Sven wrote:
I posted this question in the sailboatowners.com head mistress forum
last week but got no feedback so I thought I'd try asking the
"locals" here instead ...
Apparently I missed it...sorry!
There is a bracket under the v-berth on our new(old) Ericson 23,
close to the Lectrasan. It looks like it might be a battery bracket.
Would it make sense to have a battery there to satisfy the current
draw of the Lectrasan if the house batteries are some 15 feet away ?
The distance to your existing battery is within mfr's specs...the only
questions are whether the wire size is correct for that distance, and
whether a single battery can provide enough power for Lectra/San in
addition to your other 12v electric needs. The Lectra/San consumes 1.7
AH/flush...about 10 amps/day for two people.
If it isn't a battery bracket I'm stumped what it is for.
At this point I don't know if the Lectrasan is functional and I'm
wondering how to fire it up to see if it is ? Open the sea cocks (if
they are closed), pump, turn on the timer ... ? Or should I first do
some other preparation ?
Before attempting to operate it, at least a gallon of salt water should
be in it...which is easy to do--just flush the toilet enough times. Then
open the seacock, and turn on the timer. However, it would be a VERY
good idea to get the manual for it before you do anything. The only
manual on the Raritan website is for the current MC version, which I
suspect has a different control module than yours. If the timer is a
dial "stove timer," the unit is quite old...that's the original
controller, and has been discontinued. So in addition to getting a
manual for it, I think you'd be well advised to have a chat with with
Raritan tech services. Vic Willman is the person you want to talk to at
Raritan...give him a call at 800-352-352-5630.
I think the bottom of the bowl is at or under the DWL but none of the
plumbing has any antisiphon air gaps as far as I can tell. Do you
need air gaps if most of the bowl is above water ?
If the toilet is at or below the waterline at any angle of heel, there
should be a vented loop in the head discharge line going to the L/S. If
the unit is below the waterline at any angle of heel, there should be a
vented loop between the unit and the thru-hull. If neither are below the
waterline at any angle of heel, no vented loops are required. So it's
possible that you could need one, two, or none.
The treatment tank is above the bowl.
In that case there should definitely be a vented loop that's at least
8-12" above the unit.
The manual (downloaded from
Raritan) states that the tank has to be below the bowl or you need to
call them. Why would it need to be below...
Because the inlet from the toilet is near the bottom of the unit (it
discharges by overflowing out a fitting on the top), and water/waste
flows downhill. If the unit is above the toilet discharge, without a
loop that's above the toilet discharge at any angle of heel, waste from
it will flow out of the unit back toward the toilet.
or what should I look for
to find out if it is acceptably installed despite being above the
bowl ? Are they just worried about backflow ?
Yup...and quite justifiably, too...
Give Vic a call...he'll help you sort out everything you need to know
about how it works and how it should be installed.
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detai...=400&group=327