Electric to Manual Toilet Pump . . . Help !

[suz_lee]

currently sailing on a lagoon 440. the skipper had bought it second hand and it currently has electric toilets. we have tried to change them back to manual, to the original pumps, but we cannot figure out why the original pumps will not push the waste into the holding tanks. is there a way of doing this???

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by suz_lee

currently sailing on a lagoon 440. the skipper had bought it second hand and it currently has electric toilets. we have tried to change them back to manual, to the original pumps, but we cannot figure out why the original pumps will not push the waste into the holding tanks. is there a way of doing this???

If they are Jabsco - the manual pump needs a flapper valve where the electric just has a gasket. Maybe that's your problem?

[suz_lee]

we have gaskets on the main seal but we have a joker valve on the outlet tube, is this the same valve??

[Dockhead]

Nope, you'll jave a joker in any case. At the base of the pump unit you need to change the gasket for a flapper valve. Be careful to put it the righrt way around. There's your prob, methinks.

[peghall]

What's the make/model of the original pumps? How old are they? How long have they been sitting unused? And when if ever were they rebuilt before replaced with electric pumps?

'Cuz I suspect that at the very least they need to be rebuilt (all new rubber parts, gaskets etc)...and they may be too old to be worth salvaging. If they're Jabsco manual toilets, new pumps will cost you about the same as the "service kits" (which tells you how much Jabsco pumps are actually worth).

[HopCar]

Like Peggy said, if it's a Jabsco just buy a new pump.
Jabsco Toilet Pump - 29040-3000
The part that Dockhead is talking about is a weighted flap valve that is the gasket between the bottom of the pump and the base. It acts as both a one way valve and a gasket. Without it the pump just pushes the poop back and forth between the pump cylinder and bowl.

[peghall]

The joker valve (cup shaped valve in the toilet discharge fitting) is even more important than any flapper valve...here's why:

JOKER VALVE 101

Most people think that the only thing the joker valve does is acts as a check valve to stop backflow from returning to the toilet or odor from the tank from escaping through the toilet. But that's not a joker valve's most important function...in fact, the joker valve is THE single most important replaceable part in a manual toilet.

Here’s how the discharge half of the pump works: On the upstroke of the piston, a vacuum is created in the area beneath the piston. This causes the joker valve to close tightly, and the flapper valve beneath the pump to open, allowing some of the contents of the toilet bowl to be drawn into the bottom half of the pump. Then, on the down stroke of the piston, the flapper valve is slammed shut, and the effluent is forced out of the bottom of the pump, through the joker valve, and off down the line. But when the joker valve becomes worn and/or there's a buildup of sea water minerals on it, it can no longer seal tightly on the upstroke of the piston...less vacuum is generated when you pump it. And as it becomes more worn less and less vacuum, till finally the bowl contents simply move up and down a bit, but don't go anywhere. Sometimes the flapper valve needs to be replaced too, which is why toilets should also be rebuilt at least every 5-6 years as PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE.

You prob'ly won't notice the loss of efficiency at first because it's so gradual...same as we don't see that we've gotten a little older than we were yesterday when we look in the mirror each morning. But I guarantee you that if it's been two years or longer since you replaced the joker valve, you need to pump the toilet at least 50% more times to move the bowl contents to the tank or all the way out the thru-hull....IF they're getting there at all any more.

Marine toilets have moving parts that require maintenance. PREVENTIVE maintenance is called that because it PREVENTS problems that have to be fixed. You get to do PREVENTIVE maintenance on YOUR terms, when it's convenient for YOU...unlike repairs, which NEVER are needed at a convenient time.