It's all a bit toilet!

I currently have a Jabsco "Quiet Flush".
I dread to think what the non-Quiet version sounds like.

A couple of seasons ago, it sounded like an aircraft loo.
Now it sounds like a special effect from that well known slasher film "The Texas Foodmixer Massacre".

Do I wait for it to fail completely at the worst possible time?
 
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colhel said:
Thanks John, but I'm a little dumbstruck with the 10 toilet post (I assume only 1 on the rib). That's a hell of a lot of pipework, all fresh water I presume? Makes you realise the planning that has to go into a build like yours.
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Yep 9+1 and all freshwater, even on the RIB. Waste pipework needs to be from one of the two Italian manufacturers - anything else is junk.
One is Eurocord, by Satigroup.it Ultraflex/WC: Marine Hoses - SATI Group available in white or grey but generally stocked in grey in uk (by ASAP supplies) , and I've forgotten the name of the other :)
 
Just a quick point on my Planus installation.
I did the upgrade myself.
At that time, when Princess factory fitted these Tecma/Planus toilets, they had the control box and the solenoid valve integrated inside the toilet itself.
I chose to fit the solenoid valves and the control boxes separately.
My thought was that it will be easier to maintain them but, in fact, they have been completely trouble free.
Still, I think it made it easier to fit them as well.
 
A point to anyone reading this with vacuum toilets on their boat.
Vacuum toilets are awful (JFM has referred to them as "the work of the devil" - and he is right) so an upgrade is extremely worthwhile.
You also gain a whole lot more storage space under the cabin floors.
And the difference in smell (well, the lack of it) is huge.
I would NEVER have vacuum toilets again.
 
Hurricane said:
Just take a leaf out of JFM's book.
I ignored him for several years when we had those awful vacuum units.
EVENTUALLY, I decided to spend the money on some Planus models - fitted them myself (with some help from a friend - he knows who he is).
And, literally, ALL my problems have gone away.
I believe that the Planus toilets are designed by ex employees/owners of Tecma - but I may be wrong.
They are VERY similar.
None of those nasty smells and really quiet.
Actually, I didn't think they were that expensive - certainly better value for money.
If you want trouble free toilets, its got to be Tecma or Planus.
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Many thanks,

I'd say this is the direction I'm swinging towards.. Since I took the Jabsco apart and breathed some life back into the motor, I'm going to run it until the motor gives up again and then it'll be out with the Jabsco and in with probably either a Tecma or Planus. Just personal preference but I'll be a happy chap when I have a near Jabsco free boat. :cool:
 
another vote for tecma!
AND fresh water of course - that's also v.important!
no smell, no noise, no leaks, no blockages and look nice as well.
Being a cheapskate now trying to find a 24V short one for the second heads but not too bothered as the main heads one work so brilliantly that the second heads is now only used for #1 at night as it spares me 10 extra steps!
 
With the Tecma toilets, how much water is supposed to be in the bowl. Chief Stew. flushes it down to the u-bend, and 10 minutes later there is about 2 inches of water back in bowl. Time to change the joker valve maybe?
 
Fire99 said:
Many thanks,

I'd say this is the direction I'm swinging towards.. Since I took the Jabsco apart and breathed some life back into the motor, I'm going to run it until the motor gives up again and then it'll be out with the Jabsco and in with probably either a Tecma or Planus. Just personal preference but I'll be a happy chap when I have a near Jabsco free boat. :cool:
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Oh yes - and where possible, I suggest that you change as many hoses as you can - use Butyl Rubber - well worth the extra and on the scale of things not a lot to pay.
As I said my upgrade made a HUGE difference to the boat.
You have to experience it to believe it.
 
Hurricane said:
Oh yes - and where possible, I suggest that you change as many hoses as you can - use Butyl Rubber - well worth the extra and on the scale of things not a lot to pay.
As I said my upgrade made a HUGE difference to the boat.
You have to experience it to believe it.
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I hear you.. After having my feet sloshing around in what I wouldn't like to mention at this time in the morning, going a little extra on hoses etc is well worth the effort.
 
BlueJasper said:
With the Tecma toilets, how much water is supposed to be in the bowl. Chief Stew. flushes it down to the u-bend, and 10 minutes later there is about 2 inches of water back in bowl. Time to change the joker valve maybe?
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Hard to diagnose based on just that info.

The unwanted water in the bowl - is it clean water or waste water?

Tecmas do not rely on the non return valve to stop dirty water coming back into the bowl - that should be dealt with in the discharge pipe design.

They have 2 alternative control sequences, one of which deliberately puts some clean flush water into the bowl after use (so called "one button") and the other of which ("two button") leaves the bowl dry but pours apuddle of freshwater in just before use (you might have this, and it might be malfunctioning).

Can't diagnose without tons of info. Good luck!

There are two non retrun vlaves by the way - a classic joker/duckbill then further along a rubber flap. Both easy to change, though I've never needed to even in tecmas that are 10 years old
 
Ah, you know normal world order is just around the corner when a good toilet thread appears on the YBW motor boat forum.

I’m sure I’ve posted before on here of the time I earned my toilet spurs. Over 30 years ago now and I’d just finished building a 70 foot narrow boat.

Included in the luxurious specification was a full width bathroom complete with victorian roll top bath and vacu-flush toilet system. I owed Mrs Henry F a state of the art toilet system the envy of the canal network after an incident some years previous involving a crude bucket toilet, a Fiat 127 and the aforementioned Mrs Henry F sporting a blue tinge courtesy of the Elsan Blue element of the bucket’s content. The organic element was also deposited upon her person and in the car. At the time my advice to be smoother on the brakes didn’t go down well.

Anyway, I digress.

Having completed the boat we were living in our palace when Mrs Henry F came down with a tummy bug. For a petite little thing she got a lot of tummy bug which in turn needed a lot of toilet paper.

Midway through her illness there was a complaint that the toilet had stopped flushing. I hastily checked fuses and external wiring only to find them in good order. With another sitting imminent there was no choice but to open her up and go in - the toilet system not Mrs Henry F.

I found the vacuum pump compacted with a material which would have formed the basis for the foundations of an African chief’s tribal palace.

Silicon gloves weren’t a thing in those days, we just used Swarfega afterwards. I finally got the job done with tears in my eyes just in time to see Mrs Henry F rush past and christen my efforts. At no point since then have I felt the urge to specify a Vacu-Flush toilet.

Our Dometic 8900 on the current P50 was a silent surprise when we took delivery and has performed faultlessly since despite our best efforts and those of our charter guests. I do read the riot act concerning what can and can’t go down the hole in the welcome aboard briefing and let them know where the tool kit is should they choose to ignore me….
 
henryf said:
Ah, you know normal world order is just around the corner when a good toilet thread appears on the YBW motor boat forum.

I’m sure I’ve posted before on here of the time I earned my toilet spurs. Over 30 years ago now and I’d just finished building a 70 foot narrow boat.

Included in the luxurious specification was a full width bathroom complete with victorian roll top bath and vacu-flush toilet system. I owed Mrs Henry F a state of the art toilet system the envy of the canal network after an incident some years previous involving a crude bucket toilet, a Fiat 127 and the aforementioned Mrs Henry F sporting a blue tinge courtesy of the Elsan Blue element of the bucket’s content. The organic element was also deposited upon her person and in the car. At the time my advice to be smoother on the brakes didn’t go down well.

Anyway, I digress.

Having completed the boat we were living in our palace when Mrs Henry F came down with a tummy bug. For a petite little thing she got a lot of tummy bug which in turn needed a lot of toilet paper.

Midway through her illness there was a complaint that the toilet had stopped flushing. I hastily checked fuses and external wiring only to find them in good order. With another sitting imminent there was no choice but to open her up and go in - the toilet system not Mrs Henry F.

I found the vacuum pump compacted with a material which would have formed the basis for the foundations of an African chief’s tribal palace.

Silicon gloves weren’t a thing in those days, we just used Swarfega afterwards. I finally got the job done with tears in my eyes just in time to see Mrs Henry F rush past and christen my efforts. At no point since then have I felt the urge to specify a Vacu-Flush toilet.

Our Dometic 8900 on the current P50 was a silent surprise when we took delivery and has performed faultlessly since despite our best efforts and those of our charter guests. I do read the riot act concerning what can and can’t go down the hole in the welcome aboard briefing and let them know where the tool kit is should they choose to ignore me….
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I'm not what you would call a 'natural' when it comes to bodily exit material but after my holding tank macerator pump literally blowing itself into two pieces and subsequently having to go paddling in the bilge to clean it out, I'm becoming a little errr particular about boat plumbing so if I spot anything that looks a bit 'naff for purpose' it'll be on the exit list. (Sorry Jabsco, another Jab-whinge from me).. So one 'Jabby' macerator pump replaced and two 'Jabby' toilets plus a fresh water pump system in the departure lounge. I'm battle scarred in plumbing land. :D
 
My vac story could have been a disaster.

Towards the end of owning them, I decided that "enough was enough".
In Spain we buy a product called Agua Fuerte (literal translation is "Strong Water") - well it is acid that reacts with anything calcium based.
Great for moving barnacles off the props etc but I thought - here's an idea - there is a lot of calcium deposit inside the awful vac units.
So, I switched off the electric supply to the vac units and poured a load of Agua Fuerte down the toilet hole.
Well, it reacted immediately.
To the point that couldn't close the foot lever for fear of the pressure building.
Remember, vac units are sealed to form a vacuum - so they will easily create a pressure during a chemical reaction.
Thankfully, I realised my error and found a suitable weight to place over the foot lever and keep the pressure from building.

Now the problems was inside the holding tank!!
Easy!! I'll call the marina and get it pumped out.
Actually, they arrived quite quickly and pumped the holding tank whilst I hid out of sight.

Our marina uses one of those golf carts and tows a small trailer containing a pump and a translucent "sealed" tank.
The last I saw of it was - as it was being towed down the marina pontoon with its tank full of fizzing water.
I'm sure there wasn't enough to cause an explosion but thats what I was imagining.

So, yes, the vac systems are the "work of the devil".
 
jfm said:
Hard to diagnose based on just that info.

The unwanted water in the bowl - is it clean water or waste water?

Tecmas do not rely on the non return valve to stop dirty water coming back into the bowl - that should be dealt with in the discharge pipe design.

They have 2 alternative control sequences, one of which deliberately puts some clean flush water into the bowl after use (so called "one button") and the other of which ("two button") leaves the bowl dry but pours apuddle of freshwater in just before use (you might have this, and it might be malfunctioning).

Can't diagnose without tons of info. Good luck!

There are two non retrun vlaves by the way - a classic joker/duckbill then further along a rubber flap. Both easy to change, though I've never needed to even in tecmas that are 10 years old
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It has 2 buttons, 1 for fresh and 1 to tmpty the bowl. It's dirty water returning to the bowl. Previous owner struggled with this and had already changed the joker valve.
When you say pipe design, anything obvious I should be looking for when I have a look at the weekend?
 
BlueJasper said:
It has 2 buttons, 1 for fresh and 1 to tmpty the bowl. It's dirty water returning to the bowl. Previous owner struggled with this and had already changed the joker valve.
When you say pipe design, anything obvious I should be looking for when I have a look at the weekend?
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From that description, it's the flap valve you need to change, not the joker valve. You're getting the volume of waste water that sits between the flap valve and the joker valve, and no more, draining back into the bowl, so that means the flap valve needs changing.

Easy job. Ten minutes
 
Bigplumbs said:
Yup keep it simple....... It breaks less and costs less............

I recall on a car to put the handbrake on you just pulled a lever up...... Now you just have to press a button..... They never brake and cost much now do they........ Progress my A**e
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Find one person that’s gone back from a tecma or planus to anything else.

For something a crew of two uses maybe 10 times a day, we spend way more money on stuff that gets used 10 times a year.

Quiet. Reliable - more so than a manual one. You don’t have to give lessons to guests. You won’t go back.
 
Just an update on my toilet problem, it was the joker valve/duckbill. The toilet is a Tecma Compass from the compact range. The one way valve assembly unscrews and the joker valve can be swapped out with a Jabsco one. £8 fix and dead easy.
 
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