Jabsco loos, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

captainslarty

captainslarty

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Hi all.
After getting sick and tired of the Lavac (4 years of continuous use !) and its problems (Blocking, leaking pumps, difficulty unblocking and general dissapointment with it - even tried different pump models - all the same issues)

We want a 'normal' marine loo.
I have been advised that the newer Jabsco twist n lock units are ok. ??

What are your thoughts please ...

Joe
 
Re: Jabso loos, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

Funnily enough, the rear bog needs a new pump and i was seriously thinking of ditching it and getting a lavac after all the recommendations here.
I have lived with Jabsco for 2 years, only 1 blockage and that was in the piping. However, forget service kits, they are a pain in the a***, I did both bogs when i got the boat and had leaks right up to buying new pumps.
Someone else here said forget service kits a new pump is the way to go.
regards
roy
 
Re: Jabso loos, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

Hi Sailorman, yes it certainly was, it really upsets me to report a lack of success in the kit.. as I say, we HAVE used it everyday for 4 years.. it is regularly serviced.. it is just not up to the job.. I used to think these were the bees knees, but not now.. sick to the hind teeth of the darn thing. A lot of it is to do with the size of the average turd lol.. a discussion we had on the liveaboard forum last year.. seriously... you KNOW when its gonna block.. and when it does, its a bloody nightmare..

So, after an extended trial, I report lack of confidence in the unit.. its gotta go... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Re: Jabso loos, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

Agreed Roy, and thats another thing.. it is BLOODY expensive for a new Henderson mK5 pump !!!!.. even the rebuild kit is expensive..
the tricuspid vavle is constantly clogging with calcium build up.. again, I HAVE percevered with it.. I used to think it was great.. cos I had a few service kits in stock.. I spend more a year on the darn thing than a new loo.. Of all the kit on Ruddles, both Jayne and I think it is the worst in relation to effort and cost to maintain. Never a problem with the bowl seals etc, purely the pump.. and often the pump is not readilly accessible. a nightmare.. be gone foul demon.. !!.. and good riddance !

/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
Re: Jabso Lois, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

Hi again Sailorman.. we DO.. even tried agua fuerte lol !!!.. it gets half a gallon of vinegre every month.. honestly.. it just isnt up to the job(bies)

It is the pump, nothing less or more..) Maybe its designed to cope with a 1.7 inch turd, but not a 2.0054 inch turd ??.. dunno.. and yikes .. how DO they test it lol....

A good part of life is having the morning dump whilst reading a third hand copy of Yotting Monthly..... ifone cant enjoy such a simple pleasure it is outrageous...
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Re: Jabso Lois, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

Funnily enough, I was thinking about converting to a lavac from a jabsco because of recommendations.......................try eating more fruit /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Re: Jabso Lois, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

Lavac? seat down, pump out, vacuum draws in flush water. What can go wrong - not the lavac. Tell us where it blocks, then engineer out the bottleneck. Piece of piss~ err sorry the other-. You can see the diameter of "conduit" by looking down into the bowl. Get rid of anything narrower in the path between there and the outside. Taking the pipes out and thrashing them on the dock will do one of two things - cover everything in grey smelly calcium and clear the pipes, or shatter the pipes which means you should have changed them years ago. The "warm south" seems to promote calcification quicker and thicker than at home, so aquafuerte has a place in the maintenance plan. Changing to a side-pump with inernal valves will add more fail-factors to your system and will only work (for a while) if you renew/upgrade EVERYTHING to ensure a smooth wide exit path.
 
Re: Jabso loos, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

[ QUOTE ]
Lavac every time, if it blocked continuously was it installed correctly in the first place

[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely! Something or someone was totally wrong. Lavac HAS to be the best 'idiot-proof' head on the market. Perhaps some very, very basic training was needed. There is after all a whole TWO things to do - close the lid - and pump!

Perhaps a bucket is the answer for those who find it too difficult! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Re: Jabso loos, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

mmmmmm,
from your locations it seems that lavacs are ok with UK turds but struggle with Euro turds....
regards
roy
 
Re: Jabso Lois, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

Hi, Slarty.

Really sorry you are having probs with Lavac. We have 2 on Junica & having lived on board for 11 years they are used every day. His & hers, whole pipe run has been replaced once and 'knocked out' twice. Pumps are original and on average serivce kit used every other year. We do NOT put paper down the loo a guest did it once and it resulted in a blockage!!! We don't regularly put anything down the loo as a cleaning agent. Occasionally some vinegar, anti calcium spray and shhh bleach tabs.

Main problem solving would be calcium in the pipes, or, more likely if you have clam shell strainers on the inlet, growth/barnacles. When it gets warmer dive down & look. The other major prob after anti-fouling is if one has slapped a couple of coats over the strainers. Just make sure you run a small blade through the anti-fouling.

Leaks are another matter - where from? Pump or back of loo?

xx
 
Re: Jabso Lois, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

[ QUOTE ]
Hi, Slarty.

We do NOT put paper down the loo a guest did it once and it resulted in a blockage!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Where do you put it then, in the gash? Sounds noisome, but perhaps I have misunderstood?
 
Re: Jabso Lois, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

small bin with plastic bag in heads does the trick. Ever been to Greece? BTW plastic as in degradable. & no you hadn't misunderstood!
 
We had a Lavac on our last boat and rate it highly, over 14 years of use. We currently have a Jabsco which also works fine but is far less robust but then spares are easily available and relatively cheap, a new loo complete is around £100 to £120 depending on compact versus large arse model.

The Lavac needs to have the right amount of residual water in the bowl after flushing, too little and it pumps 'dry' stuff, too much and it will roll out of the bowl when heeled. So the little plastic inset with a pinhole that acts as the vacuum break in the outlet pipe is much more important than it seems, it needs to be the right sized hole (varies with height above water) and kept free of salt over time.

We only ever had a leak from the standard Lavac pump once, the diaphragm had split (though it still worked) and this allowed smelly water to pass which dripped out of a telltale hole in the rear of the pump. The valves and insides of the pump did salt up but a regular full service every 2 or 3 years meant we never had a problem, living aboard that might mean every year.

The other part of all loo systems is the pipework and the outlet pipe will reduce to zero diameter. On our last boat (Lavac) we had to do the snake killing trick on a pontoon shortly after purchase and fit a replacement hose about 6 years later. Two blockages but neither were the Lavac's fault, just caused by the calcium in the pipes. Our current boat had a new Jabsco and new pipework prior to some 6 years liveaboard and then after 10 years the pipe blocked again last year and I broke the pump housing applying extra force to clear it.

Which loo is best? I'd be happy with either Lavac or Jabsco. We do now carry a complete spare pump assembly for the Jabsco, having seen the old one crack when abused and this is a 5 minute job to fit. Having 2 pump assemblies means we can do a service exchange job and rebuild the off duty one at leisure. One final advice (thanks to Peggy 'Headmistress') is that I periodically slip off the top of the Jabsco pump piston assembly and grease the inside of the cylinder and the 'O' ring on the plunger which keeps it working easily.
 
[ QUOTE ]
and the outlet pipe will reduce to zero diameter.

[/ QUOTE ] It takes three years with six months a year living aboard to reach this state (photo shows inlet and outlet sides of a syphon break after 3 years). Note that the inlet side, which usually remains full, does not grow deposits as quickly as the outlet side, which is usually empty but wet. Outlet side evaporation leaves more deposit. The problem is much worse in warm climates - even N Spain. Deposits fall off and block the outlet sea cock.

Hydrochloric acid will reduce the deposit rate a little, but doesn't remain in contact with the outlet side long enough to cure the problem. It will also remove chromium oxides from the surface of any stailess steel it touches, leaving you with later rust streaks from fastenings affected. A two yearly snake bashing task is the only reliable prevention in a warm climate.

Other causes of blockage have been discussed. Wodges of paper (yes, dispose of paper the Greek way, separately. Nothing goes into the loo unless it's been through the digestive system). And excessively large and dry stools - eat more bran.

Loo type (Lavac vs Jabsco) makes little difference to these blockage rates.
GRapaz5.jpg
 
Re: Jabso Lois, blockages and general thoughts please ?? need info..

Are you doing number twoS i the marina????Under Spanish law you should do it in the toilet ashore then it can be pumped directly into the dock.....officially!
 
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