Lectra/San
Date: April 29, 2003 Hi Paul, Date: April 30, 2003 Roy, My view is, that in view of the zero discharge rules, it's not worth the hassle, the electrical drain and the stink to have one. I was fine with the holding tank on my E35 (1990 to 2001) after we fixed the venting issues that impeded pump-out and have two 20 gal. holding tanks on my current E38 serving the two Raritan heads. Lastly, putting the unit in means you'll be eating up precious locker space. I assumed that you will keep the holding tank as you'll need to for zero discharge harbors. That being the case I'm not sure where you would put it other than under the forward V-berth opposite the holding tank. That is a long way to pipe the waste. If I was going to use that locker for anything it would be for an on board air conditioner as it's the perfect location for that, and had planned to do that but for stepping up to the E38 CC last year. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me. Date: April 30, 2003 Hi, First thing to consider is the legality of using the system. They can be used anywhere that is not a designated no-discharge zone. If you are in a NDZ you must discharge to a holding tank till clear of the zone, then the treated effluent may be pumped overboard. The state waters of the Florida Keys and Destin are NDZs. I believe all National Parks are as well. Otherwise just use the unit. The LectraSan works as described. The discharge color does not change however, this may be a problem in very clear water. The only negative the unit has is electrical consumption, two amp/hrs per flush. If it is used a lot you will have to run the engine some. Installation is easy if you have a place to mount the unit. Date: May 4, 2003 Roy,
From: Roy Canon roycanon@prodigy.net
I am very interested in getting comments from any of our members who have first hand experience (not hear-say) with the reliability and performance of the Raritan Lectra/San MC (LST/MC) Marine Sanitation Device (MSD Type I) for their waste treatment system.
From: Jon Richards Endeav35@aol.com
I had one on my first boat, a Pearson Vanguard. It was on the boat when I inherited her from my father. At the time he installed it, the unit was an acceptable alternative form of waste handling. It smelled, used a lot of electricity and if you're in fresh water you have to have an auxiliary source of salt. Although this was between the years 1979 to 1990 (the unit was installed in '77 or '78 as new) I'd certainly want to know what Raritan has been done to reduce the odor issue. I have their heads on my boat and they make good products but the Lectra/San MSD is not my favorite. I don't know if they were able to reduce the electrical draw. Many harbors are zero discharge which means that the unit does not comply so you still need to put it in the holding tank whether you've used the "LaMachine," as we called it, or not and I wouldn't want the acidic content of the treated waste in my holding tank.
From: Allan Jones Ajonesanc@cs.com
I just installed a LectraSan this season in my Endeavour 37. We used the unit in Florida.
From: Gary and Terri Beckett garymbsail@attbi.com
We bought our E40 Sabbatical in 2001. The previous owner had installed a LectraSan on the aft head and we've been pleased with it so far.Be sure to have a properly sized breaker on the circuit. Be aware that if you're sailing in "no discharge" waters, you'll need to have a holding tank as a back-up. LectraSan discharge is plenty clean, but we are dealing with politicians making rules. We have a holding tank forward. Good luck.
