Bits that aren’t meant for live aboard.

[mike_bryon]

No doubt they weren’t designed to be used all year round, multiple times a day. But our experience as a family in its fifth year afloat suggests the kit that can’t take it includes:

The air floor in our inflatable tender – punctured within a matter of months and has proved impossible to repair.
Jabsco loos – we have not changed to another type because I’ve just got used to the extensive and expensive maintenance they demand.
Whale gusher hand pumps. We have two at the galley sink one for fresh one for salt. I have service kits for leaks etc but it does not include the connection rod that transfers the motion from the handle to the piston these generally last 6 months when used to pump sea water (the fresh water one lasts around two years).
The pressure switch on our pressurised water system. We are on our third.
Our sea water cooled diesel generator.

What would you add to the list?

 

[Tranona]

Jabsco are so cheap now (£90) that you can almost throw them away rather than fight them! Guess you have more than one loo so might be worth having a new spare and rotating them! Or you could solve the problem by fitting Lavacs.

 

[00Si00]

We find that regularly servicing the pump unit itself every 2 weeks keeps the loo working really smoothly, mind you, we only installed it 6 months ago - plenty of vaseline, thats what I say /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[prescott56]

eeerrrrr! Anything with "marine" in front of it....
regards
Roy

 

[absit_omen]

I have had loads of Jabscos. Never had a problem. If leaving for a few days I close outlet seacock and fill with vinegar. If leaving for a few weeks I fill with fresh water instead, during continual use I squirt as few dollops of Fairy Liquid to ease the pump action. Simple.

 

[Centesimus]

I've lived abord for most of the last 7 years. I've not done any toilet maintenence.
Buy a Lavac.

 

[mikehibb]

[ QUOTE ]
Bits that aren’t meant for live aboard

[/ QUOTE ]

As some one who would like to try live aboard this is very easy to answer:

SWMBO

She loves day cruising, she will prepare food to take with us (no Frey Bentos) loves just popping out for a couple of hours if the wind is blowing in the right direction.

But will she spend one night aboard?

 

[Anonymous]

We've been afloat for four and a half years. The only problem we have with Jabsco toilets is the screws holding the pump top cover in place -- threads always strip. You can either drill out and fit long machine bolts with nuts and washers, fit helicoil inserts or try to get some epoxy into the hole and start again. Everyone has this problem but generally when they are working they are OK for a couple of years. Never EVER take a Jabsco to pieces unless it is broke /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Hydrochloric acid in the toilets every week is essential unless you like changing toilet hoses.

We don't use manual pumps -- far too lazy -- only electric. Our Par-Max freshwater pump is great. Our first one (old when we bought the boat) lasted until last year when I changed over to a brand new one. I have a service kit for the old one (one of those jobs for a cold winters evening) but the pressure switches have been fine. We use the same pumps on the watermaker and they run for up to 8 hours a day solidly in the summer without problems.

Our generator is fresh water cooled. OK so far. With some you can convert from raw to fresh.

Maybe we have be especially fortunate but we haven't found that maintenance of the household-type things has been any worse than similar stuff in a house. Although in a house you'd probably call the gas man, plumber, etc.?

Flanders and Swann -- "The Gas Man Cometh"!

 

[bazobeleza]

Quote

Hydrochloric acid in the toilets every week is essential unless you like changing toilet hoses.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was looking for bleach for my heads so I sauntered into the local shop and asked for toilet cleaner, The nice lady sold me som Agua Forza. I knewit was good stuff as when I took the lid off it was actally smoking. Poured it down the loo and....... filled the heads and boat with clouds aof chlorine gas....... lucky to get out with my eyes and lungs intact. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[pollygonforty]

sorry LEMAIN whet are you doing with your toilet pumps!! never had a major problem in 18 years ! upper seals need replacing occasionaly ,once every five years or so whats the problem?

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
sorry LEMAIN whet are you doing with your toilet pumps!! never had a major problem in 18 years ! upper seals need replacing occasionaly ,once every five years or so whats the problem?

[/ QUOTE ]Ummm... I don't have a problem, the OP had a problem /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
I was looking for bleach for my heads so I sauntered into the local shop and asked for toilet cleaner, The nice lady sold me som Agua Forza. I knewit was good stuff as when I took the lid off it was actally smoking. Poured it down the loo and....... filled the heads and boat with clouds aof chlorine gas....... lucky to get out with my eyes and lungs intact. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]To get free Cl from HCl in solution you would have to have mixed it with another chemical --- NaOHCl (bleach) would release Cl gas. You can pour fuming HCl into the heads without any problems -- no Cl gas. About a teacup into a full bowl once a week is ideal, and pump it through, leaving it in the pipes for some hours.

The reason they sell HCl in every supermarket on the continent is to keep toilets clear - on the continent they use narrower bore pipe than the UK. It is standard practice to pour HCl down in every household. No Cl unless you mix with bleach.

 

[bazobeleza]

AAAgh, i'd just dumped the last few dregs of my domestos into the heads, no wonder it reacted as it did.

lesson learnt!

 

[Richard10002]

[ QUOTE ]
sorry LEMAIN whet are you doing with your toilet pumps!! never had a major problem in 18 years ! upper seals need replacing occasionaly ,once every five years or so whats the problem?

[/ QUOTE ]

You may be unique, or one of the lucky ones. When a pump goes, I now buy a whole new assembly at around £50.... and hopefully the 2 replacements will last another 10 years or so.

Tried the service kits and they either last for only a year, or dont seal at all...... probably something to do with the way I'm doing it, but I'm not alone with this problem.

Cheers

Richard

 

[AndrewB]

[ QUOTE ]
To get free Cl from HCl in solution you would have to have mixed it with another chemical --- NaOHCl (bleach) would release Cl gas. You can pour fuming HCl into the heads without any problems -- no Cl gas. About a teacup into a full bowl once a week is ideal, and pump it through, leaving it in the pipes for some hours.

[/ QUOTE ]Good grief! Take the pipes off and bang 'em on the pontoon once every couple of years. (The smell may still be appauling but at least its not going to kill you).

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
Tried the service kits and they either last for only a year, or dont seal at all...... probably something to do with the way I'm doing it, but I'm not alone with this problem.

[/ QUOTE ]I've not really had a problem, Richard, other than those wretched screws on the top -- like Niagra falls when you open the sea cock. I'm not that unhappy with Jabscos and we live aboard all year round. The last time I did ours was 2.5 years ago and they are both still OK. I have one spare pump assembly and can service that before refitting. That makes sense as you can make sure that's A1 before taking the toilet apart.

Good to hear from you /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
Good grief! Take the pipes off and bang 'em on the pontoon once every couple of years. (The smell may still be appauling but at least its not going to kill you).

[/ QUOTE ]I think I'll carry on putting a teacup of HCl down every week, thanks very much /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I had my pipes changed by a boatyard when we took delivery of the boat -- strong guys with strong arms, used to working on these things -- and they sweated blood getting the pipes out. Years ago my father had to bang his pipes on the pontoon every year or two (also liveaboards) until he 'discovered' HCl. HCl is the answer -- forget vinegar, it is not strong enough for the Med. There is a lot of carbonate in the Med which precipitates out under the influence of the NH3 produced by the decomposition of urine. The alkali precipitates the chalk and that is what clogs the pipes. One trick is not to flush every pee. Then the NH3 does its thing around the pump and valve area which is easy to service and descale with HCl. When you do flush pee, flush it right through -- but there will always be some left behind (forgive the pun).

 

[demonboy]

That reminds me: I need a poo.

 

[ccscott49]

I have three jabscos aboard and like Lemain, use HCl, to clean them and the pipes, service them every year, as with others, I have two pump assemblies, which I service and box, being very careful with the screws!! If they strip, use epoxy to fill the holes and re-drill, using coarse self tapping screws, not the two start jabsco ones.
Never use bleach or bleach based cleaners in a sea water flushed loo. We use dettol.
Sea Water cooled gennies are a nightmare, fresh water/heat exchanger fine.
Pressure pumps can be a problem, usually the pressure switches, but get good ones, again no worries.
IMHO.

 

[sailinglegend420]

[ QUOTE ]
The only problem we have with Jabsco toilets is the screws holding the pump top cover in place -- threads always strip.

[/ QUOTE ]

A very nice man at Alladins Cave gave me the answer. Whenever you screw back into plastic you must "find " the screw threads by winding anti-clockwise first until it drops. BUT with the Jabsco screws they have TWO helical threads of different depths so you have to find the right one. If it goes in very easy you're OK - if there is a slight resistance go back anti-clockwise and try again.

Not a very clever design - but maybe its designed to make us all buy new ones - which I agree is a lot easier.