Toilet Fitting Potential Disaster !

[wooster]

Hi all,

in trying to fit a Domestic 511 toilet to me boat. The old one was completely knackered. I’ve taken it off and there no flange - just a seal on the floor with bolts rising from it that the toilet boots on to. I’m baffled. Is this really how it should be. Seems just the weight of thee we toilet is keeping it in place! To be honest I haven’t noticed any movement on it so I don’t know. 
The fitting instructions assume a flame is fixed to the floor into which the bolts slip. They spar day the seal souls be changed but in war of doing securing with this one which seems fixed to the floor with some sort of sealant. 
I attach a pic. I’m tempted just to leave it there and stick the new toilet onto it. 

I’m fed up with toilets!!

[chrisdobson45]

I’d be tempted to bolt the new wc down, what could go wrong?

I’m currently disenchanted with boat toilets / waste systems, we went for a pump out last week and the handle broke off the Y valve. I spent several hours trying to fit a new valve, the boat appears to have been built around the old valve, being located diagonally under the salon floor about a foot outside the hatch so nearly impossible to reach. As usual with anything remotely boat related, I failed so more money to be paid out for something that I should be capable of doing…

[wooster]

I thought I'd replied but it seems to have vanished into the ether! Anyway, I can relate to your experience with boats. Everything I try seems to turn difficult.

I got brave after I posted and took the seal off, and replaced it with the new one. There are 4 bolts coming from under the floor. They seem quite solid so I assume they're going through a steel plate or something. Anyway,I stuck the toilet on it and tightened it up . Seems all right so far. Apparently I should have put sealant under the seal as it is in the shower. I will probably do that later once I find the will to go on 

[ExSurveyor]

Clean the seal and put sealant above and beneath. Within reason, you can't use too much 😁. If you have space, a decent bead of sealant around the outer edge of the flange is a good idea as a secondary seal. This I know from bitter experience.

[wooster]

25 minutes ago, ExSurveyor said:

Clean the seal and put sealant above and beneath. Within reason, you can't use too much 😁. If you have space, a decent bead of sealant around the outer edge of the flange is a good idea as a secondary seal. This I know from bitter experience.

I will do. Cleaning is virtually impossible. The crust is like concrete.  Any particular type of sealant? I assume best not to shower until I sort that out?

I’m amazed how small the tank is  

[Smoggy]

1 minute ago, wooster said:

I’m amazed how small the tank is 

Don't get a taste for stout... 

[ExSurveyor]

38 minutes ago, wooster said:

I will do. Cleaning is virtually impossible. The crust is like concrete.  Any particular type of sealant? I assume best not to shower until I sort that out?

I’m amazed how small the tank is  

I used marine sealant. The cleaner the surface the better the seal.

The sealant will stop leakage hence the second bead.

 

[wooster]

Hmm. I might buy a chisel to get a bit more of the nasty off then.

[MargeandParge]

If you slip while making the installation it would be quite heavy to use as a cycle helmet

Good luck with it is there a groove around the underside of the toilet that the top of that seal locates in.

I would seal with something like plumbers mate a fixing sealant that is removable round the outside of the seal only.

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

 

[Hylander]

6 hours ago, wooster said:

Hmm. I might buy a chisel to get a bit more of the nasty off then.

More expense.   It never ends.

[chrisdobson45]

34 minutes ago, Hylander said:

More expense.   It never ends.

I’m going to have  a tee shirt printed…

[Troyboy]

Good luck with it mate. It's amazing the humour that comes from a serious subject. 

[OldBerkshireBoy]

1 hour ago, Troyboy said:

Good luck with it mate. It's amazing the humour that comes from a serious subject. 

Known as Lavatory Humour 

[annv]

Hi the bolts are fixed to a plate on the inner side of the tank just use a palate scraper DO NOT use a hammer) the crud is just limescale clean the surface and then place a small bead of sealant on both sides of gaskit then place toilet back on taking care to not push the bolts back inside of the tank then tighten the four nuts evenly only wrist tight then wipe excess sealant from around base.John

[Mouldy]

3 hours ago, Hylander said:

More expense.   It never ends.

BOAT.  Bring Out Another Thousand.  Never say you’ve finished either, ‘cos it never is!

[wooster]

I was just examining the damage which apparently goes all round both sides of the bows at the rubbing rail area ( where they have stuck some slats of wood in and painted over it - dunno if this is normal? ) to disguise the cracks.
 

I was reflecting that if I worked really, really hard on it all the time I was on it, and even if I knew what I was doing, and chucked some £ into it, it might end up looking alright in time for my departure from this life imitating admission to a care home: whichever comes first!

Either way, I feel like I’m working for someone else!! All the while, after yesterday my arthritis is screaming at me to stop.

You might say I’m a bit tee’d off  

[dom]

20 minutes ago, wooster said:

I was reflecting that if I worked really, really hard on it all the time I was on it, and even if I knew what I was doing, and chucked some £ into it, it might end up looking alright in time for my departure from this life imitating admission to a care home: whichever comes first!
You might say I’m a bit tee’d off  

Never forget, the point of a boat is to sit on board looking outwards, not to sit on the bank staring in.

In an ideal world, owning a pristine and immaculate boat is a worthy aspiration - but don't let that be an obstacle to enjoying the nature and environment of the Broads. It's all to easy to get drawn into a situation where owning a boat becomes like a job, so you miss the important things.

[wooster]

Wise words indeed, Dom and a timely reminder for me. You know sometimes you wake up and you look at things you COULD do and then they go from “could”, to “should” then it’s a short step to “must”? 
One of these m mornings for me. It will pass 

[Mouldy]

48 minutes ago, wooster said:

I was just examining the damage which apparently goes all round both sides of the bows at the rubbing rail area ( where they have stuck some slats of wood in and painted over it - dunno if this is normal? ) to disguise the cracks.
 

I was reflecting that if I worked really, really hard on it all the time I was on it, and even if I knew what I was doing, and chucked some £ into it, it might end up looking alright in time for my departure from this life imitating admission to a care home: whichever comes first!

Either way, I feel like I’m working for someone else!! All the while, after yesterday my arthritis is screaming at me to stop.

You might say I’m a bit tee’d off  

Think how tee’d off you’d be if you were the owner of a pristine cruiser, on the northern rivers, in the height of silly season.  You’d be up and down like a ruddy meerkat, fending off  anyone who passed just a little too close to your pride and joy, who might otherwise mark your expensive gel coat!

There is something to be said for owning an ex hire boat, with a few battles scars to show for its previous life.

[grendel]

Paint the scars to make them stand out, add cartoon bubbles with oops, and other such wording, and you will soon see that everyone will shy away from hitting you add a few signs saying concealed steel reinforced ramming mechanism around the bow and it will guarantee everyone avoids hitting your boat.

[Hylander]

1 hour ago, Mouldy said:

You’d be up and down like a ruddy meerkat, fending off  anyone who passed just a little too close to your pride and joy, who might otherwise mark your expensive gel coat!

You Did make me laugh.   I remember it well,     every time someone as you say came near hubby would be up at the window.  Supposedly be relaxing I used to say to him.

[MargeandParge]

A tidy boat is a boat that is used with consideration and enjoyed not a show piece that becomes a burden

We do jobs between cruises and not before them. Just a mop down when the boat is covered in condensation keeps it tidy.

Sometimes we get weary cruising so stay put and do a job there is no rush.

I've had a work bench set up on Ranworth Staithe fitting a front berth as holidays would allow, when people asked me what I was doing my reply was "Every time I hire a boat she's never happy with it till I've altered it".

It's your enjoyment that matters so use what you have and enjoy The Broads they are a beautiful place to be. 

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

 

[wooster]

Thank you all for your reality check and your humour.
My problem is I made a list and had a time line in mind to completion then got caught up in getting it all done. 
You’re absolutely right. Let it rain or shine.

It is lovely here on the Broads. 

[Karizma]

well done for having a go - you will have saved a bit of money and learnt a fair bit - even though its not the most pleasant of jobs on a boat.

we all have a to-do lists (and always will !!!), the challenge is to make progress (no matter how slowly) whilst enjoying today and tomorrow.

weather looks good for the rest of the week, so my to-do list / tools are staying put for a while.

..... and today we managed to get under Wroxham bridge (2m clearance at low tide, 13:30) - lets hope we can get back under in a couple of days time 

[grendel]

there will always be a to do list, and more items will be added to the bottom as ones are ticked off the top, just remember to keep slowly working through the list as and when you feel like it.