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Porta potti questions

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JasonLepore

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I hate to ask about it but what better place to do so....... You guys are the lucky people. :) . I can't find info online, and never had a porta potti.im getting one for my boat. Few questions,,, 1. How bad is changing it? 2. Do I have to buy chemicals? Does it ever spill in the pop up changing room? Any other info is great,,,, not sure what model they are giving me but they are including it in our deal,,,,, thanks again,,,,
 
JasonLepore said:
I hate to ask about it but what better place to do so....... You guys are the lucky people. :) . I can't find info online, and never had a porta potti.im getting one for my boat. Few questions,,, 1. How bad is changing it? 2. Do I have to buy chemicals? Does it ever spill in the pop up changing room? Any other info is great,,,, not sure what model they are giving me but they are including it in our deal,,,,, thanks again,,,,
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You will likely get a porta potti that is split in a 50/50 configuration. Seat and fresh water in the top and waste contained in the bottom. In the lower portion a chemical, either in a packet (dry) or a chemical liquid is put in the bottom to keep things slightly fresh. Upon completion of use there is a sort of pump that manually releases fresh water in the top to "flush" and then a lever or pedal to open a gate to allow the liquid or solid waste be deposited into the lower container.

In the summer I wouldn't let things heat up too much. I would personally not allow any solid waste except in an extreme emergency. And I never let mine set around too long without emptying into a toilet, rinsing and refilling as per instructions.

I actually prefer the dry type set-up now as opposed to fussing around with liquids. Garbage bags, cat litter, in a bucket type works for me. "lugable lu" etc. Go to Amazon and look up portable toilets. You will get an education.

The type you are talking about also consume alot of space, although they come in varying sizes.
 
JasonLepore said:
I hate to ask about it but what better place to do so....... You guys are the lucky people. :) . I can't find info online, and never had a porta potti.im getting one for my boat. Few questions,,, 1. How bad is changing it? 2. Do I have to buy chemicals? Does it ever spill in the pop up changing room? Any other info is great,,,, not sure what model they are giving me but they are including it in our deal,,,,, thanks again,,,,
Click to expand...
The wives are the only ones ever allowed to use it, and if there is a need to go number 2 we head for the marina. I'm the captain, and those are my rules. The only reason it exists on the boat is to prevent having to constantly drive to a bathroom when the girls decide to drink a lot of wine. The one I have doesn't spill at all because it has a sliding lever that closes the bottom off once you use it and flush with a little clean water from the top reservoir. Whether they put up the privacy screen or not usually depends on how much wine they've had. Frankly, I only put it on the boat when I know the girls are coming out. It works in pinch.
 
I have the "basic" model that came with the boat - it works fine. It is constructed as Smokey Mountain describes. By itself, it sits pretty low so I built a stand for it with 2x4 on edge to raise it up about 3.5 inches in height. Any description of them and the mechanics involved in using them tends to be amusing; however, they do perform their function with minimum problems. Mine fell off its raised platform once (while trailering it to the lake), ended upside down and there was no "leakage". The only "chore" involved with them (which would be the same with a dry lugable loo) is that at some point you have to dispose of the waste/waste container. That task usually falls to the person most concerned with the boat, i.e. you :D
 
Damn what a shi**y job :-/

Does the unit get secured to the boat at all? How much are the chemicals that go with it?

Thanks again
 
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JasonLepore said:
Damn what a shi**tty job :-/

Does the unit get secured to the boat at all? How much are the chemicals that go with it?

Thanks again
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The chemicals are inexpensive and easy to deal with. I used to use the liquids years ago, but the dry stuff is easier to deal with. Here is an example 12 pak for $7.50

http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Products-Bio-Blue-Deodorant-Packaged/dp/B0011MXVD4/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_22

there are means to mount to the floor. I would suggest bungee cords for trailering or while underway in rough weather.

Scroll through the various configurations to see what you might have. Thetford has been a dominant player for years.

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-827B802T-Portable-Toilet/dp/B0009PURWC

This is just another task that gets relegated to the glorious position of being "Captain".

I have had a small 16 foot Zodiac boat for the last few years. My porta potti has been an appropriately sized tupperware for men or

women, use, dispose rinse, air to dry, store. No solid waste permitted.

I like the Lugable Loo concept, since all boats should have bucket on board. Either use a bag with a little cat

litter and take it off at the end of the day and drop it in the garbage, or just use it as is and rinse accordingly.

http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Products-Luggable-Portable-Gallon/dp/B000FIAPXO/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_3

I also have one of these for boat camping on shore, but it would work on a boat equally as well and could be folded and stored.

http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Products-Collapsible-Portable-Toilet/dp/B0024OAQ3Q/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_9

I also have one of these foldables which would do just fine on a boat.

http://www.amazon.com/TravelJohn-Foldable-Commode-Chair-Olive/dp/B000NVDCQ0/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_53

I like portable, foldable, rinsable type devices that don't require dealing with holding tanks, chemicals and hauling to a "dumping station" aka restroom or home toilet.

This is 35 years of boating experience talking. I have had them all including inboard vacuflush systems and hand pump fixed systems with big holding tanks.
 
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I have a coleman camping porta potty, the chemical type with the 50/50 chamber style. I have mine placed in the area under the rear lounge seat (inside the curtain pop up). Sine the privacy curtain frame, curtain and the lounge must be able to fold down on top of it there is no way to use a platform to raise it. It would not fit. No one seems to have trouble with, it's fairly tall. I have heavy duty velcro strips on the boat floor and the bottom side of the port potty. That keeps it from moving. The lid has stayed shut as designed, the waste part is also sealed by a moving lid. I have never had any spillage issues. There were several models in the camping store, I purchased the expensive one (think it was about $90). The handle to pump the "flush water" is not the best design, it is a flimsy assembly and prone to not working sometimes. For that reason I would not recommend this model, but the concept of using the chemical style one works for me. It is used for emergency use only. So often we go out and never need to use it, in which case I just leave it on the boat. If it does get used I remove it each time, dump it at the bathroom at the doc and take it home & clean it for the next use. At times we can be a good 20 to 30 mins from a marina (when they are open), and quite a ways from our marina dock so motoring all that way back to use a bathroom is not feasible sometimes.
 
I just bought my first pontoon boat and this was a serios consideration for us. Our lake is 29 miles long and we don't want to have to run back to the cabin. We bought the 2275RLi and the wide privacy has room to put in a full hospital comode [the type with the pail] The comode is going to be attached to prevent sliding. I found on the internet a product that has a bag that is filled with "Poo Powder" [i didn't name it].

The bag fits into the pail of the comode. I am told that with in seconds the poo powder will turn up to 32 ounces of liquid into a gel. Manufacturer said due to the ability of holding 32 oz. it can handle repeat uses such as on the boat. Once filled it can be disposed of as ordinary trash. The advantage of this method is that I don't have to carry a pail of urine to the cabin to dispose and then clean the pail.

Won't know until we launch how well this will work. The link is below and the manufacturer does provide a single bag for a trial, just pay $2 shipping. I was hoping to get it in time for the Super Bowl to give it a real stress test but it didn't show up in time 8D

http://www.cleanwaste.com/products#pop
 
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Link said:
I just bought my first pontoon boat and this was a serios consideration for us. Our lake is 29 miles long and we don't want to have to run back to the cabin. We bought the 2275RLi and the wide privacy has room to put in a full hospital comode [the type with the pail] The comode is going to be attached to prevent sliding. I found on the internet a product that has a bag that is filled with "Poo Powder" [i didn't name it].

The bag fits into the pail of the comode. I am told that with in seconds the poo powder will turn up to 32 ounces of liquid into a gel. Manufacturer said due to the ability of holding 32 oz. it can handle repeat uses such as on the boat. Once filled it can be disposed of as ordinary trash. The advantage of this method is that I don't have to carry a pail of urine to the cabin to dispose and then clean the pail.

Won't know until we launch how well this will work. The link is below and the manufacturer does provide a single bag for a trial, just pay $2 shipping. I was hoping to get it in time for the Super Bowl to give it a real stress test but it didn't show up in time 8D

http://www.cleanwaste.com/products#pop
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I liked the "gel" concept but found it pricey. I just take a few garbage bags, preload them with about two to three cups of high absorbency kitty litter and get the same effect...for the most part. Soaks up liquid waste clumps and into the garbage it goes.

This concept will work with any toilet that works off the bag principal. I bought bio-degradable bags, that and clay, rather organic IMO.
 
Smoky Mountain said:
I liked the "gel" concept but found it pricey. I just take a few garbage bags, preload them with about two to three cups of high absorbency kitty litter and get the same effect...for the most part. Soaks up liquid waste clumps and into the garbage it goes.

This concept will work with any toilet that works off the bag principal. I bought bio-degradable bags, that and clay, rather organic IMO.
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By the way, this topic is highly discussed on the Prepper(EOTWS/SHTF)Forums. Water might be a very scarce commodity so dry style toilets get a fair amount of play. Standard PP don't work well with the bag set-up. The upper vessel is to shallow and "it" piles up too high.

TnZombieResponse2__avatar.jpg
 
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I bought a porta potty with the boat, but promptly hid it in the garage knowing I would be the one cleaning it!

It came with a bottle of liquid chemical, so I never gave kitty litter any thought. That would make it tolerable... I may have to check it out.

Unfortunately, we have a cat. From experience, the best (least stink) cat litter is Fresh Step CLUMPING (make sure its the clumping kind).
 
There is also a kitty litter that is some sort of wood by-product that when it comes in contact with liquid turns into an almost sawdust type texture. It kinda looks like little pellets at first. Nice thing about it is that it doesn't have that kitty litter smell at all! Can't remember the name of it right now!
 
kaydano said:
I bought a porta potty with the boat, but promptly hid it in the garage knowing I would be the one cleaning it!

It came with a bottle of liquid chemical, so I never gave kitty litter any thought. That would make it tolerable... I may have to check it out.

Unfortunately, we have a cat. From experience, the best (least stink) cat litter is Fresh Step CLUMPING (make sure its the clumping kind).
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Whatever you do, don't put kitty litter in a conventional liquid type PP. :eek:
 
Butchkid said:
The wives are the only ones ever allowed to use it, and if there is a need to go number 2 we head for the marina. I'm the captain, and those are my rules. The only reason it exists on the boat is to prevent having to constantly drive to a bathroom when the girls decide to drink a lot of wine. The one I have doesn't spill at all because it has a sliding lever that closes the bottom off once you use it and flush with a little clean water from the top reservoir.
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Ditto, same rules on our boat(s). I have never had a problem with spillage, odor, etc. Very easy to use most marine heads.

Steve
 
Just bought a 24SLX and wanted a porta potti, the dealer ordered one with a holding tank and is plumbed out the side for pumping out at the marina. It goes in the change room area and they will have to move the battery and battery cover over to the left hand corner (nothing there anyway). About $700.00 to do this, but the wife, daughter, daughter in-law, would probably not do without it (trying to cover all basis for comfort).

Has anyone else had one of these install? And is it maintenance friendly.

Thanks, for any replies
 
I've never even heard of a $700 porta potti! Wow. :blink:

$7 will get you a 5 gallon bucket and a toilet seat. Bags and cat litter are extra. :D

The changing room on the SLX is pretty low when closed. I think 12 inches is all you get, or the lounger won't shut all the way down. Maybe you could get a couple inches more of you can center it within the changing room "curtain rod" hardware when it's all closed up.

Wow, $700. We had our boat out 20 or 21 times last season, and no one used my porta potti.
 
We contemplated getting one when we got our toon 5 yrs ago...............We asked ourselves if we really needed it and would we use it? There are many marinas on our lake as well as restaurants and a state park all spread out...................so the answer was.............. NO!
 
We use our Commode set up with the SaniBags quite often and having this setup was extremely important to us. This is one of the main reasons we chose the RL as our boat. The privacy room is the widest one available as well as the tallest. Our hospital-style commode fits into it all set up without the need of folding it up and opening it up whenever you want to use it. I was not willing to tote a bucket of pee to the house, clean it and bring it back to the boat. The SaniBags are a little pricey but not compared to the gas I put into the boat and they are such a breeze to use and store that it is worth the money.

I watched my friend suction out his porta-potti and do not want to deal with that either. Tossing the SaniBag into the dumpster as I walk back to the house and easy to do
 
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