Jabsco manual toilet - problem pumping out only

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hoped4

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After operating fine for several years , For no obvious reason when I try to 'pump out' our jabsco manual toilet there seems to be very strong/total resistance! (However, it appears that it drains out the sea water okay somehow - haven't given it a 'live' test however.) Pumping sea water in seems to operate normally. Does it just need a service last one 3yrs ago, Any sensible:) suggestions for solving this please ?Thank you
 
Hopefully it is the easy obvious thing of the joker valve stuffed up with deposits. Easy to fix by removing the housing at the outlet point from the pump to check. few £'s to replce. If that is OK then it is likely that the pipe is blocked with deposits and needs removing for cleaning or replacing. Assume you have checked the outlet and seacock are free.
 
Assuming the seacock is now open!
Perhaps the seacock was closed when you first tried to pump out.. then the Joker valve could have turned itself inside out (due to pressure) and now even though you've opened the seacock, it now stops any pump out.

Easy to check the Joker valve as it is located in the bent plastic fitting that is located beteen the bottom of the pump and the outlet hose. It stops the water coming back down the pipe so you'll get the amount of water coming out that lies between the valve and the top of the hose loop. The three fingers of it should all close up and be facing the direction where they would allow the flow up the pipe, but not back down into the pump.
 
Definitely sounds like an inverted joker valve. Happened to me a couple of week ago. The heads fills up, but does not empty. Easy to sort the valve, but be careful you get the thng put back together properly. Not the sort of place you want leaks.
 
Could also be just scaled up entirely. If so it's not that hard and not nearly as foul as you might expect. Just close off the seacocks and remove the hoses, bang them out, and it will all come out like so much plaster of paris. Disassemble the valve unit as well and give it a good cleaning, replacing parts with a spares kit as needed. It will be as good as new, and even if it was the joker valve, I can almost guarantee that after three years it will be due for a good clean-out.
 
SolentBoy said:
Definitely sounds like an inverted joker valve. Happened to me a couple of week ago. The heads fills up, but does not empty. Easy to sort the valve, but be careful you get the thng put back together properly. Not the sort of place you want leaks.
Click to expand...

Not sure I understand this. How does a joker valve become inverted in the first place? and why doesn't it turn itself back to the right way out on the first pump?

I would have said that someone has put something down the toilet that they hadn't eaten first :eek:
 
vyv_cox said:
Not sure I understand this. How does a joker valve become inverted in the first place? and why doesn't it turn itself back to the right way out on the first pump?

I would have said that someone has put something down the toilet that they hadn't eaten first :eek:
Click to expand...

Normally because someone had a go at pumping with the one of the seacocks closed!
 
vyv_cox said:
Not sure I understand this. How does a joker valve become inverted in the first place? and why doesn't it turn itself back to the right way out on the first pump?

I would have said that someone has put something down the toilet that they hadn't eaten first :eek:
Click to expand...

Never seen an inverted joker valve......

Last "not eaten" item found in my joker valve was a beer bottle top after the kids had used the boat for a weekend !!! :mad::mad:
 
vyv_cox said:
I can understand it with the discharge seacock closed. I never close mine when we are on board. Doesn't explain why the joker valve doesn't just blow back the right way though.
Click to expand...

I can't explain it, but can assure you it does not blow back. Once inverted it stays that way. Perhaps because once inverted there is a gap in the middle so the pressure cannot operate in the other direction.
 
A voice of dissent:

When the lever is set to 'out' it pumps out only but when it is set to 'in' it pumps out as well as in. If the outlet was blocked you wouldn't be able to pump on either setting. I would look for a problem on the input side, probably a vacuum being formed when the input water is shut off.

If I'm right it will save dismantling the mucky end of the pump which has to be good news!
 
snowleopard said:
A voice of dissent:

When the lever is set to 'out' it pumps out only but when it is set to 'in' it pumps out as well as in. If the outlet was blocked you wouldn't be able to pump on either setting. I would look for a problem on the input side, probably a vacuum being formed when the input water is shut off.

If I'm right it will save dismantling the mucky end of the pump which has to be good news!
Click to expand...

From the OP "Pumping sea water in seems to operate normally."
 
Thinking about it we did have that problem once, it was sticking flap valves in the component directly below the pumping handle, there is a sort of rubber gasket with weighted and spring loaded valves, after a few years they corrode and stick, replacement was the answer, but the damn thing persists in leaking to this day, but the shower drain pump seems to cope.
 
Clearly no one believes me, so you won't mind following this process.

Do not open the seacock outlet, but do open the inlet.
Put the handle to the left
Pump away.

The pumping action will build up sufficient pressure in the outlet to invert the joker valve.

Opening the seacock will not push the valve the other way.

It has happened to us several times (don't ask why).

Footnote edit.
The solution to nearly all heads problems, in my opinion, is to remove the whole pumping system intact. Replace it with a new spare which costs only a little more than a service kit. Take the problem one home and fix it on the bench.
 
Last edited:
vyv_cox said:
From the OP "Pumping sea water in seems to operate normally."
Click to expand...

The difference between the 'on' and 'off' positions of the valve is solely in the inlet side. In both positions the pump-out side is operating. That says to me that when the inlet valve is closed there is resistance but when it is open there isn't.

The key factor is that if the outlet side were blocked there would be resistance regardless of the setting of the input valve.
 
SolentBoy said:
Footnote edit.
The solution to nearly all heads problems, in my opinion, is to remove the whole pumping system intact. Replace it with a new spare which costs only a little more than a service kit. Take the problem one home and fix it on the bench.
Click to expand...

Agreed, after having to perform open heart surgery on it at 11pm at night we now carry a complete spare unit onboard.
 
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