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Old 05-10-2011, 13:53   #1
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Holding Tank Retrofit Question

Hi all,

I am ready to install my holding tank in my old manual pump head.

Does it matter which side of the vented loop I install the y on the discharge hose?

Will my old manual pump Jabsco have any trouble pumping 3 or so feet " up hill" to the tank?

Thanks!
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Old 05-10-2011, 18:51   #2
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Re: Holding tank retrofit question

Hi all, I am ready to install my holding tank in my old manual pump head. Does it matter which side of the vented loop I install the y on the discharge hose?

I'd put the vented loop in the DISCHARGE line immediately after the toilet...which would put it ahead of the y-valve.

Will my old manual pump Jabsco have any trouble pumping 3 or so feet " up hill" to the tank? Thanks!

That ain't the way to do it...which is one of the reasons why the y-valve needs to be immediately after the toilet. 'Cuz you don't want an uphill run all the way to the tank...you want to have only pump long enough to clear the top of the loop--which needs to be at least a couple of inches above the top of the tank--then gravity can get it the rest of the way to the tank. (That'll also require you to learn how to use the "dry" mode to do more than just remove the last bit of water from the bowl.) If you don't do it that way, all the waste or flush water that doesn't make it all the way into the tank will run back to the toilet after every flush.

Whether your old Jabsco can do that depends on how old and how well you've maintained it. If you've replaced the joker valve within the last year, it might..if you haven't, it probl'ly wont. And this is 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.

However, all that said, IMO it's prob'ly time to replace the toilet.
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Old 05-10-2011, 20:59   #3
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Re: Holding tank retrofit question

Peggy is going to chastise me for this. You really should buy a Raritan PH if you want to stick with a manual toilet but this is cheap and easy: Jabsco Toilet Pump - 29040-3000
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Old 06-10-2011, 06:39   #4
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Re: Holding tank retrofit question

It's not really that cheap, when you consider that a new Jabsco pump every year or two is about $100.. .Someone on another site on which I host a forum has put over $1000 into replacement pumps for $100 toilet over the years....which makes no sense at all when you can buy a PH "conversion" that'll last 20 years for around $200 or even less (Defender has the complete PHC on sale right now for $199).

But...it's not my money.
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