Electric Porta Potty vs Marine Toilet

[bli8]

I see many SMB owner chooses the Porta Potty instead of the more permanent marine toilet, what are the pros and cons of these two type of toilets as in maintenance convenience?

[mels]

I see many SMB owner chooses the Porta Potty instead of the more permanent marine toilet, what are the pros and cons of these two type of toilets as in maintenance convenience?
Good question for someone that has experience with each type of toilet.:thinking:

[BigTom]

We have the electric porta potty it takes up very little space, no permanent enclosure, it is odor free and very easy to empty. We use it at night when we are camping in cold temps and at running and cycling races where the lines to the bathroom are really long. Very easy to move around and just tucks out of the way when not in use.

Cons- we dont use it for solid waste. I suppose you could but we have not done that yet. You have to carry chemicals with you on long trips if you anticipate changing the tank out.

I dont have any experience with the marine toilet in a van so I cannot comment on that. I do know that I would not get a marine toilet if I were doing my build again, the porta potty has been great.

[jmoller99]

I have a Thetford 465 electric porta-potti. We have 2 places that it gets moved to depending on what we are doing (my wife is handicapped, so she can't walk the length of our Sprinter - the porta-potti is either behind the passenger seat while we drive, or at the rear if the futon is folded out as a bed). A permanent installed potty makes no sense for my needs (I pull it out and set it up in its own outdoor tent/cover on occasion too). I always need it to be easily accessible for a person who really can't walk more than a few steps. I would not make any kind of trip without it.

We use it like any other toilet. We are often in the high mountains of Colorado - no other facilities for miles around.

It's easy to dump/clean and very portable. A built in toilet is not flexible enough.

In the house, my wife gets around using a powered wheelchair, so a built in bathroom is no problem. We do travel with the powered wheelchair, but its strapped down at the rear of the Sprinter (It tends to slide around if not held in place).

[sully]

No contest. As a guy who has more than a little experience with boats (it's my profession), a marine head would be a horrible thing to install on a Sprinter. First, they use water like there is no tomorrow. They are made to flush with seawater, so they assume there is an ocean available.

Second, they stink. The hoses will eventually allow the smell of sewage through them over the years. We typically replace hoses on marine heads every couple years.

Third, they just aren't made for RVs.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSOf9eh2txafXjgulIBR2iCbF4RCJz3I I_WzU3ZWpFh1gs4bWB01ERwag

What you want to get is either a portapotty (this is what I use and it's great) or an RV type head made for stingy fresh water flushes, knowing you are flushing from a limited supply of water.

I use this one:

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/public/jV4tkRRHNLztMlDAlvV_z4Kj9h8ya7LnyjtvTsPCsG749QXrWq xYDBdpYfTzgh2Y6nDp54WjJ5gDc_mINK5LQ33BF28S5acmjGx1 giTJ-xz34533Pbjb4nlWSh0ksI8drII7wnlbvRLqEvJkDKwl342uUzs GrxoGfD7osH2KH1LblslrK80Ut0fHdtwf4zodNFRNorIoElLW4 VrTVmtubOyEtLqJN0Zrymx-tj_kgQBg1bbqHJyOjyicvlE-A8cV4yKR-9CTQVH5w6F0ro6eBlIdaO3PaD1ojdmBHg

Rather than filling it, I keep a good quality spray bottle next to it and just spray it out every time. Much easier than hassling with filling the built in tank.

Alternatively, get the RV toilet like these:

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/public/gkhGV76lDWjiN71pmqJCtJ7BU22b6MUeCCbMwWwvoJn2Se1_SU mCZNpAZTcb25Jj2qUSTcp5C_C2REHToN8z2_gmqj1GcF0R8dcH UvOHsLhpylc-VV7dWpxazlBXASG8SJu95z8yxplL_NEB0bFhIvk7HvOi3IHoYS iUxcfqhBwQPEkGbPM

On the (very) large boat I am currently building, we are installing RV toilets (the last picture from above). The boat is a catamaran, so it doesn't heel, so no need for those terrible marine heads. It will also flush using fresh water from the catamaran's watermaker.

On a Sprinter though... I'd say the Thetford portapotty is the best bet.

[Graphite Dave]

For #1 use a plastic container. I use a large opening "QuiK" chocolate container. Easy to transport to a toilet for dumping and easier to clean. # 2 requires the portapotty.