heads leaking

E

ErikKiekens

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 Nov 2007
Messages
130
Location
Ostend, Belgium
Visit site
Hi,
the Jabsco loo on my brand-new second-hand sailing boat had silicone around its footprint. It had become ugly so I removed it. Now it's leaking?!? I used fluorescein dye to determine it was actually around the footprint that the leak occurred. Is that supposed to be possible? I always imagined that the bottom of the Jabsco was flush and watertight. Any advice?
Erik the sailorman from Ostend
 
I always imagined that the bottom of the Jabsco was flush and watertight.


Its supposed to be! This is one piece of kit you want to be reliable and not leak! You don't say how old the unit is. Spare parts are expensive compared to a whole new unit.

If its leaking around the base I would be tempted to take it out of the boat, throw it away, clean up the base area and put a complete new toilet in. We did that with one of the toilets in our boat. Much better than trying to fix an old one. Ours was 10 yrs old.
 
If you are replacing with the same type (much easier to fit) then clean up the pump assembly and keep as a spare - then you can swap it if you have problems and refurbish the new one at leisure.

Rob.
 
ErikKiekens said:
Hi,
the Jabsco loo on my brand-new second-hand sailing boat had silicone around its footprint. It had become ugly so I removed it. Now it's leaking?!? I used fluorescein dye to determine it was actually around the footprint that the leak occurred. Is that supposed to be possible? I always imagined that the bottom of the Jabsco was flush and watertight. Any advice?
Erik the sailorman from Ostend
Click to expand...

If its not one of the joints leaking the base must be cracked.

Its not overly expensive at £30 but you'll need some new gaskets etc as well which may be available separately or in the service kits.

Parts lists and exploded diagrams on the Jabscoshop website http://www.jabscoshop.com/marine/marine-toilets/toilets/manual-toilets/
 
VicS said:
If its not one of the joints leaking the base must be cracked.

Its not overly expensive at £30 but you'll need some new gaskets etc as well which may be available separately or in the service kits.

Parts lists and exploded diagrams on the Jabscoshop website http://www.jabscoshop.com/marine/marine-toilets/toilets/manual-toilets/
Click to expand...

And bear in mind that they have changed the base a couple of times. (At least they appear to have as every time I have replaced a Jabsco the screw holes don't line up and I have to do a bit of filling and fairing.)

I would still replace the whole thing though. You can shop around and get a whole new loo with the latest locking handle etc for about £100.
 
john_morris_uk said:
And bear in mind that they have changed the base a couple of times. (At least they appear to have as every time I have replaced a Jabsco the screw holes don't line up and I have to do a bit of filling and fairing.)

I would still replace the whole thing though. You can shop around and get a whole new loo with the latest locking handle etc for about £100.
Click to expand...

Not certain if the quality is not going down on Jabsco's so might be worth replacing part (an opinion will be along shortly).

Some one is going to hate me here but, also worth considering a Lavac at twice the price... Forum has mixed views but if it fits and works I have one and would not go back...
 
john_morris_uk said:
And bear in mind that they have changed the base a couple of times. (At least they appear to have as every time I have replaced a Jabsco the screw holes don't line up and I have to do a bit of filling and fairing.)

I would still replace the whole thing though. You can shop around and get a whole new loo with the latest locking handle etc for about £100.
Click to expand...

Not certain if the quality is not going down on Jabsco's so might be worth replacing part (an opinion will be along shortly).

Some one is going to hate me here but, also worth considering a Lavac at twice the price... Forum has mixed views but if it fits and works I have one and would not go back...
 
onesea said:
Not certain if the quality is not going down on Jabsco's so might be worth replacing part (an opinion will be along shortly).

Some one is going to hate me here but, also worth considering a Lavac at twice the price... Forum has mixed views but if it fits and works I have one and would not go back...
Click to expand...

Lavac's can be excellent and replacement with one is worth considering but I am not sure that Lavac's deserve the unadulterated adulation that they sometimes get on these forums!

Its certainly an idea to see if a Lavac will fit, but a replacement Jabsco should be a very easy and simple slot in replacement. The Lavac will require some thought about where to put the pump and how the pipes are going to be routed. Not impossible, but not quite as simple as replacing the toilet with like for like. The pump for the Lavac needs to be in the best place for pumping whilst being firmly mounted and the whole decision will depend on the DIY skills and inclination of the OP.
 
Last edited:
Sounds like it may be the O ring around the drain plug has failed, an available spare, but possible to source it cheaper from other suppliers...

However, it has been known for the base to crack, if people have been using cleaners, that attack ABS (in the early toilets), or even glass filled polypropylene in the later ones. I do know for a fact that (for instance), that Dettox will eat ABS....

I would check the drain plug O Ring first, and after that consider whether to replace the base or the whole toilet...

And don't clean it, with a cleaner that is not reccomended by Jabsco...

Jon
 
Hello Erik,
I very recently had to dismantle our toilet bowl from the base assembly, in order to fit a new outlet elbow to the back of the bowl. The bowl is mounted on the base with an o ring type seal, and secured with 4 nuts. The bolts on ours are unfortunately not captive!
Therefore if the sealant is between the base and the deck, then I would suspect the base fitting is cracked, which can easily be replaced. Use new o rings & seals.
I have just bought a lot of spares from the Jabsco shop - good service.

Cheers,

Michael.
 
The base to bowl O ring is a triple flanged gasket, and, unless totally mullered should be reusable, however, this does not seem to be the case, from the symptoms provided, it will either be the drain plug O ring (Most likely), or a cracked base caused by using incompatible cleaners.. Not sure if the leak checker liquid may have made the problem worse...

BTW the toilets are now made in Talc filled polypropylene, which is far more resilient to chemical cleaners, and far stronger to the ABS models....

Jon
 
ErikKiekens said:
Hi,
the Jabsco loo on my brand-new second-hand sailing boat had silicone around its footprint. It had become ugly so I removed it. Now it's leaking?!? I used fluorescein dye to determine it was actually around the footprint that the leak occurred. Is that supposed to be possible? I always imagined that the bottom of the Jabsco was flush and watertight. Any advice?
Erik the sailorman from Ostend
Click to expand...

He already determined that the leak was emanating from the base?

M.
 
Just reread the thread, silicon mastic and ABS are a serious no no, that could be the problem, the base of the toilet may be showing signs of crazing. It may have to be a new base (no silicon), or even a new toilet..

If the base is showing, what looks like spider webs in the plastic, then it has been affected by either the silicon, or cleaners. But this would tend to imply that it is an ABS toilet. That is why Jabsco brought in Polypropylene as an alternative material. Any base or toilet you buy know, should, be Talc filled polypropylene...

Rob Leigh who designed the toilet, spent many hours researching materials that would be suitable for use with modern cleaners and sealants...

Jon
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top