The Design of the ECOLET MOBILE Family

Although the ECOLET MOBILE uses Sun-Mar's tried and true three-chamber system, "marinizing" the unit led to some interesting adaptions. The need to be able to handle violent motion meant that the finishing drawer had to be gasketed so that no liquid could escape from the evaporating chamber.

The air intakes faced the same problem. These had to be located higher up and the air ducted down to the evaporating chamber.

At the same time, a new drum lock was designed to ensure that the composting drum was held upright under all sea conditions.

Space constraints meant that a fold-away foot rest was needed on the unit. This footrest had spring loaded legs, and a safety release mechanism to enable it to be removed periodically when access to the finishing drawer was required.

To assist installation, strong mounting brackets were mounted at the base and rear of the unit. The only difference between the ECOLET MARINE (Hull-shape) and the ECOLET RV is that the MARINE unit had a 45^o angle designed into the base of the unit at the rear, so that hull shapes could be better accommodated when the ECOLET MARINE was mounted across the boat rather than fore and aft. The RV unit has a square bottom for easier installation in a vehicle. The RV unit is also ideal for a boat where the installation does not require the 45 degree angle at the back.

Electrically, the ECOLET Family are quite different from other units because of the unique situation on many boats and RV's. A 4.0 Watt 12 Volt fan is installed in a fan box within the vent stack. This fan, (which is on its own circuit) is designed to operate continuously while the unit is in use. To assist the 12 Volt fan in providing adequate venting, the ECOLET is unique among Sun-Mar units in having a 3" vent stack. Customers need to supply their own deck vents, which should be constructed to allow adequate air movement while preventing seawater from entering the unit.

Carbon and Zeolite Filter

While venting is optimal above deck level, some installations will require that the deck vent is flush with the deck. In January 1999, Sun-Mar incorporated the use of activated carbon and zeolite filter materials in the fan box to "scrub" the air of fresh ammonia odors. Tests of this have proven successful, and ensure odor-free operation at deck level.

New Heater Configuration

Evaporation is aided by separate 110 volt and/or the optional 12 Volt heaters each of 120 Watts, and both with their own individual thermostats. These heaters are located in the sealed base compartment which on the MARINE also extends up the 45 degree angle at the rear of the unit. The thinking in designing two different heaters into the unit was that a 12 Volt supply is often available while the unit is in motion, while the 110 volt heater can frequently be used while the vehicle was in an RV park, or, in the case of a vessel, hooked up to shore supply. Most do not have enough 12 Volt power to run the 125 watt heater when it is on - for that reason the dual voltage is available as a special option only, and all of the units will come with just the 110 heater when ordered. Both will still come with the 12 Volt fan.

Evaporation capacity on ECOLET mobile units is limited by the size of the heater, the surface area of the evaporation chamber, and the volume of air movement. Consequently, arrangements should be made to connect the ECOLET drains to a container or small holding tank for disposal in an approved manner, especially if you are unable to incorporate the 12 Volt heater option into the unit.

The ECOLET MARINE base is 10 3/4" deep by 18 1/2 " wide, and has been designed with a 45 degree angle at the rear so that it follows the contour of most hull shapes. The chances are the "ECOLET MARINE" is designed with your Boat in mind!

If the placement of the ECOLET is fore and aft (against the bulkhead) It is recommended that the ECOLET RV be selected, as it has a larger footprint and thus has a larger capacity evaporating pan.
This is also the unit for RV Owners (who by this time are feeling a little neglected) The footprint is 8" deeper than the ECOLET MARINE, making it 18 3/4" deep and 18 1/2 wide.

Both units take up the same space, the ECOLET RV toilet just has a flat back that comes right down to the floor.See the drawing for actual measurements.

Dimensions: At Seat Level: (widest point) W 19", L 23", H 29"
At Base: W 19", L 11", (17" With Footrest Extended).
Required Length At Base To Pull Out Drawer: 25"
Required Width For Drains & To Turn Handle: Add extra 1" on right side
Vents & Drains: 3" Vent Pipe And Fittings at rear (Supplied With Unit) 1" Overflow Drain
Electrical: 3.4 Watt Fan at 12 Volts, 120 Watt Heaters at 12V and 120V
Product Weight: 40 lbs., Shipping Weight: 80 lbs.
Full Size STANDARD TOILET SEAT - Retractable FOOTREST

Side View Drawing	Front View Drawing

We first committed to developing a Marine/RV unit in 1990. It seemed simple enough at the time. Unfortunately, we soon found we needed answers to a lot of questions we had never even thought of.

The main thing, of course was size. A regular toilet seat is about 17 1/2" by 14 1/2", and the concept of this new unit required that it be not much bigger than a toilet seat, and certainly a lot less than a regular toilet which is about 21" wide by 27" long. We found that to be functional, a toilet seat needs to have a minimum of 2-2 1/2" clearance on either side. This fixed the minimum overall width of the new unit at about 19".

At the rear, a 3" vent pipe had to be accommodated without getting in the user's way, and an additional 1 1/2" were needed at the front for the drum handle, and fold-away footrest. When added to the 17 1/2" depth of the toilet seat, the minimum depth comes out to 22". These minimum dimensions had to be balanced by the need to have the largest possible volume in the composting drum. In the end, the final dimensions at 19 1/2" wide and 23" deep were close to the minimum while still providing surprisingly large volume in the composting drum.

In defining the size of the unit, something else became painfully apparent. It was obvious that the new toilet could not be a derivative unit. Every single component had to be designed from the "bottom up". In fact, the toilet seat was the only part the new unit had in common with any other Sun-Mar units (and we don't make these anyway!).

A New Family Name?

Because the new unit has so little in common with our other toilets, we felt we needed a distinctive family name. We decided to combine the words Ecology and Toilet and came up with the word "ECOLET". Despite this, it seems that in marine circles the unit is becoming known simply as the "Sun-Mar" Composting Head. Take your pick!

What is Marinization?

Although the "ECOLET" uses Sun-Mar's tried and true operating principles, "marinizing" the unit led to some interesting adaptations. The need to be able to handle violent motion meant that the finishing drawer had to gasketed so that no liquid could escape from the evaporating chamber. The air intakes faced the same problem and had to be located higher up with the air ducted down to the evaporating chamber. At the same time, a new drum lock was designed to ensure that the composting drum was held upright under all sea conditions. Space constraints meant that a fold-away foot rest was needed on the unit. This footrest has spring loaded legs, and a safety release mechanism to enable it to be removed periodically when access to the finishing drawer is required. For installation, strong mounting brackets were mounted at the base and rear of the unit, and a 45 angle was designed into the base of the unit at the rear, so that hull shapes could be better accommodated when the "ECOLET" was mounted across the boat rather than fore and aft.

MEANWHILE ON DRY LAND!

At about the time the first "ECOLET" was coming off the production line, it became apparent that the very small "footprint" of the new unit opened up an on-shore market we had never thought of. Suddenly, a self contained toilet could be installed in such places as closets, hallways, huts, trailers, and bedrooms! In fact, just about anywhere where space is at such a premium that the "COMPACT" (with its slightly greater drum volume and evaporating capacity) will not fit. This unexpected demand spawned a 110 Volt version of the "ECOLET" which we christened the "ECOLET 110" to distinguish it from the marine/RV version. The "110" is fitted with a fixed detachable footrest rather than a retractable one, and the finishing drawer is not gasketed in as it is with the Marine unit. The power supply for the 12 Volt fan beneath the stack includes an AC adaptor for use with standard electrical outlets. The "110" also features a 110 Volt 120 Watt base heater; which has a standard power cord with a 3 pin plug. Instead of a deck fitting the "110" comes with a vent stack which includes over 8 ft of 3" vent pipe and fittings (diffusor, roof flashing, couplings, and nails).