Jabsco Gotcha (I am an Idiot)

[Ex-Calif]

So during the refit I relocated the head from under the v-berth to the port side of the boat. It is about 8 inches higher and the supply hose now runs across the boat from starboard to port.

I didn't test the head on the hard (big mistake) and during the shakedown sail the head would not pump water in - pumped out fine.

So I am thinking

- The seals dried out
- There are crusties in the pump valves
- There are critters in the bowl passages
- The pump is about 6-8 inches higher in the boat - could it be unable to lift?
- I am sure this is simple

I pull the pump out of the body and the seals are moist and actually still lubricated. There are a few crusties on the brass disks but the sealing surfaces look fine. Add some more lube and stick it together. No joy.

I pull the supply hose and suck on it and it ain't that hard to get water to flow. Maybe the new circuitous route has created an air bubble. I prime it backwards. No joy.

Dammit - unspecified pump failure. Go buy an overhaul kit. Overhaul kit SGD$65. New pump SGD$90. SGD$25 is about the price of a beer at an upscale hotel here and I only have to change 4 screws, and by the way I get a new pump body with the locking feature as opposed to my old one. Guess what I bought?

Find out I didn't bring the right stubbie screwdrivers today so getting the pump out will be a problem. Never mind. Install the new pump in the old body. Same symptom - No joy - WTF!!!

I actually started pulling the cabinetry apart circumventing the need for a stubbie screwdriver but then thought...

I pull the outflow from the basin and reverse prime the pump. No joy. OK, it's ridiculous but maybe this pump can't pump up 8 inches into the air. Pull the supply line off the seacock and fill the hose with water. While holding it above the level of the pump I gave it a mighty pump and promptly sprayed water all over the ceiling - WTF?

Let me say that again - Water jetted out of the intake hose...

- Picture one shows the incorrect method of installing the Jabsco hoses - supply on top and pump-to-basin on bottom.
- Picture two shows the hoses correctly installed.

I decided to leave the locking pump handle on but the next owner is going to get a perfectly good spare Jabsco pump.

I am an idiot...

(plumbers mate 3rd class soon to be demoted)

[Wotname]

And don't forget that water flows uphill on boats

[weavis]

Oh so easily done.

A few years ago I piped a whole new plumbing system with pump for hot and cold water. worked great but the flow was only warm and a slow delivery.... in the final connect to the holding tank and heater I reversed the pipes... Took me a week to figure out.

[ahun]

Did the same once, mixed up the two pipes, was trying to figure out what was the problem, gave up at nearly midnight went home and to sleep. At around 5am from the deepest of my dreams I jumped out of the bed, it was such a sharp and sudden realization... Run to the marina swaped the two pipes and the heads was working once again...

[atoll]

had a similar problem recently,and ended up replacing the pump,which didn't fix the problem

turns out that the pump was fine,but the small holes around the bowl rim had become blocked with algae restricting the flow of flush water

[Dockhead]

LOL.

Good story. Typical boat maintenance story.

[Robin3]

RTFI + check thrice but cut once philosophy required.

[Xlantic]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

I pull the supply hose and suck on it and it ain't that hard to get water to flow.

At least you did this on the right hose and not on the discharge hose!

[SVTwilight]

Fun stuff, My mechanic years ago managed to do this on the primary bilge pump. When the float activated the pump the boat was heeling enough that it happily sucked water in from the outlet and into the bilge. I noticed it when the floorboards started to float up. Brief moments of panic and then disconnected it and used the secondary bilge pump to reverse the situation and avoid a u-boat dive. Now I always configure and test pumps and through hulls myself....

[ramblinrod]

First rule of troubleshooting, make a list of what has changed since it last worked.


1. Changed location. (Pumps don't know geography.)
2. Change height. (8" ain't so bad, pull a little harder, as long as no vacuum leaks.)
3. Broke and made connections. (ding, ding, ding, we have a wiener ;-)

[montenido]

Very funny! If that is the worst that you do, you are better off than me. I once placed a newly- rebuilt raw water pump in a reversed position. No water going out, took a while to figure that out . Then there was the time that I replaced my rear main seal on my Perkins due to excessive oil leaking. Didn't solve the problem. Turns out that my lift pump had a torn diaphragm and was pumping diesel into my crankcase. Once I figured that out, a $50 part and 1/2 hour solved the problem. The rear seal took 3-4 whole days, and required removing the tranny, starter, bell housing, etc. you get the picture.

Cheers, Bill

[deblen]

At least you didn't get shitfaced!!

[Cadence]

Great story. Don't look at the obvious.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Xlantic

At least you did this on the right hose and not on the discharge hose!

Yah - And I wasn't too happy sucking water out of Singapore's east channel...

Originally Posted by ramblinrod

First rule of troubleshooting, make a list of what has changed since it last worked.


1. Changed location. (Pumps don't know geography.)
2. Change height. (8" ain't so bad, pull a little harder, as long as no vacuum leaks.)
3. Broke and made connections. (ding, ding, ding, we have a wiener ;-)

So true - and head had been out of the boat for 2 years. Also I had just posted recently in the Jabsco sucks thread how great my toilet behaves. So my hubris was getting me too. "Maybe I am wrong and Jabsco toilets are horrible" - LOL...

[Wotname]

Rest assured that for us who haven't been so silly, we will be sooner or latter