Jabsco - small leak by handle

[landonshaw]

I have a jabsco marine head and have always had a small leak at the pump handle when pumping. Replaced agai, the cylinder, pump handle with new seal in the cylinder, joker valve, spring and gasket at the top of the cylinder, still a small leak when you pump.

Does anyone else have this problem? Has anyone solved this problem?

Thanks, aloisius

[peghall]

Replace the pump. You should be able to find one on sale for less than the cost of parts that prob'ly won't solve the problem.

[landonshaw]

It is not an electric pump, just a hand pump. I have already replaced the pump and all of the components and I still have the small leak near the handle where the SS stem goes into the housing. No leaks anywhere else.

Thanks

Aloisius

[peghall]

You need to replace the entire pump, not just all the stuff IN the pump. 'Cuz if new seals won't stop the leak, the pump cylinder is either out of round or too worn for the seals and o-rings to fit tightly.

[landonshaw]

Brand new pump cylinder. It has a small leak where the metal plunger goes through the top.

[zeehag]

i found there is a leak when i pump the pump with handle in lock position. perpendicular to that, parallel with the shape of pump housing is best. i also stuff vaseline into the shaft of the pump when i see a drop on the sole. easy peasy.,

[landonshaw]

I will try both. With the vaseline. You unscrew the 6 screws and put the vaseline on the safe, or just pull the handle up and apply the vaseline?

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by landonshaw

I will try both. With the vaseline. You unscrew the 6 screws and put the vaseline on the safe, or just pull the handle up and apply the vaseline?

i shoved it down shaft of pump handle. seems to have worked so far. no more drips seen.

[01kiwijohn]

Reading your story, I can't help but think you've got some kind of obstruction, in the discharge lines, causing back-pressure. I live on my boat, for about 5 - 6 mths each year, and re-kit the pump after two seasons, as a preventative measure. New hoses and clean out the 3 way, seacocks etc, and never had a repeat leaker.

[nigel1]

Is the toilet pump similar to the one in this picture?


and is the leak at the shaft where it passes through Item 17?
If it is, that part can be replaced. There is a small seal inside the plastic molding which wears.

[billgewater]

Personal experience is that after trying three different models with hand vertical pumps and finding that all quickly developed leaks at the shaft seal (causing salt water spray around the area), I finally installed two TMC electric loos. The salt leaking problem went. Electric loos do have issues as do vacuum types as well, but leaking seals is not one of those problems. Electric loos also manage maceration more consistently, I suspect. The salt water leaking/spray problem has now gone completely. Also, three cheers from the missus who hated the hand pumps.
Temporary sealing may work with new seals and/or petroleum jelly, but I suspect the problem is inherent to the design. The pumps only have one piston so the shaft alignment at the top seal is always under sideways stress when being hand pumped, particular at the top of the stroke where misalignment is virtually guaranteed. Look carefully to ascertain what actually aligns the shaft correctly into the seal. If this alignment is minimal, plastic, worn or even non existent, then no number of new seals will fix it.

[Steve Mills]

I'd have to agree with 01kiwijohn. I've used these same toilets for years and only change the pump assembly when they leak. Usually last 3 years or more. Sounds like a partial blockage.

[Attikos]

I have exactly the same issue with it. I'm pretty sure it's poor engineering. Is there a better designed alternative short of an electric conversion?

[peghall]

Originally Posted by Attikos

I have exactly the same issue with it. I'm pretty sure it's poor engineering. Is there a better designed alternative short of an electric conversion?

Yes--the Raritan PH SuperFlush. Defender PH SuperFlush Toilet Mounting bolt pattern is a match for Jabsco manual toilets. Also available as a "conversion" that allows you to keep your bowl, seat and lid.

Jabsco manual toilets have always been "entry level" toilets--inexpensive and therefore "disposable." But they always had at least a decent life expectancy before ITT spun Jabsco off to a company called Xylem Flow Control. Xylem is a US company, but does no mfr'g in the US...it's all done in 3 locations: UK, Mexico and China. Everything Jabsco sells in the US is now made in Mexico with parts and materials sourced from China and other Asian countries. Quality control doesn't seem to be a major concern there.

Raritan Engineering is also a US company. However, they still build everything in the US and have very strict quality control standards. Unlike Jabsco, Raritan also publishes phone numbers that get through to their tech support people. So it's not surprising that Raritan toilets are, and always have been, top rated.

If I sound like a shill for Raritan, I'm not. I'm not associated with any mfr of anything, nor do I receive any compensation for recommending anything...I've always "called things as I see 'em." It's because their toilets have always been top rated for more than 30 years and because they and Groco are the only US toilet mfrs left who still build 'em in the US that I so strongly recommend 'em.

[Jim Cate]

I suspect that Peg Hall knows more about marine sanitation than anyone else in the world, and I take her opinions very seriously.

But...

We've had a Jabsco head now for 15 years and had the usual issues with it. The shaft seal does start to leak after a couple of years of full time usage. The first time I purchased a replacement part from Jabsco. It was the whole seal unit, a plastic moulding that screws into the top plate of the pump. The actual seal is a simple lip seal that is pressed into the plastic bit. That seal can be purchased from any industrial bearing and seal type vendor for a couple of bucks, even here in Australia where stuff tends to be dear. The seal assembly from Jabsco costs well over 50 AUD. It is quite simple to knock out the old seal and push in a new one... saves a lot of money,and it assures you that you are getting a decent quality seal. If the new ones from Jabsco leak when installed, they must be using really bad OEM seals... really, really bad! After all, it is a very low pressure application of a low speed seal... about as simple an application as one could imagine.

So, my very long winded advice is to try replacing just the seal with one of known quality before you give up on the whole head... might save you some money and some frustration.

Good luck!

Jim