I love my Blakes Lavac toilet but!

[geem]

We have two Blakes Lavac bogs on the boat. They are so much more reliable than the Jabsco bogs we had previously, that the boat came with. No leaks! However, a downside I found is that the seat discolours with a nasty brown/yellow stain where it contacts the seal on the lid. No amount of cleaning chemical or scrubbing will remove it. Over the winter I decided to remove the lids and sort the problem. The seats are made of ABS plastic. Same as Lego. I sanded down the seats. That in itself revealed that the staining had penetrated into the plastic rather than being just a surface problem. Once sanded, I primed them and spray painted a couple of coats or two pack paint on them. They look exactly like new ones but the sealing of the plastic leaves them shiny and after 4 months of use, there is no evidence of new staining.
It's a relatively easy winter fix. A local car spray paint supplier can mix two pack in a spray can for small projects like this. I just happened to have some Jotun XP from a other job so I used that. I also used compressor and spray gun as I already had it all set up for some other stuff I was spraying in white. My hardtop.

 

[Neeves]

I don't think I'd relegate a hardtop to 'stuff'.

A home built hardtop is a serious undertaking.

Jonathan

 

[geem]

I don't think I'd relegate a hardtop to 'stuff'.

A home built hardtop is a serious undertaking.

Jonathan

But it isn't part of the thread

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Staining probably comes from whatever they use to effect the seal, finding an alternative in EPDM or butyl rubber should ensure it never happens again.

 

[geem]

Staining probably comes from whatever they use to effect the seal, finding an alternative in EPDM or butyl rubber should ensure it never happens again.

I don't know, but the staining goes into the plastic. Two pack paint has cured the problem

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I don't know, but the staining goes into the plastic. Two pack paint has cured the problem

The plastic seat will have been permeable the two pack will either be impermeable or not so permeable and have arrested the migration of whatever is leaching from the seal either permanently or temporarily. It was a problem in the tyre industry many years ago with white wall tyres much favoured by Americans, the solution was to use an impermeable barrier rubber between the white compound and the rest of the tyre.
A letter to Blakes might result in them changing the seal or supplying you with a new one if they are already aware of the problem.

 

[rogerthebodger]

https://flic.kr/p/WonZb7

My lavac used to be stained but now its nice and clean as SWMBO is a clean freak

Don't know what she uses but its now spotless

My Jabsco has a wooden seat, and I considered making one for my Lavac just need to work how ro attach the seals

 

[WoodyP]

The replacement seal l got for my Lavac was white, so no opportunity to stain the seat, however as the seat was already stained it was too late. The suggestion on my keyboard for white came up as shit. Quite apposite I think.

 

[geem]

The replacement seal l got for my Lavac was white, so no opportunity to stain the seat, however as the seat was already stained it was too late. The suggestion on my keyboard for white came up as shit. Quite apposite I think.

Our seals are white. They still stained the seat

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Initially thought that the staining on my Lavac was UV but it is also on the underside of the lid. Probably more to do with the type of plastic as it ages. I bought new seats and lids about 15 years ago and they remain white. I have a second hand Lavac as a spare and it’s plastic has yellowed, but not the seat at the seal area, just the top of the lid, and the underside of the lid.

I have lots of plastic domestic items, that sat in a container in the Middle East for a while, and all of the plastic turned yellow, like fag stain yellow you used to see in bars. Not UV but heat in that case.

 

[geem]

Initially thought that the staining on my Lavac was UV but it is also on the underside of the lid. Probably more to do with the type of plastic as it ages. I bought new seats and lids about 15 years ago and they remain white. I have a second hand Lavac as a spare and it’s plastic has yellowed, but not the seat at the seal area, just the top of the lid, and the underside of the lid.

I have lots of plastic domestic items, that sat in a container in the Middle East for a while, and all of the plastic turned yellow, like fag stain yellow you used to see in bars. Not UV but heat in that case.

Yep, ours turned fag stain yellow where the seal sits. Ours doesn't appear to be UV damage or heat as its only local to the seal area. The boat has done 3 years in the Caribbean since the Lavacs were fitted and the staining happened after about 12 months. I am guessing it's some interaction between the seal and the ABS plastic

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Yep, ours turned fag stain yellow where the seal sits. Ours doesn't appear to be UV damage or heat as its only local to the seal area. The boat has done 3 years in the Caribbean since the Lavacs were fitted and the staining happened after about 12 months. I am guessing it's some interaction between the seal and the ABS plastic

Probably an amine catalyst in the seal.