CPR for Marine Toilet

[Mike Sibley]

Well, it is spring and the first overnight trip of the year was exciting ... until the Jabsco model 37010-0000 marine toilet died. The electric motor refuses to make a noise (much less perform it appointed flush duties) when supplied with the appropriate voltage. On the surface, I seem to have two options: 1) replace the motor only for about $240, or 2) replace the whole thing for about $500. The rest seems to be in good working order.

Any suggestions? Can the pump be replaced without removing the toilet?

[sneuman]

Jabsco marine heads are not worth a crap, forgive the pun.

Sooner or later, the valves will pack it up and because of the design they will be nearly impossible to replace properly.

You will end up paying 1/3 to 1/2 the price of the original unit every time you buy a service kit, which could be annually. In the end, you will have little more than a nearly worthless piece of porcelian which might have some value as a seed for a new coral reef if you toss it overboard in the tropics.

I think if you sample opinion, mine is not unique on this score.

Do yourself a favor and buy a Raritan or a Lavac! I struggled with a Jabsco (manual) for a year on this boat before tossing it and buying a Raritan PHII at the boat show">Annapolis Boat Show a few years ago - a far superior unit for not much more. I have the manual version because I'm trying to be conscious of power draw, but it's easy enough to add a motor to the unit.

[Bash]

Mike, you need to work on your shopping skills. Defender marine carries the replacement motor for $123.49, which is slightly more than half of the price you quoted above.

Did you take a multi-meter to the motor contacts? I'd investigate a switch problem or wiring problem before buying a new motor.

[Strygaldwir]

Going from a macerator type toilet to a vacu type toilet can be quite a bit of plumbing. That translates to time and pecunia. If it worked okay, I'd be inclined to just replace the motor. An hour, you're done. The other..... I HATE plumbing....

[Dick Pluta]

I took my PhD in Jabsco marine sanitation last winter. Yes, you can remove the motor without removing the toilet if you have a little room behind it. I had to do it several times and found that it was easier to take out the toilet. Better access to the screws, etc. Mine ran but, in the end, I found that the toilet wasn't the problem. The hoses to the holding tank had accumulated crud and were blocking the flow. Because the pressure is low, it doesn't take much. I have a Y valve and two discharges, one overboard and one to the tank. I never did get the overboard to work but managed to get the one to the tank clear. I disconnected the large hose from the Y valve and jammed a piece of rag, about 12 x 4, into the end of a snake. A couple of swipes and all was well.

One more bit of wisdom. After extensive cleaning and rebuilding, the damned thing stopped working almost immediately. The water came into the bowl but didn't leave. The moral of the story? Empty the holding tank.

Dick PLuta
AEGEA