Tecma Toilets Water Usage

[nvespa]

Does anyone know the water usage of a Tecma electric toilet (circa 2004) and how it compares to other similar, current toilets, such as the Raritan Marine Elegance, new Tecma Silent Plus 2G, and Dometic Masterflush?

Norfolk dealer suggests the Vacuflush 4800 series to get the most bang for the buck and extend the time between pumpouts. Not sure I want to go that route, so I'd like to see if new electric macerator toilets would use less water than my existing units.

Main reason for looking to change toilet, though, is to get an elongated bowl for more comfort. Fewer pumpouts would be a bonus.

Thanks!

Nick

[Comodave]

I don’t like the Vacuflush heads. Eventually they will leak vacuum. And finding the leaks can be a PITA and expensive if you are throwing parts at it trying to fix it. Also they use more water than you think.

IMO the best head on the market is the Raritan Marine Elegance. With the 4 way flush panel, optional, you can select how much water you are going to use for the flush. You can select, regular flush that is 3 fills and 3 flushes, small flush which is 1 fill and 1 flush, fill only and flush only without any water. And you can program the length of each fill if you want more water or less water during the fills. One of the really nice things is that you can use either 1” or 1.5” discharge hoses. Our boat had a really long discharge hose. I just threw out the leaking Vacuflush head that came with the boat and put in a ME. I used 1” discharge hose. It is 36’ long so with the 1” hose it takes about 1.5 gallons to fill the hose. That length of 1.5” hose will hold 3.3 gallons. So it will take much less water to flush the discharge hose clear. Therefore it will save holding tank capacity. I used the old 1.5” discharge hose to run the new 1” hose inside of it. Worked like a charm. We ran 36’ of hose in less than an hour. Lots of wire pulling lubricant…

You can get a Bluetooth control panel so you don’t have to run a control cable to it from the main circuit board.

With the ME everything except the main circuit board is contained in the head itself. No vacuum pump, no vacuum tank. It saves you room and complexity in the boat. I have put ME heads in our last 3 boats and never had to work on any of them. I took out 2 Vacuflush heads in those boats.

The ME comes in 12 volt or 24 volt. I put a 24 volt one in our current boat and used the bow thruster batteries to power it since they are close to the head.

Also the ME is a lot cheaper than a Vacuflush.

[HeadMistress]

I'm a huge fan of the Raritan Marine Elegance--which, btw, is the top rated macerating toilet--but not the 4 option Smart Flush panel for a couple of reasons: 1. It uses a circuit board which needs computer parts like semiconductors. Another supply chain mess like the one that kept the icemaker in my in fridge offline for two months waiting for a semiconductor and you'll be using buckets of water to flush the toilet! (Granted, circuit board problems are VERY rare, but "anything that can go wrong...") 2. That the "normal" flush option fills and flushes the toilet 3 times, filling up a holding tank a lot faster than necessary. How many landlubber guests would NOT think that "normal" is always the button to push?

So I recommend the 3 option "Momentary Flush" instead. It lets the user bring water in and hold it (which should always be done ahead of solids), "dry" flush, and simultaneously bring in water and flush. User controls the amount of water in and how long to flush...and all without a circuit board.

Just my own $.02 worth....

(As for the blue tooth option...someone who has the tech skills could drive his dock neighbor nuts flushing his toilet at random hours.)

--Peggie

[jimdavi]

I have a later model 2019 tecma silence plus 2g and it’s great. I can adjust the flow per flush at the back of the control panel. There is an adjustment screw. I’m set at about .4/flush.

[HeadMistress]

Assuming you have just a single flush button, upgrading it to a 3 option flush, will allow you to bring in water--as much or as little as you think is needed for a particular flush--and hold it in the bowl, "dry" flush , and the same simultaneous water in, bowl contents out that a single button provides. Nothing to set, water flow for each flush is controlled by how long you depress the "water in" or simultaneous in-out button.

Jabsco makes one and so does Raritan, however Raritan's "momentary flush" can only be used on toilets designed to use pressurized fresh water.

--Peggie

[nvespa]

Thanks, all. We have a two button panel, currently. Looking like I'll stay away from the Vacuflush system and look to an elongated bowl toilet.

Would it be worth considering a Purasan MSD? Our home port is in Norfolk, so no issues with NDZ at this time.

Thanks!