No flushing water to head

[rwidman]

For one thing, if the hose from the seacock to the head is transparent, it's probably not rated for below the waterline use and could fail and sink your boat. It could also collapse under suction and that could be the problem.

If I had a 30 year old non functioning manual head on my boat, I would trot myself down to my favorite marine supplier and buy myself a brand new cheap Jabsco head for $150, install it and go boating.

In your case, I would also buy the appropriate length of appropriate hose and install it.

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by HopCar

Many manual toilets have a lever that allows you to pump the bowl dry without bringing in any more water. Is yours set to "Dry Bowl"? If it is, flip the lever the other way and I bet you'll get water.

Do yourself a favor and buy Peggie's book.

+1

[peghall]

If I had a 30 year old non functioning manual head on my boat, I would trot myself down to my favorite marine supplier and buy myself a brand new cheap Jabsco head for $150, install it and go boating.

We don't know how old it is, or the brand. I suspect it's a Jabsco...I've been waiting to see it to know whether he needs a whole new toilet or-i-f it is Jabsco--it's not too old to replace just the pump.

[Bigjim]

Originally Posted by thunderhoof

Can you disconnect the intake hose at the toilet end and lower the end to below the waterline to check for water flow...or close the inlet valve and disconnect the hose at the valve end and either some water will run out of the hose or you can carefully open the valve to see if water flows in. If there is water seen raise the valve end of the hose and pour water in it to see if it flows to the bowl. That will identify if the intake hose is clogged.
A problem I had with my Jabsco manual head is that the flapper valve operated by the "wet/dry" toggle was not sealing properly in the "wet bowl" position due to being left in the "dry bowl" position for several years, mainly when not in use. Because of the resultant air leak I could not draw seawater into the bowl.
Once you identify the head model replacing the main pump gasket will fix this.

I will check this Friday when we are on the boat. I will also post some pictures of the toilet.

[Bigjim]

Here are photos from the head:



It is a Groco head.

Here is the top view:



Here is the front view:

[thunderhoof]

I see from your photo that you have a Groco Model HE. This is an obsolete design but repair and upgrade parts are available.

[HopCar]

Looks like the lever may be set to dry bowl but I can't really tell from the photo. Try moving it as indicated by the arrows.

[Bigjim]

Originally Posted by HopCar

Looks like the lever may be set to dry bowl but I can't really tell from the photo. Try moving it as indicated by the arrows.

We've tried using lever in both directions without luck.

[peghall]

That toilet is original equipment....replace the whole thing. The Groco HE model was made obsolete by the current HF model more than 10 years ago. You could replace just the pump with an HF, but the total cost for the "upgrade kit" (new pump plus the necessary adapter to make it fit the base) will cost you almost twice as much as a complete new Jabsco manual toilet. Jabsco isn't a toilet I'd recommend, but it'll last you at least a couple of years...and with as many "boat bucks" as your boat needs, that's all you need to spend right now.

Replace all the hoses too--and get rid of that cartridge in the flush water inlet hose. It requires frequent replacement of a chemical intended to reduce sea water odor. They don't work very well, replacing the chemical can be messy, and the chemical can react negatively with holding tank products.

Sanitation hose is the one thing you do NOT want "go cheap" on if you only want to do that job once...cheap sanitation hose cam permeate with odor in less than a year.

If you'd like some one-on-one help in spec'ing out what you need and how to do it right the first time (always cheaper and easier than doing it over), you're welcome to send me an email.

Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein

[HopCar]

Have you established that water will flow through the intake hose?
Have you opened that white T shaped thing in the intake line to see if there is a blockage in there? It is a device for putting toilet cleaning chemical in the water.

If you've established that water can get to the pump, it's time to take the pump apart or replace it.

It's not hard to rebuild these pumps and you would gain an understanding of how it works.

The current Groco toilet pump, HF, will fit in place of your HE. Groco sells an adapter. I like the fact that Groco uses a bronze base. You could switch to a different brand of toilet but you would have to switch bases as well as the pump and you would end up with a plastic base.

I see Peggie addressed several of these points while I was typing.

[TimMixon]

There are many things that might have cause it. First you need to identify if its a manual or electric pump although both pump needs to be changed every couple of years it will be easier to address the problem when you know what kind of material to replace.

You can ask 1st for Plumbing for assistance and information to help you on finding the best solution and course of action to take.