I installed elec head a couple of years ago. Getting "juice" was big probelm for me as my electical skills are pretty skimpy. I could not find a good way back across to the panel without really long runs etc. My "solution" was to install a battery under the setee next to the mast (I have dinette layout). My original plan was to put small charger to run juice from the 110 v on the port side. I haven't done this as the head uses very little elec. I think some one with better skills could tie the elec into either the macerator or windlass-maybe?

Chris Hansen
Gunkholer 1889
Kalamazoo, MI

I ran it aft past the holding tank, across the sette forward of the galley, under the cabin sole between the locker aft of the galley and between nav table, and up behind the nav table desk into the circuit panel. Had to drill a new hole to handle it behind the circuit panel.

Not much of a problem other than the length of the run. The cable cost almost as much as the head itself, and I got it at a discount. By the way, the instructions call for 8 guage but 10 gauge works.... your not drawing current for a long period of time.... and its a good bit cheaper.

One thing to consider: Our windlass is only powered after energizing a big contact switch on the fwd stbd seat accompanied by two bright red lights glowing (one on the swithc and one at the nav station panel). Just for that reason alone, I would not want to leave my windlass circuit energized 24/7 in order to have an electric head available.

Now the macerator might be a good choice as long as the current draw is acceptable for the wire run you will wind up with.

The macerator switch on our 1999 model is on the nav station electrical panel. I have seen as high as 20A when there was must have been some nasty stuff to macerate. I do not know the wire gauge supplying the macerator, however.

It is very true that you only use the macerator briefly and sporadicaly, so sharing the wiring for a head should not be an issue, as long as the current draw on the head is acceptable for the wiring.

BTW, Chris Hansen first suggested the macerator.

You would need to confirm that the gauge of the macerator wiring was sufficient for the head. And then, if you picked up the power from the macerator wiring, you would want to separately fuse both the head and the macerator. Otherwise, a fault causing simultaneous loads could overheat the wiring.

Then it wouldn't be 'exclusive use,' would it? ;)

Now that I think more about it, I realize that there was something wrong in the logic of my previous post.

As previously stated, you certainly need to make sure that the wire gauge used by the macerator is also appropriate for the head. Ideally, the gauge would be sufficient for simultaneous operation of both the macerator and head. But if not, you would have to take care to not use both functions at the same time. Given how infrequently macerating is needed, that shouldn't be too much of an issue to coordinate.

Assuming a simultaneous load that was larger than the wiring could handle, the main macerator circuit breaker should pop, thus protecting the wiring. In no case should you use a smaller-sized wire between your tie-in to the macerator and the head.

Never forget that the purpose of a circuit breaker is To Protect The Boat. It isn't there to protect the equipment loads downstream of it, but rather to keep the wire from burning up the boat in case of a short circuit anywhere along its length.