How to Convert a Boat Toilet to Electric

An electric boat toilet, or "head," uses an electric pump to flush waste into the boat's marine sanitation device -- the holding tank. The electric head also has a macerator, a set of blades that chop the waste up to ensure it does not clog the sanitary hose that leads to the MSD. Because the toilet, whether a manual-pump head or an electric head, uses the same four-bolt pattern to secure it to the deck, the two are mechanically interchangeable.

Things You'll Need

  • Screwdriver
  • Adjustable wrench
  • Wax seal
  • Pliers-type wire crimper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Pump the manual water pump until the bowl of the existing toilet is clean. Close the valve of the raw water sea cock servicing the head.

    • 2

      Loosen the supply line hose clamp and disconnect the water supply line from the toilet, using a screwdriver. Remove the bolts that hold the toilet in place, using an adjustable wrench. Lift the toilet from the discharge flange. Remove and discard the wax seal from the discharge flange.

    • 3

      Press a new wax seal on the discharge flange. Place the toilet on the discharge flange. Bolt the toilet to the floor, tightening the bolts evenly. Crimp a ring terminal onto the power lead from the toilet's pump using a pliers-type wire crimper.

    • 4

      Remove one of the unused screws from the boat's common power bus. Insert the screw through the ring terminal. Thread the screw back into the common power bus. Tighten the screw securely.

    • 5

      Open the valve on the sea cock.