Advantages Of One Toilet Type Over Another?

[ahicks]

Newbie here.

While looking around and reading about coaches on the market prior to getting ours, I've seen where some coaches are equipped with a conventional home type toilet (pardon my lack of proper terminology). No clue how they got that way (OEM or custom by owner). The advantages over an RV type toilet seem clear to me, what I'm wondering about is the downside.

Currently weighing options regarding this move. Our coach will be used primarily for travel, will not be parked for more than a few days at a time. I mention that as I believe that we have adequate tank capacities to support the use of a home type toilet (for a few days)?

Anyone care to share their experience one type vs. the other?

[Guest Wayne77590]

Take a look at the RV Electric toilet. It may support your needs.

[Roodriver]

I'm afraid the home toilet would use a great deal more water than my holding tank would deal with and that includes the water efficient ones. Boon docking would be almost impossible for any length of time considering the holding capacities of both fresh and black tanks. When used properly the standard RV usually works fine for me.

Ward

[hermanmullins]

ahicks, Welcome to the forum.

Using a toilet like you have in your home has several problems.

1) tank holds 1.5 to 3 gallons of water and you use it all used each time you flush.

2) water in tank will splash out when you are moving.

Using a toilet made for an RV will use about a 2 to 3 pints of water per flush.

Check how much fresh water the RV you are looking at holds and divide it by 1.5 and see how many flushes you have even before you have made coffee, washed dishes and or showered.

The only problem I have besides replacing seals is how low the seat is.

[Guest BillAdams]

It's unlikely that you are seeing home toilets in RV's. There are several RV style toilets that work more like a home toilet than the standard step-and-flush toilets such as the Mircrophor like we have in our coach.

http://www.microphor.com/html/rec.html

[ahicks]

OK, thinking back, the adds refered to a "flushing" toilet? I guess I made the jump from there to a home style toilet as I'm not familiar with anything else very far from removed from those of the familiar Thetford variety - and they aren't what comes to this mind when hearing the words "flush toilet". Could they be talking about a recirculating (yuk!) toilet?

Splashing, that would not be good. Big downside if that were to occur. Wouldn't you think the rim of the toilet might contain the largest majority of any "sloshing" to occur though? Unless you were on some really rough roads anyway.

Regarding tank capacities, here's what I'm thinking:

70 gallons fresh water, that shouldn't be an issue?

50 gal. black, hmmm, that could be. Common sense would dictate the use of a new toilet, and I think they are rated at 1.6 gal. per flush - maximum. 50/1.6=31 and change. Sounds like we would need to be pretty "conservative" if staying any amount of time at a facility without toilets.

Maybe, to improve on the number of flushes available, we could add one of the new fangled "dual flush" setups? (http://www.amazon.com/One2flush-Toilet-Conversion-Standard-Toilets/dp/B002IYNBH0/ref=pd_cp_hi_0)

From their "product description" I quote: "The amount of water used in a half flush can be reduced to .8 gal(half flush) and 1.4 gal (full flush)in a 1.6 gallon toilet."

So, more math to see what that would look like:

50/1.4=35 and change, while 50/.8=over 62! This is starting to make more sense?

I'm excited about the possibility to eliminate something I've alway found fairly high on the distatefull (bordering on disgusting!) list. I get the fact this plan isn't going to be for everyone. I'm wondering about the practicality of this for OUR application. We are not currenty planning on boondocking for any extended periods. In fact, I doubt we would do that for more than 3-4 days, and then, there's still a very good chance wherever we were would have toilet facilities somewhere on site.

From an installation standpoint, it should be a straight bolt in. No coach mods necessary. So worst case, if the idea doesn't work out, one of the home toilets is older. I could reinstall the Thetford, and replace that old toilet with this one...

[Guest BillAdams]

Did you even take a look at my link?

[Roodriver]

The Microphor unit looks like it would fill the bill and solved the only other problem I could see with the water being sucked from the bowl and then having odors get in the coach with the shutter assembly. Think I would want the powder coat not plain jane stainless. Thanks for the info Bill.

Ward

[Guest BillAdams]

They make (at least they used to) a full china toilet which would be much more appropriate to the RV application. I have not looked lately but I hope that a SS version is not the only thing available any more.

[ahicks]

Did you even take a look at my link?

Yes sir. I did.