narrowboat and canal boat toilets
Toilets
are an often overlooked part of your canals design, but one which can be
most unpleasent if you scrimp on your purchase! The two main options for
your toilet are portable or fixed with a built in storage tank, or those
which empty in to a holding tank.
Portable toilets used to be reserved only for those boaters working to an
extreme budget, with most people aiming for holding tank systems. Nowdays
the reverse is becoming true, with portable units increasingly popular as
they can be emptied cheaply and easily without requireing a full marina
pump out.
Rather than explaining all the options here, which would mean an extensive
list of meaningless brand names and model numbers, it is best that you check
a catalogue or Chandlery service to view all the available systems. Brand
names to look out for are Elsen and Thetford.
Holding
tank systems have some other clear andvantages over portables though, and
these are a very serious concideration for convenience (other than that
pointed out above). With sizes rangeing up to 100 gallons, they do not require
emptying nearly as often as the portables. Conversely, the tank takes up
a large amount of room - most of the space under a double bed for example.
They are also expensive - £90 for a smallish holding tank, not including
the cost of installation and the toilet itself.
Again
listing all the available options for holding tank toilets is not a sensible
option here, so contact a boat builder or Chandlery. The "Industry
Standard" toilet in this field though, has for years been the Mansfield
Traveller, which is known as a "Dump Through" unit. In this case
the waste simply drops through the rotating valve straight into the holding
tank, which then re-seals.
