Vented loops

[The Vortex]

The vented loop goes between the head pump and the bowl? I tried that and the loop sprayed like a geyser when I pumped. As we have squished our boat deeper into the water with all the added weight, the level in the head is higher than we would like. What am I missing?

[daddle]

Your vented loop is defective. See if you can clean or replace the valve.

When I bought my boat the head would overflow when heeled. I emptied all the useless cruising junk and supplies off her and now the head operates as the designer intended: perfectly. Sails way better too. Maybe raise your head a few inches?

[HopCar]

Ditto daddle! Your loop is defective. The little valve thing on top is to let air in and not let water out. If you can't fix it just by cleaning, you can buy replacement valves.

[sabray]

Means ad well that it is nit acting as anti siphon. The point if the loop. I wNt nothing to so with these and the maintenance required. Direct vent without automatic valve is better.in my opinion.

[peghall]

If your vented loop is PVC, what you're missing is the air valve that should be threaded into the hole in the nipple at the top of the loop...but because they're a replaceable part that's usually sold separately, it's often missing. The various styles are shown here: Vented Loops & Y Valves - Toilets - Plumbing & Sanitation - Downwind Marine

The air valve is a one-way valve that only allows air INTO a line, nothing out...it needs to periodic cleaning and occasional replacement. Do NOT put a vent line on it instead of an air valve...it would only be 1/4" line, so small that waste and sea water minerals would clog it in days...turning your vented loop into an UNvented loop that no longer has any ability to break a siphon. Because it's solved the problem--squirting--it becomes out-of-sight, out-of-mind, never cleaned.

And btw...vented loops need to be at least 6-8" above waterline AT ANY ANGLE OF HEEL...which, on most sailboats, puts it 2-3 FEET above the top of the bowl.

As we have squished our boat deeper into the water with all the added weight...

Surely you don't mean that a li'l ol' vented loop has raised your waterline!

[peghall]

Originally Posted by sabray

Means ad well that it is nit acting as anti siphon. The point if the loop. I wNt nothing to so with these and the maintenance required. Direct vent without automatic valve is better.in my opinion.

If your toilet is below the waterline, a vented loop in the intake is the only protection against someone leaving the wet/dry valve in the wet mode or a failed wet/dry assembly or the seacock open when there's no one aboard...any combination of which is the best way to sink a boat in her slip.

[The Vortex]

Cruising stores added all the weight, and level in the bowl has risen the same amount as the waterline. Thanks for your help, I will close the thru-hulls until I can improve the v. loop.

[barnakiel]

Seen the loops on BOTH hoses when the toi is below the WL.

b.