Head is Difficult to Pump

[maganlewis]

When wetting the bowl, the pumping action is very stiff. When drying the bowl there is no big resistance.

The pump works, but is very stiff. Difficult to bring salt water in and difficult to distribute salt water to the bowl.

Intake valve appears to be clean. Have scrubbed below the top edges.

Baffled. Would use vinegar and water as that has worked great -- but how to clean the intake and distributing lines??

[s/v 'Faith']

Have you tried getting in the water, and looking at the intake through hull?

Marine growth seems to like the little hidey holes the through hulls provide, and anti-fouling often is not as prone to stick to and protect them. If you have some growth (maybe a small barnacle) growing in the intake you can have a tough time getting it to draw water.

I have had this problem, and find a few twists with a plastic knife usually gets the little critters out.

Good luck!

[Sail Warehouse]

Try a little vegetable oil in the head. If its just in need of lubrication that should work.

[captain465]

Just repaired two boats with the same problem. The heads were Raritan PHIII type.The pump handle was hard to push down when flushing. With dry bowl selected, the pump operated normally. Turned out the trouble was with water ontake blocked. In one case, the Qest tubing fitting at a "T" loosened and allowed the tubing ends to slide together, sealing the inflow of water from entering the tubing going to the head.
The second one turned out to be the check ball on an inline check valve managed to migrate from inside the valve body to the upstream side(intake) of the valve body, and would seal against the outside of the barbed end of the valve, shutting off the flow of water.
Good luck!!!!

[ggray]

If previous suggestions don't help, you might check the valve that switches between wet & dry. If it isn't (or can't be) moved all the way to the proper position, this can cause strong resistance. At least it does on my Jabsco head.
Can't remember if it is when it is in nearly wet or nearly dry position that I've noticed this.

[nautical62]

Try the oil, first, It's an easy try. The viniger helps the urine/salt smell, but does not lubricate the piston.

To trouble shoot (if oil doesn't work), Check each part of the system to see what's plugged. Close the thorough hull and detach the intake hose at the pump. Then briefly open the through hull. This will tell you if you have a block before this point. - possibly a problem with the through hull. (not real likely). If water supply is good to here, it's probably a problem with your dry/wet valve. If there is a hose from your wet dry valve to the head - disconnect it. (having reattached the intake) Does water come out the valve when on wet? - If so that means the valve is working and you have a blockage downstream of that. Try pouring water into that line and see if it easily comes out the bowl.

[hellosailor]

Peggie Hall, of Peal products and now Raritan, used to say that a head is not a salad bowl. Oil and vinegar don't belong in it.

All vegetable oils will break down and form gummy residues which will only make things sticky. Then, they'll also kill the bacteria trying to digest in the holding tank, increasing the stink.

Check out Boatsafe.com or the Raritan web site and save the salad dressing for something you haven't eaten yet.

[SouthernComfort]

had similar problem on my Groco head. I used the vinegar to no avail. Then tried Head Lube from West Marine and thing works like new, with very little resistance. I will now use this stuff once a month as mantinance rather than vinegar.

[speciald@ocens.]

Check the ball in the top of the unit behind the handle. Sometimes it gets stuck.

[Sail Warehouse]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Peggie Hall, of Peal products and now Raritan, used to say that a head is not a salad bowl. Oil and vinegar don't belong in it.

All vegetable oils will break down and form gummy residues which will only make things sticky. Then, they'll also kill the bacteria trying to digest in the holding tank, increasing the stink.

Check out Boatsafe.com or the Raritan web site and save the salad dressing for something you haven't eaten yet.

I don't know about Raritan or what Peggie's bias may be on the subject. The poster did not mention head make. But I can offer an experienced opinion. I have lived aboard with WC heads for 22 years before upgrading to fresh water heads a few yrs ago. I guess I discovered Vegetable oil after about the first 10 years so I have plenty of personal experience with both using and not using it. Never did any controlled tests but my subjective experience tells me veggie oil works as well as WMP Head Lube and never gummed anything up or smelled any worse.

Chances are if you eat salad the same stuff is going to end up in the head.

[hellosailor]

Peggie earned the respect of many, way before "web forums" existed. She built Peal Products over the years and eventually sold out to Raritan. Her bias? Ending the FUD and seeing that marine heads WORK so sailors can be happy with them--no matter what products they buy or use. You can probably find twenty years of praise and thanks to her in assorted places, without one accusation of bias.

She just knows what works, and doesn't. Not "works in some cases for some people" but works, period, without rolling the dice. Almost everything works for someone, somewhere, sometime. But if you "do it right" that works for everyone, everywhere, every time.

Blockages, clogs, jams, worn out parts, old and porous hoses, all can be eliminated. And once a system is built up properly, maintaining it isn't hard when you don't cut corners. If salad dressing works for you, great. It just means your system is robust enough to get away with that.

[MarkJ]

If its a Jabsco try priming the intake hose at the pump assembly.

Undo the hopse clamp and pull it off and bung some water down it

[davidschiff]

, Ok what i use is parker pre lube on the moving parts and o rings. auto store, for o rings, use it once a month on the shaft where it goes into the cylinder from the handle and suck some in thru the air vent on the upstroke. works like velvet.
Raritan PH toilet, dont agree w the negative salad oil post, i use it, no problem.
my .02
david

[Riggerman]

About the comments in regards to salad bowl. After 40 years of boating, I think I know what works. If it is not a strainer problem, nor a water flow problem, it just might be an O-ring problem and that requires OIL. Vegetable oil is cheap and readily available on most boat. I am skeptical about anyone that sell, represent or owns share in a business. Their products are always the best, and the rest is always garbage. I don't care How much they claim about high their status is, how famous they are, experts they are. There is always a better mouse trap around the corner. Sure why would they want you to fix a problem for 5 cents, when they can sell you a $40.00 can of their miracle stuff. Go ahead use oil, it is not going to sink your boat I promise.

[HopCar]

With the toilet set to wet flush, do you feel resistance on the down stroke or the up stroke?

Resistance on the down stroke would indicate a blockage between the thru-hull and the pump.

Resistance on the up stroke would indicate a blockage between the pump and bowl.

As for pouring salad dressing in the toilet, I prefer Blue Cheese. It lubricates well and adds good bacteria to the holding tank.