Jabsco Electric heads

[neil1967]

I am considering replacing our manual Jabsco head with an electric Jabsco head. I’m aware of the various opinions about electric heads and I don’t want to start a general discussion about that, rather I have two specific questions: can the Jabsco electric head be mounted with the macerator at 90 degrees to the head, ie on one side rather than behind it, and how critical is the maximum lift of the discharge pump - Jabsco specify 1.2m maximum and our existing pipework goes to about 1.3m before dropping down to the holding tank. Many thanks

 

[PaulRainbow]

I am considering replacing our manual Jabsco head with an electric Jabsco head. I’m aware of the various opinions about electric heads and I don’t want to start a general discussion about that, rather I have two specific questions: can the Jabsco electric head be mounted with the macerator at 90 degrees to the head, ie on one side rather than behind it, and how critical is the maximum lift of the discharge pump - Jabsco specify 1.2m maximum and our existing pipework goes to about 1.3m before dropping down to the holding tank. Many thanks

You don't say which model you are considering, but most (perhaps all) have the pump behind and this cannot be changed.

Have you considered the electric conversion kit ?

 

[neil1967]

You don't say which model you are considering, but most (perhaps all) have the pump behind and this cannot be changed.

Have you considered the electric conversion kit ?

The base model. Jabsco specification says the base can be rotated 90 degrees to allow for different installations, but I have never seen this, so I am interested in whether anyone has actually done this.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I had a jabsco head conversation not from Jabsco and it rusted up due to leaking seal

I modified the outlet and fitted an electric diaphragm pump on the outlet and a water pressure pump on the flush

I used 2 separate pushbuttons for the flush and discharge pumps to allow the flush and discharge as need be

 

[PaulRainbow]

The base model. Jabsco specification says the base can be rotated 90 degrees to allow for different installations, but I have never seen this, so I am interested in whether anyone has actually done this.

If, by "base model", you mean the Quiet Flush, then yes, the base and bowl are separate and bolted together. The base can be rotated to allow the pump to be orientated in different directions.

 

[neil1967]

O

If, by "base model", you mean the Quiet Flush, then yes, the base and bowl are separate and bolted together. The base can be rotated to allow the pump to be orientated in different directions.

ok, thanks Paul. Any idea on whether exceeding the max recommended height for the outlet by 10cm would be an issue?

 

[neil1967]

I had a jabsco head conversation not from Jabsco and it rusted up due to leaking seal

I modified the outlet and fitted an electric diaphragm pump on the outlet and a water pressure pump on the flush

I used 2 separate pushbuttons for the flush and discharge pumps to allow the flush and discharge as need be

An interesting idea. Wouldn’t be that difficult…..

 

[PaulRainbow]

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ok, thanks Paul. Any idea on whether exceeding the max recommended height for the outlet by 10cm would be an issue?

Not tried fitting one with extra head. If it's going up, then down to a holding tank, can you re-route a little if need be ?

 

[MontyMariner]

can the Jabsco electric head be mounted with the macerator at 90 degrees to the head

Mine is.

 

[neil1967]

many thanks all. Head ordered from SVB24.

 

[RobinP]

Hi, I’m considering fitting a Jabsco electric heads conversion kit but a friend’s boat has one and it’s very noisy, much more noisy than standard (ie non conversion) types.
My question is: are conversion kits necessarily more noisy than standard one’s?

 

[PaulRainbow]

Hi, I’m considering fitting a Jabsco electric heads conversion kit but a friend’s boat has one and it’s very noisy, much more noisy than standard (ie non conversion) types.
My question is: are conversion kits necessarily more noisy than standard one’s?

Yes, very noisy.

 

[vyv_cox]

Hi, I’m considering fitting a Jabsco electric heads conversion kit but a friend’s boat has one and it’s very noisy, much more noisy than standard (ie non conversion) types.
My question is: are conversion kits necessarily more noisy than standard one’s?

The macerator seems inevitably to be a noisy device. We had a Jabsco Lite, also noisy in operation.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I had a Jabsco electric conversion and the pump seized so I modified it to use a diaphragm type bilge pump with a separate flush pump.

Its now alot less noisy and works fine

 

[MontyMariner]

My advice to anyone thinking of converting is to think hard and think twice.
They are
Power hungry (though not normally used frequently)
Noisy, especially if used in the middle of the night.
Replacement parts are expensive.
My experience is that the motor shaft rusted through, which I managed to fix at minimal cost.
When the motor finally gave up the ghost it was cheaper to buy a complete new installation than a replacement motor (see pic in #9).
Now, when I leave the boat I turn off the inlet and flush through with fresh water fro the sink.