Loos women talk

This is a reply to Sue's question re: the new Vacuflush 5000.

We previously had an old macerator toilet that piped straight into a large waste tank. It was ok except it used a lot of water and we were trekking to the pump-out far too often for my liking - for us a 6 hour round trip. So, after lots of scraping together of pennies, we saved up for the much coveted Vacuflush 5048 from Leesan. As John's already mentioned, it uses a lot less water and electricity.

Our previous toilet looked much like a normal domestic toilet and the new toilet looks pretty much the same. So no change in space taken up there. The only major thing to think about with the Vacuflush is the vacuum generator itself. It's much bigger than I imagined c. 21" long x 10" wide x 14" high plus space for pipes to go in and out. So you need to find somewhere large enough to fit it between the loo and the waste tank. Luckily (and after lots of swearing and scraped knuckles) I managed to fit it into the only space available - in the bathroom cupboard. I was a bit concerned we would lose our only storage space but luckily my guardian angel was watching and squeezed the generator in with only mm to spare and we can still use the cupboard.

As Leesan will tell you, the Vacuflush is straightforward to put in but... like everything on a boat it's never that straighforward is it?

So far, it seems to be working well and, fingers crossed, the time between pump-outs will lengthen considerably. Now I just need to persuade John to drink less beer and explain to him that though the Vacuflush is very clever - it still needs cleaning every now and then...

Hope this is useful.

Jackie (the wife and ship's engineer)