Jabsco loo won't flush. help

paulsmith

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Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

My manual pump jabsco loo will pump out to empty it but fails to get suction going to flush it. It's ben stripped and cleaned, the seals and valves all seem fine and flexible so these have been given a light wipe of vasaline and refitted. It works like a dream at first but after a couple of uses it stops working again.It's now been stripped twice and each time the same result. There doesn't seem to be anything lodged in the pipe that could be floating into the valve after refitting so what's going wrong.
any thoughts,
Paul
 

gianenrico

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Re: Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

Only suggestion that comes to mind is to follow step by step from the intake valve (check it is working for real, that is not only that the handle moves but also that the ball inside follows the movement: it happened to me as the axis become loose and had to change the valve) to the piping (checking for any harsch helbow) to the valve on the handle box (I also found once a tiny fish blocking the pipe!!) to the inside of the box itself and to the EXACT positioning of the tubber and brass valve (it is only human to position it in the wrong position!!)
Cheers,
Gianenrico
 

FWB

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Re: Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

Not sure if relevant to your particular problem but....my loo has a syphon break. The loo will empty but it wont flush unless you put your finger over the syphon break. Not a problem but now part of the routine.
 

Steve Clayton

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Re: Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

Had a similar problem once. It turned out that after I replaced the rubber gasket at the top of the pump it was fine. Couldn't actually see anything wrong with the removed gasket but this fixed the problem.

Steve
 

HeadMistress

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You rang? :)

If the the flapper valve at the top of the pump (parts 18 and 21 on the drawing http://www.jabsco.com/prodInfo/overview/29090-2000_ev.pdf) isn't seated correctly, the toilet won't bring in any flush water. If the toilet was left in the dry mode during winter layup, the rubber in that valve can become distorted and should be replaced

Or, it could be a failed wet/dry valve--which in a Jabsco isn't really a valve, but only a little "gate" (part #23 on the drawing) that the lever swings to block/unblock the flow of flush water...it's a common problem in Jabsco toilets built in the last 5-6 years...due to a tooling or mfr'g defect, that little gate hangs--most often in the dry position. Jiggling the wet/dry lever will sometimes free it, but only temporarily. Replacement is the only permanent fix.

Or, it could be as simple as what Dylan said--a vented loop in the wrong place (between the thru-hull and pump instead of between the pump and the bowl) is allowing air into the line preventing the pump from priming...but I doubt it in this case.

My advice: Before I'd spend half the price of a new Jabsco for replacement parts, I'd replace the whole toilet with one of better quality.

Do not use Vaseline--or any petroleum based product--in ANY toilet pump...petroleum is damaging to rubber. If you must just put something down the toilet, make it mineral oil (baby oil IS mineral oil, and easier and cheaper to find)...but the best way--that will last at least a full season--while you have the pump open, put a healthy squirt of thick synthetic based teflon grease into the pump, then pump a few times to spread it all over the inside of the pump cylinder. That's the same thing that's in all new toilet when they leave the factory and the reason why new toilets continue to pumps smoothly for at least a year before needing any additional lubrication.
 

l'escargot

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Re: Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

I had a similar problem with a Jabsco, it turned out that the circlip that held the weight onto the flapper valve at the top of the pump had corroded and the weight had dropped off. Sometimes the flap closed, sometimes it didn't, causing an intermittent problem as you describe.
 

knewboater

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Re: Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

Had exactly the same problem last season after fitting new pump/valves etc just would not pump water thro. after buying loop valves etc which I did not fit.My wife suggested that the intake loop was not filling with water so it could not function, so I took it off the wall (not boaty talk) and laid it down as far as poss and pumped, it worked immediately.Not saying your problem is the same but may be useful.(I wasted hours trying to work it out before being told what it was)
 

gorb

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Re: Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

Reply to Dylan.

Your loo won't flush because the syphon break in the inlet water circuit is between the seacock and the pump - its whole purpose is to PREVENT suction getting water into the boat accidentally. If you connect the inlet seacock direct to the loo, then break the pipe which connects the pump to the bowl and take that via the suction break, you will no longer have to use your finger after using the loo!
 

alex_rogers

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Re: Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

I had exactly the same problem. The circlip rusted, came loose and then prevented the valve from closing properly.
 

HeadMistress

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Re: Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

Gorb, some very high end toilets like the Blake or its US counterparts, the Wilcox-Crittenden Skipper and Groco model K, don't have a dual action piston cylinder pump...the intake valve/pump and the flush pump are separate, so there's no line between the pump and the bowl to break and insert one. The only place a loop CAN go is between the thru-hull and pump...in which case--especially if the toilet is above the waterline--putting your finger over the hole in the loop can be the only way to get it to prime.

But with dual action piston/cylinder pumps like the Jabsco, you're quite right...the loop should NOT be between the thru-hull and the pump, but between the pump and the bowl. Several weeks ago I posted a detailed explanation of the reasons why in another thread...those interested should be able to find it in a search of the recent archives for any loo related threads...there haven't been that many yet this year.
 

FWB

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Re: Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

Thanks Gorb and Peggie. I have just realised from your posts the way it should be. However....with the break where it is there's no way the boat can sink if I forgot to shut the seacocks so I'll stick with putting my finger on the loop. But thanks again for pointing out the approved way. Steve.
 

paulsmith

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Re: Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

thanks everyone, as suggested it was the flapper valve having become distorted after being left in the dry position during the winter layup.
we learn something new every day.
thanks again,
Paul
 

HeadMistress

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Re: Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

[ QUOTE ]
....with the break where it is there's no way the boat can sink if I forgot to shut the seacocks....

[/ QUOTE ]

Ohhhh, yes there is! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif A vented loop won't prevent a failed hose connection from sinking the boat. Granted, the odds are with you--especially if you check your connections regularly to make sure all clamps are tight...but if even the longest odds could never be beaten, no one would ever win a lottery...so don't allow yourself to be lulled into a false sense of security that leads to carelessness.
 

FWB

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Re: Jabsco loo won\'t flush. help

Peggie, I'm aware that the hose to seacock could fail. I think it more likely that the failure would be in the pump. Twice in the past I've experienced hairline cracks in the pumps of these loos. My loo is 2ft below the waterline, I wouldn't sleep at night if the vented loop wasn't where it was. It's no trouble at all putting my finger on it to use it !
 

Heckler

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Re: You rang? :)

hey
petroleum and mineral same thing, mineral you know comes from the earth, anyway my hand book says vegetable oil!!!
and also toilets dont have rubber bits, they are synthetic material. for info rubber dont like mineral or vegatable oils
stu
 

HeadMistress

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Re: You rang? :)

Vegetable oil is better than vaseline, but it can get rancid sitting in a warm boat (even when it's cool outside, solar heat can warm up a boat quite a bit), whereas mineral oil can't. And btw the way, the soft rubber bits in most toilets ARE rubber...and the hard black ones are neoprene, which is rubber based.

But hey...I'm only here to advise. It's your boat...do whatever floats it for you. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Just be aware that some things shorten the life of the bits that wear.
 
A

angelsson

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Hi Peggy,
Very interesting and informative contribution.
Is the synthetic based teflon grease readily available, and if so from where.
Thanks,
Mike
 

LadyViolet

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Re: You rang? :)

The level of expertise expounded in this thread is awesome! But I never knew that so much was likely to go wrong with my 5-year old Jabsco. How will I sleep at night without worrying about teflon grease, circlips and distorted flapper valves?
 

fontmell

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Re: You rang? :)

Why has no one here picked up the phone and spoken to the people who know the answers ie Jabsco UK tel 01992 450145
they are actually extremelly knowledgeable and helpful

Just to dispell myths appearing

Jabsco make more manual heads for leisure boats per year than every other producer added together!!! They are standard OEM fit on most small boats and statistically have very few problems, However with such a big pool of heads out there, the what in fact are statistically minimal problems become magnified.
 
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