Jabsco manual pump won't discharge

[DangerousPirate]

A guest on board didn't listen to the million times I told them to not use excessive amounts of paper, well, now the toilet's clogged and won't pump out, and worst of all: the seacock won't budge to close it so I can take it apart.

Water intake is fine, just doesn't pump out. The handle is stuck on top and won't go down, jumps right back up when I try and I fear I might blow a seal or something.

Any ideas what I can do? Apparently they couldn't find new roll of tp either and used kitchen roll aswell. Oh my...

Listen to yiur captain, people! It's not that hard.

Anyway. Now I got the problem.

Anything that dissolves the kitchen roll? I tried a plunger but soon realised that it's obviously not going to work because of the one way discharge system. Should have thought of that...

Can I maybe get a wire to maybe poke it through or something? Not sure what my options are. Lifting out will be a little while from now.

 

[TonyMS]

Tap a conical bung into the outlet from outside, then you can dismantle everything inside. I had to do this every day for a month when my seacock jammed open.

 

[Daydream believer]

Try to involve the guests as much as possible in any unblocking operation. It is the quickest way to teach them the error of their ways. A bit of toilet paper stuck to the upper lip really concentrates the mind. (One of my crew got on a train & went home from Holland after such an event)

First move everything away from the area so you only have a limited area of the bilge to clear up. Disconnect hose at the seacock. If it is blocked there not much water will come in & most likely it will blow the blockage back into the boat if you poke it with a stick. Then you will be able to shut the seacock.
At the same time, pressure from the Jabsco should start to push the contents through the pipe . You may catch some in a pan, (goes well with the chips) or paint tray etc. Normally it comes out in a burst of pressure & blows all over the place. So hold a hand over the end of the pipe to stop it flying about.

Wear some latex gloves & scoop the paper into a bucket. The more smelly content will have begun to break up so plenty of water will flush it to the bilges where the pump can clear it. But make sure no paper gets into the electric bilge pump

It is not a nice job, but the more determined that one is to deal with it the less it spreads around. It is one of those tasks we all have to do & the quicker we do it the sooner it gets done. Pussyfooting around just makes it worse & pushes the effluent everywhere. Containment is the trick. Then some ventillation & disinfectant.

 

[DangerousPirate]

I just think the outlet seacock is generally jammed up by not being opened or closed in a long time. Might have to find the outlet under water and plung it up then. That's an idea. I suspect the paper to be stuck before the house though.

"Try to involve the guests as much as possible in any unblocking operation" I would, but they are utterly incompetent. Can't even hold a screwdriver the right side up, let alone know what a jubilee clip is or have the strength to pull off a hose.. She's a gentle creature.

 

[vyv_cox]

I would suspect one of the valves in the toilet, probably the foot valve as this has the smaller opening but otherwise the joker valve. Undoing the joker valve housing will allow a little water into the boat, most of which you can catch in a plastic bag. The loop will prevent the open valve from flooding the boat. If the joker valve is ok take off the pump assembly and all will be revealed.

 

[DangerousPirate]

I would suspect one of the valves in the toilet, probably the foot valve as this has the smaller opening but otherwise the joker valve. Undoing the joker valve housing will allow a little water into the boat, most of which you can catch in a plastic bag. The loop will prevent the open valve from flooding the boat. If the joker valve is ok take off the pump assembly and all will be revealed.

I am not 100 on where the joker valve is. Can I just unscrew this bit and take it off there?

 

[RupertW]

It’s one reason why whe have a lined bin on the wall and nothing ever goes down except what has been eaten.

 

[RupertW]

I am not 100 on where the joker valve is. Can I just unscrew this bit and take it off there?View attachment 158318

The joker valve is held by the two screws in your circle. Undo those and you will see it. I suspect the blockage is in the pipe or seacock, though.

 

[Bilgediver]

I suspect the blockage is at the Joker valbe as mentioned earlier. To prevent this in the future only use the cheapest supermarket paper which breaks down quicker than the fancy grades. This is what expensive marine toilet paper usually is.

 

[DangerousPirate]

It’s one reason why whe have a lined bin on the wall and nothing ever goes down except what has been eaten.

Yuck.
Normal TP is fine usually, but kitchen roll, and then 2 big sheets of it at once, is not. Probably would have clogged a normal toilet, too.

I suspect the blockage is at the Joker valbe as mentioned earlier. To prevent this in the future only use the cheapest supermarket paper which breaks down quicker than the fancy grades. This is what expensive marine toilet paper usually is.

Well, I had tp that breaks down well, never was an issue. But aparently the roll was finished, and she didn't find the new one under the sink and just used kitchen roll as mentioned above.

 

[lustyd]

A well maintained Jabsco is absolutely fine with kitchen roll, there’s a video on YouTube I’ve posted a few times where the chap demonstrates with a load of wadded up blue roll.
Lack of proper maintenance is the issue usually along with not enough pumps after use.

 

[rib]

Your pipes may not be as big as you think.. It could be anywhere from pump to seacocks

 

[DangerousPirate]

They're quite big, but yeah. I took the toilet apart and it's further up. Either at the seacock or in the hose somewhere. Taking a break now cause I can't get the hose off the seacock - weird angle, tight fit and been stuck for ages presumably.

 

[johnalison]

If you have a decent loop or syphon break in the outlet it may not matter if the seacock doesn’t close. You could detach the outlet cautiously and see.

 

[PCUK]

A well maintained Jabsco is absolutely fine with kitchen roll, there’s a video on YouTube I’ve posted a few times where the chap demonstrates with a load of wadded up blue roll.
Lack of proper maintenance is the issue usually along with not enough pumps after use.

Kitchen roll is bad as it doesn't break down like bog roll!

 

[DangerousPirate]

If you have a decent loop or syphon break in the outlet it may not matter if the seacock doesn’t close. You could detach the outlet cautiously and see.

Okay I did that, i think the seacock is directly at the waterline as no water came in unless you stepped on the starboard side, where the heads is located. Worked fine. It was directly at the seacock. At least I have seen the entirety of the toilet now.

 

[Daydream believer]

At least she did not resort to tearing up the cardboard centre, or using her socks.

 

[lustyd]

Kitchen roll is bad as it doesn't break down like bog roll!

Yes it’s bad for the environment but the toilet can and will flush it.

 

[johnalison]

Yes it’s bad for the environment but the toilet can and will flush it.

Not in my friend’s ex-demo Island Packet. I enjoyed a very entertaining few weeks in their company while they had to repeatedly seek pump-outs in the Baltic before the kitchen roll was found in the holding tank, a legacy from the previous owners.

 

[lustyd]

Not in my friend’s ex-demo Island Packet. I enjoyed a very entertaining few weeks in their company while they had to repeatedly seek pump-outs in the Baltic before the kitchen roll was found in the holding tank, a legacy from the previous owners.

Holding tank is not Jabsco loo. Your tale simple proves my point, the loo successfully pumped the paper into the holding tank as it is supposed to.