How long to overhaul a Jabsco toilet?

[Maxi84]

Next job on the to-do list is service the toilet to cure the back flow from the holding tank to the toilet bowl. I don't want to stop half way through but on the other hand I don't want to be working on it all night, so roughly how long should I allow for this task?

 

[GrumpyOldGit]

Rebuilt my old one with 2nd hand bits and a new set of rubbers, joker valves etc in about an hour!
Avoid backflow from your holding tank though...

 

[Maxi84]

Thanks GOG - I'm going in....

 

[dhobyb]

Next job on the to-do list is service the toilet to cure the back flow from the holding tank to the toilet bowl. I don't want to stop half way through but on the other hand I don't want to be working on it all night, so roughly how long should I allow for this task?

I purchased a new pump unit, cost about £60 took 20mins to fit.

 

[Tranona]

If it is the joker valve (sounds like it) then 5 minutes to undo the housing and put a new one in. However - if it is backed up in the pipe to the tank then you have to be prepared for the mess that will come out. Make sure the tank is emptied and pump lots of water through first so the pipe does not have too much muck in it. You may find it is not the koker valve, but the outlet flap valve at the bottom of the pump which also gets gooed up an sticks open. This requires removal of the pump and you may find the previous advice of buying a whole new pump worth following - comes with a new flap valve and a locking mechanism for the inlet pump.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

I purchased a new pump unit, cost about £60 took 20mins to fit.

This must be the most asked question on the forum, and above you have the best answer.

New pump, problem solved.

Take the other home. Service it where you can take time and have all the facilities you need. Keep it for the next time something goes wrong.

 

[prv]

if it is backed up in the pipe to the tank then you have to be prepared for the mess that will come out.

I found the ultimate solution to this when I replaced my toilet pump this winter. Simply choose a cold day, after a succession of other cold days, and when you open things up all the water will be frozen and stay where it is. Any that needs to be removed can be simply picked up and placed in a black binbag.

Not much help for the OP, I know

Pete

 

[MoodySabre]

Twist and Lock pump recommended.

 

[Tranona]

I found the ultimate solution to this when I replaced my toilet pump this winter. Simply choose a cold day, after a succession of other cold days, and when you open things up all the water will be frozen and stay where it is. Any that needs to be removed can be simply picked up and placed in a black binbag.

Not much help for the OP, I know

Pete

Don't know - he is in Norway, so even more reliable frozen winters!

Like your solution, tho' - bit like freezing the top of a champagne bottle to remove the lees before final priming and corking.

 

[Blue5]

Ours died in France and I then discovered the exorbitant cost of spares abroad.

Since that shock to the wallet we bought a twist and lock unit complete in UK for the same price as a service kit in France.

 

[prv]

Since that shock to the wallet we bought a twist and lock unit complete in UK for the same price as a service kit in France.

To be fair, they're almost the same price in the UK too. I bought a new pump rather than service the old one as the few quid difference wasn't worth it.

Pete

 

[Tranona]

Not sure where you are buying your spares from, but the kit is usually around £27 and the complete pump around £60 - and a complete toilet only £100 (or less).

 

[photodog]

I now have three pumps... Two that need servicing... One on the bog.

One day i will service one of them to have a spare on board..... If i can be arsed. As previously said...easier and quicker just to buy a new one... Takes me no more than 5 minutes to replace.

 

[Chrissie]

It can take longer than you might think. I started mine off this morning with a bottle of Limescale remover, some facewipes had accidentally been thrown in the loo, knowing that my loo was overdue its annual descale (it clogs up so badly some years that there is only a couple of centimeters left open in the center.)
I thought removing the limescale might help, after a few hours of fizzing and bubbling, I changed all the valves, put the loo back together but its still blocked.

So I went ashore, and managed to buy one of those flexible springs which I have been shoving up the outlet pipe, for about an hour, still blocked, and my seacock is refusing to close or fully open, I think corrosion has get the better of it.

So now the third stage, I need to book in to dry out against a wall, replace the seacock, and clear the pipe. I will probably have to remove the actual toilet to get enough working space, and the seacock, new five years ago, (before we knew that they were actually brass and going to corrode) looks like its going to be a bugger to get off the skin fitting, so possibly a new skin fitting too.

How long? probably a month or more to get booked in on a long tide, and how much? I really dread to think!

Sounds like your joker valve needs replacing, if you are getting backflow, good luck with it.

 

[Tranona]

If you are working to a tight schedule, best to grind the outer flange off the skin fitting and push the whole lot inside. Saves struggling trying to undo the valve and probably shifting the skin fitting at the same time. New Bronze skin fitting and DZR valve plus Bronze tail and your problems are over.

Of course all this assumes a ball valve and not a Blakes.

 

[B&M]

I have just purchased a new twist and lock in Nidri and it cost me 97 euro. Worth ever cent if it stops SWMBO complaining.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

Chrissie

As a past sufferer from the face wipe problem I can tell you that they went through my pump very easily. Where they did block everything though was at the y valve where the flow can divert overboard or into the holding tank. Actually quite easy to fix. If only I had X-ray vision.

May be worth a look.

 

[robertj]

Don't know - he is in Norway, so even more reliable frozen winters!

Like your solution, tho' - bit like freezing the top of a champagne bottle to remove the lees before final priming and corking.

if you're ever in Cornwall bring your home made champers with you I'd love to sample it.

 

[Tranona]

if you're ever in Cornwall bring your home made champers with you I'd love to sample it.

Wish I could make wine good enough to drink, let alone call champers. Not bad with the beer - but like all good beer it does not travel!

Observation on freezing was based on what I saw on a tour of the Monmosseau winery in France. Thousands of bottles resting in caves being turned ritually until all the lees went to the top, then blast frozen until the temporary cork and lees came out, reprimed with sugar mixture to get the secondary fermentation going and then the permanent cork put in.

You used to be able to buy it in M&S, but think it is too expensive now to compete with the cheap champagne on the market.

 

[nigelmercier]

This must be the most asked question on the forum, and above you have the best answer.

New pump, problem solved.

Take the other home. Service it where you can take time and have all the facilities you need. Keep it for the next time something goes wrong.

This is clearly the most sensible route. I'd go as far as to suggest getting a complete heads unit. That way you get a spare seat, hinges etc., and you can sell the porcelain on eBay.

Interesting references to "face wipes" above, I suspect they are used for another purpose.

We have a sign in our heads saying that if you block it, you fix it, and if you burn out the macerator there is a £500 fine to cover the cost of a replacement. Since putting this up, the heads has never blocked again.