Jabsco toilet not flushing

[Leighb]

Further to my post about the broken screws holding the valve cover here is a photo showing the broken posts, with the valves and gasket in situ.
How would theses breaks have occurred? Could it be due to over tightening, or perhaps over vigorous pumping, pulling too hard on the upstroke?

 

[Hoolie]

It's well known the Jabsco toilet is carefully manufactured to be only just fit for purpose. The slightest misuse, over-tightening, too violent operation etc will cause something to break.

 

[RichardS]

Further to my post about the broken screws holding the valve cover here is a photo showing the broken posts, with the valves and gasket in situ.
How would theses breaks have occurred? Could it be due to over tightening, or perhaps over vigorous pumping, pulling too hard on the upstroke?

Over-tightening will be the issue. In my experience working on cars, almost everything which is screwed into plastic will have been over-tightened.

Richard

 

[Leighb]

Over-tightening will be the issue. In my experience working on cars, almost everything which is screwed into plastic will have been over-tightened.

Richard

Thanks, I will be extra careful next time I have to strip it down, it seems to be a job that needs doing at least once very season.

 

[RichardS]

Thanks, I will be extra careful next time I have to strip it down, it seems to be a job that needs doing at least once very season.

I'm not so sure. Certainly the piston seal benefits from regular attention, and the bottom flap valve and joker valve sometimes need some TLC but I have never had to remove the 6 screws and the top cover during my 7 years ownership of the first two Jabscos and 4 years experience with the replacement twist and locks versions.

Richard

 

[pvb]

I'm not so sure. Certainly the piston seal benefits from regular attention, and the bottom flap valve and joker valve sometimes need some TLC but I have never had to remove the 6 screws and the top cover during my 7 years ownership of the first two Jabscos and 4 years experience with the replacement twist and locks versions.

Agree with this, I find the joker valve needs replacing every year or so, otherwise no problems.

 

[pvb]

It's well known the Jabsco toilet is carefully manufactured to be only just fit for purpose. The slightest misuse, over-tightening, too violent operation etc will cause something to break.

No, that's not well known at all. Jabsco toilets are fitted to the vast majority of boats, and are totally fit for purpose. If they can survive charter operation, they can survive anything!

 

[PaulRainbow]

Is the Jabsco twist and lock the worst boat bog ever made ?

 

[pvb]

Is the Jabsco twist and lock the worst boat bog ever made ?

No, that accolade goes to the Lavac...

 

[lynallbel]

Johnsons baby oil, few drops every now and then in the water job done.

 

[PaulRainbow]

No, that accolade goes to the Lavac...

Now now Peter, we have enough trolls on here already

 

[greeny]

13 yrs with my jabsco on this boat and no problems. Squeaks at me occasionally so I give it a drink of vegetable cooking oil (eggcup full) and it shuts up again. End of the season I strip and clean and grease and rebuild. Takes an hour.
Dare I use the bog tomorrow after saying this?

 

[Hoolie]

Is the Jabsco twist and lock the worst boat bog ever made ?

Only if you twist and lock

 

[mikegunn]

I'm not so sure. Certainly the piston seal benefits from regular attention, and the bottom flap valve and joker valve sometimes need some TLC but I have never had to remove the 6 screws and the top cover during my 7 years ownership of the first two Jabscos and 4 years experience with the replacement twist and locks versions.

Richard

My experience in the Med’ has been similar to yours Richard. However in the UK, where tidal streams can carry weed and other debris past the inlet, I’ve had the misfortune to suck up weed, which has got entangled with the spring on the inlet valve and prevented it from fully closing. No option then but to open the bonnet and have a clear out. It’s happened several times too.
Mike.

 

[RobF]

Johnsons baby oil, few drops every now and then in the water job done.

I tend to use cheap Olive Oil. Goes down the loo every other month or so.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Actually, the worst boat bog ever could be the twist and lock after it's had the electric conversion. It's definitely is the noisiest bog ever, everyone in the marina will know when you flush it

I fitted a Jabsco waste pump to y Lavac, along with a timer relay and a momentary rocker switch. Press the switch and walk away, almost silent.

 

[duncan99210]

Point on the broken screw posts. Whilst the screws appear to be self tappers they’re not! The plastic posts are threaded and you need to turn the screw anti-clockwise until you feel the start of the thread before screwing in clockwise until it’s tight enough. if you just drop the screw in and tighten it without making sure it’s in the thread it will cut a second “thread” but at the expense of weakening the post, often to the extent of snapping it.
If you’re in the situation where you’ve snapped the post, you may be able to drill through the post and then use a long nut and bolt until you can get a new pump. Don’t ask.....

 

[mikegunn]

Point on the broken screw posts. Whilst the screws appear to be self tappers they’re not! The plastic posts are threaded and you need to turn the screw anti-clockwise until you feel the start of the thread before screwing in clockwise until it’s tight enough. if you just drop the screw in and tighten it without making sure it’s in the thread it will cut a second “thread” but at the expense of weakening the post, often to the extent of snapping it.
If you’re in the situation where you’ve snapped the post, you may be able to drill through the post and then use a long nut and bolt until you can get a new pump. Don’t ask.....

You’re right. They‘re not self tappers but they are deformers, imparting a permanent deformation Of their thread form in the screw posts when first installed. If the screw is used to reform the thread enough times one can finish up with a threadless hole. So I would endorse your suggestion to feel for the start of the thread. In my experience it is very obvious when one gets it right and equally obvious when one hasn’t.
Mike

 

[rogerthebodger]

Now now Peter, we have enough trolls on here already

Paul, I must be ill as we agree again.

I converted my Jabsco to electric using a diaphragm bilge pump to pump out and a spare water pressure pump as a flush pump with an timer to operate the flush pump outs.

I also used the same diaphragm pump in parallel with the henderson pump on my Lavac. Both SWMBO and mysels prefer the Lavac. The timers are set to ensure aa fill flush tales place ensuring the exit pipes are totally clean

 

[Leighb]

Point on the broken screw posts. Whilst the screws appear to be self tappers they’re not! The plastic posts are threaded and you need to turn the screw anti-clockwise until you feel the start of the thread before screwing in clockwise until it’s tight enough. if you just drop the screw in and tighten it without making sure it’s in the thread it will cut a second “thread” but at the expense of weakening the post, often to the extent of snapping it.
If you’re in the situation where you’ve snapped the post, you may be able to drill through the post and then use a long nut and bolt until you can get a new pump. Don’t ask.....

Thanks, I am well aware of the need to take great care to start the thread by turn a/clockwise to feel for the click, and AFAIK did not break these by failing to do that, I might have overtightened I suppose.In any case the pump is fairly new, 2 seasons at most and has only been stripped down a couple of times.