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Old 05-09-2012, 23:06   #16
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

Had a similar issue, it needs a few good quick pumps to pick the water up and it then works fine.

My approach to Jabsco is that we bought a complete new pump unit so if anything goes wrong (it is always at midnight) we can switch to the new unit and repair the broken one at leisure
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Old 22-09-2012, 07:16   #17
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

If the water is not coming into the bowl check that the anti siphon valve in the intake line isn't leaking. Mine has a tiny nylon disk in the top of it which can lose contact - great anti siphon mechanism but won't pump water. A quick check of the problem is simply put some electrical tape (or your thumb) over the top of the valve and pump the toilet. If it pumps ok fix the valve.
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Old 22-09-2012, 08:13   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NDH
Had a similar issue, it needs a few good quick pumps to pick the water up and it then works fine.

...
Same here though today we found that like the OP we couldn't get any sea water. I pulled the sea water output hose off of the pump and pumped slowly. Water came up immediately. I reconnected the hose and resumed pumping. All is well. There was no evidence of blockage in the top of the head or the hose from pump to head but that is what it seemed like - some sort of back pressure. I suspect a rebuild / new pump is in our near future.
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Old 22-09-2012, 18:14   #19
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

Cooksailing, an anti-siphon valve is designed to let air into the line. They shouldn't be installed in suction lines. They make it harder to pull water in. If your toilet is mounted below the heeled waterline, you should install the anti-siphon (Vented Loop) between the pump and the bowl above the waterline.
This link should take you to the instructions for the Jabsco manual toilet: http://www.xylemflowcontrol.com/files/itemdoc142681.pdf
If you scroll down to page three and look at figure one, you'll see what I'm talking about.
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Old 23-09-2012, 07:07   #20
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

there have been pix posted on other forums showing air vents in the intake line--those do not belong there--they prevent water from coming into toilet. once the flushing is complete, and handle turned properly, no water will come into toilet. ditch the incoming air vents and do it correctly. i have never sailed a boat with air vents on the intake lines for toilet. they donot belong there. they belong on the outflow, accompanied by a tall antisiphon hose to above all waterlines and looped with a vent on top of the loop. .
of course folks argued argued with me on the other forum, as no one could understand the need to bring water into toilet.....just try to bring water into a toilet with an antisiphon vent on the intake--it wont happen. there was a reason behind the lack of antisiphon vents on intakes for decades--why try to reinvent the wheel....
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Old 23-09-2012, 17:09   #21
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

Quote:
Originally Posted by colemj View Post
...
The lubrication of the piston and chamber takes 2 minutes and a dab of grease.

The best part of this strategy is that every time Jabsco redesigns or upgrades their heads, we get the new model!

Mark
What kind of grease do you use?

Greasing the piston and chamber sound like you take the top off of pump to get inside. Is that the case or is there an easier way?

I've seen mention of flushing vegetable oil. We've tried that but it doesn't seem to help for more than a few days of usage.
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Old 23-09-2012, 17:22   #22
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

Quote:
Originally Posted by hlev00 View Post
What kind of grease do you use?

Greasing the piston and chamber sound like you take the top off of pump to get inside. Is that the case or is there an easier way?

I've seen mention of flushing vegetable oil. We've tried that but it doesn't seem to help for more than a few days of usage.
adding vinegar and cooking oil weekly are about the best you can do for a manual head.

vinegar will dissolve the calcium,and oil will make it run smooth
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Old 23-09-2012, 17:28   #23
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

Pouring oil into a toilet is a waste of time and oil. This got started back when toilets used leather cups to do the pumping. The leather would absorb some of the oil so it would help lubricate for a while. Greasing the cylinder with a silicone based grease is what most toilet manufacturers recommend. You want to be sure to use a grease that won't damage rubber.
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Old 23-09-2012, 17:44   #24
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

i guess it must have been the vinegar that kept our 2 par jabscos running so sweetly with up to 10 guests onboard for 10 months of the year!
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Old 23-09-2012, 18:13   #25
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

must be my imagination when i put oil into the bowl and flush it into the piston and it shuts up..must be all my imagination..LOL
vinegar and oil still work. has kept my jabsco manual toilet in good shape now for over 10 yrs sans rebuild. so, keep telling me i am wrong.
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Old 23-09-2012, 19:39   #26
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

"i guess it must have been the vinegar that kept our 2 par jabscos running so sweetly with up to 10 guests onboard for 10 months of the year!"

Probably not, frequent use avoids a lot of problems. With frequent use you keep moving PPTP (poop, piss and toilet paper) toward the holding tank or overboard. PPTP doesn't have time to sit and harden in the system. Did you know that Jabsco recommends seven additional strokes of the pump for each yard of discharge plumbing between the toilet and the tank? This is after the bowl is clear. They want clean water sitting in the pump and hose not black water with PPTP. Very few people do that so your frequent use kept the PPTP moving.

To be fair Peggie Hall who actually wrote the book on marine sanitation thinks vinegar does some good. I don't think it's a strong enough acid to do much.

Peggie also thinks that the Jabsco toilet is junk. I think it's a good value.
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Old 24-09-2012, 05:55   #27
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

Quote:
Originally Posted by hlev00 View Post
What kind of grease do you use?

Greasing the piston and chamber sound like you take the top off of pump to get inside. Is that the case or is there an easier way?

I've seen mention of flushing vegetable oil. We've tried that but it doesn't seem to help for more than a few days of usage.
I use SuperLube, which is a synthetic teflon grease.

Below the handle there is a large hex nut that removes the top of the pump. It is very easy to access and that side is clean water only, so not messy. Simply undo the nut, pull out the piston (slowly so that it lets the water on top of it drain back down) and slather grease in the pump barrel and around the pump piston o-ring. Reinsert and put more grease on the top side of the barrel before putting the piston in all the way.

Before doing the above, shut off the water intake and pump a couple of cups of fresh water through the head.

Vegetable oil quiets our squeaking pump for about another 2-3 uses. Same with the head lube stuff West Marine sells, which looks like mineral oil. It is very quickly washed away. The grease and method I note above lasts 3-4 months for us.

After two years, the pump is done and it is time to buy another one. I can never figure out what goes bad in them because they look like new - they just no longer work well. I have installed rebuild kits and that doesn't get them back to new. I think the pump barrel gets worn or scratched or the other plastic parts of the pump warp a bit over time and no longer seal even with new seals.

Anyway, the whole pump costs the same as a rebuild kit, and we often find them even cheaper than rebuild kits. We always look for the best price and usually get them for ~$60. We have bought them several times from HopCar when they have had them on sale.

Like HopCar, we find these heads a good value. We are full time liveaboard cruisers and the heads see continual usage. They are inexpensive, do what they are designed to do, easy to maintain/repair and one basically gets a brand new head every two years when one buys a new pump assembly.

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Old 24-09-2012, 06:30   #28
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

Quote:
Originally Posted by zeehag View Post
must be my imagination when i put oil into the bowl and flush it into the piston and it shuts up..must be all my imagination..LOL
vinegar and oil still work. has kept my jabsco manual toilet in good shape now for over 10 yrs sans rebuild. so, keep telling me i am wrong.
10 years, didnt think you've had the Formosa that long........
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Old 24-09-2012, 07:19   #29
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

i havent but i know its history, as it was next door for 4 yrs and i supported the owner while i worked and he suffered in painful extreme low income situation. i met this boat in 2004 when it came from ventura area to sd and was placed on a mooring exactly next to me. is a great way to know a boat. especially when i helped the guy during my extremely wonderful working years--had a great last 5 yrs with incomes over 90k so i could afford to support folks like boat bums, mechanics, electricians, bottom cleaners, etc. on a regular basis. yes i know this boat. and she has a welll written history.
yes i know my jabsco head system, also--works well--even worked decent when the pump was stuffed full of eel grass..LOL
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Old 24-09-2012, 07:40   #30
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Re: Jabsco Toilet Issues?

Quote:
Originally Posted by colemj View Post

Anyway, the whole pump costs the same as a rebuild kit, and we often find them even cheaper than rebuild kits. We always look for the best price and usually get them for ~$60. We have bought them several times from HopCar when they have had them on sale.

Like HopCar, we find these heads a good value. We are full time liveaboard cruisers and the heads see continual usage. They are inexpensive, do what they are designed to do, easy to maintain/repair and one basically gets a brand new head every two years when one buys a new pump assembly.

Mark
Bought a new Jabsco manual compact head when we bought the boat. Installed pump kit a few months ago. 5 years? I am OK with that.
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