Above the Waterline

Marine Outfitter

805 455 8444

Sanitation System Design

1)  I recommend the Raritan Sierra Household Size head.    The macerator pump is installed right at the base so the system immediately converts solids into liquids for easier handling.     The pump only runs the macerator and not the water pump.

2)  Always have the head located above the level of the holding tank.   Joker valves are not capable of holding back any pressure and over time will fail.

Consider buying your holding tank from Ronco Plastics.   I look at the drawings online and then order the blank - a tank without any holes in it.   It is difficult to conclude from the drawings if the tank is a left or right so be careful.  Ronco has over 500 tanks to choose from and so far I have been very lucky finding a tank that completely fills the space I have.    After I receive the blank I mark where I want the holes and add a couple of extra ones for future expansion which could include adding a watermaker or drawing off the bottom for another sink.   I only use welded in fittings because the fittings that are attached by screws sooner or later begin to leak.   On a holding tank this can become a huge problem.   Also I ask them to add sensor placement fittings if necessary.

3)  Keep the water pump separate from the macerator pump.   These are two distinctly different functions and should be run at different times.

4)  Do not hook your flushing water system into your potable water system for fear of contamination of your potable water system.

5) For best results use an outdoor shower head for spraying under the lip of the bowl.     This way you can use your potable fresh water but it is not hooked into your water system.  

6)  Avoid using saltwater to flush your head.   It smells way worse in your holding tank.

7)  Flush your holding tank.   After emptying your holding tank open a through hull and pump seawater into a fitting at the top of the tank, either at sea or at the pump out.   Flushing and rinsing a holding tank eliminates the buildup of a sludge layer in the bottom of the tank.

8)  Install two vents in your holding tank from different sides of the boat.   The pressure differential creates air flow across the holding tank.   Aerobic bacteria does not smell, while anaerobic bacteria does.   Make sure your vents are not near your outdoor living areas.   I prefer to vent the holding tank high enough up the mast that it doesn't smell while the head is being used.

9)  Use a manual diaphram pump to pump out the holding tank.   It only takes a couple of minutes to empty a holding tank.   A manual system eliminates the need for additional electrical service.

10)  Don't use a direct discharge valve unless you plan to do blue water cruising.   Empty all waste into the holding tank and then pump out the holding tank.     It is illegal to dump waste within 3 miles of the land and most of the time that is where you will be sailing so there is no necessity for a direct discharge.

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Email James at       or telephone 805 455 8444

Above the Waterline, Ltd.,    6 Harbor Way # 226, Santa Barbara, CA, 93109, USA