fine in the 250's head. The quality of materials are very good. The fit and finish is very good. There are several uniquely fabricated parts - impressive.

As far as managing a composting toilet goes... we shall see...

Right now the plan is to transfer urine into the holding tank. Doing so should allow several days away from either a pumpout or receiving waters for dumping overboard.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 01/02/2018 21:06:49

Commodore
Russ Johnson

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USA
690 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2018 : 22:19:14

Carl,

Nice job on the install.
Composting heads are a fairly new product.
Would you consider submitting a technical article to the Mainsheet magazine?
We are always looking for new articles.

Thanks, Russ Johnson
Commodore

Russ Johnson, Commodore 2009-2022 (commodore at catalina-capri-25s.org)

Carl in LA
Captain

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USA
284 Posts

Response Posted - 03/02/2018 : 13:11:56

Russ:

As arranged outside the forum I will be writing an article regarding the C-Head... I would like to wait a few months to get some more use out of it to have a better assessment of the C-Head.

To All:

Here are a few more pics and a bit of the early findings to inform our forum readers of the situation.

When we left-off in the earlier post I had yet to install the media in the solids container. The C-Head offers several suggestions for media including animal bedding... I picked up a package of bedding at the local grocery store. The container in the first picture shows the volume of media that you pour into the solids container.

During first use - I noticed the poop smell during the operation. At the risk of being graphic - but only because of truth in reporting - I tossed the couple of sheets of toilet paper into the solids container then closed the lid. Following the instructions I used the handle to turn the media about 15 times. When I opened the toilet lid to see the effects of turning the media - the toilet paper did not go to the bottom and remained on top. Mehhhh... not good with that. Made the decision to use a small sealed trash container to dispose of the toilet paper rather than in the solids container.

Upon returning to the boat a few days later - no smell in the boat, no smell in the head... but when I opened the toilet lid there was "smell". I re-read the instructions and noted that it is optional to use Theatford Campa-Chem in the urine container to mitigate odors. I procured the Campa-Chem and used a bit in the urine container and the "smell" diminished significantly...

I did not want any smell in this operation so I went back and re-read the instructions again. The head comes with a pvc pipe nipple and retaining ring as well as a 10-foot plastic hose that can be arranged to ventilate the head. I choose to install the vent even though the Campa-Chem pretty much eliminated the odors that I previously noted. The instructions offer suggestions for venting to the outside of the boat. Considering the limited deck real estate on the 250 - I decided to simply go with a tank vent which I located in a convenient spot not too far away from the holding tank vent. The plastic hose is then closed to the nipple on the tank vent. I used tape to seal the connection until a better solution comes along.

The instructions also note that you can provide positive ventilation with the use of perhaps a solar cabin fan or perhaps small computer size fans in-line in the plastic hose... I choose to go with the in-line fans and purchased two 30-mm 12v fans at the electronics store. These fans are not installed yet and they may never be if the Campa-Chem and the passive venting to outside the boat totally control odors inside the box of the head.

With the above noted - so far so good. The prospect of several weeks of full-time use or months of part-time use is realistic... and avoiding quickly filling the holding tank using a conventional marine head is attractive. But at this early juncture - the C-Head appears to be a viable sanitation solution on a Catalina 250.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 03/03/2018 07:05:51

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.