Lavac toilets

8-9 months use as liveaboard before clogging- thankyou, useful info. I had to fit a brand new pump in Panama back in April, and I was wondering how long before it needed looking at. Re original post- agree it may be the hole, I currently have tape over it, still experimenting with the hole size- in the meantime I keep my finger over it until I guess there's enough water in the bowl...
Slightly off topic, I have other issues with the loo at the moment- the plastic plinth on which the porcelain sits has cracked around the rear two screws which hold it down, making it perilous to use when the boat's tippy: the seat is getting stained beyond cleanability, and all the gaskets, seals and hinge pads need changing. (I do have the seat seals and the pump spares, but not the reat). The only thing in good nick is the porcelain bowl itself. Shall I buy all the bits separately or just bin it and get a brand new loo! (will be in Australia soon).
Oh, re agua fuerte, it almost certainly is a coincidence, but I was using hydrochloric acid (which is what Agua Fuerte is, no?) to clean the old pump just before the plastic casing of the old pump went 'powdery' and cracked irreparably, hence expensive new pump obtained in Florida and sent to Panama.
 
The (Whale) MkV pumps have polypropylene bodies. I'd not expect any bother with hydrochloric acid of any concentration at ambient temperatures.

Nitric acid, on the other hand, at highish concentrations (or raised temperatures) could cause problems.

Older (Henderson) pumps may not have been polypropylene !
 
capnsensible said:
I reckon on an average of 8 or 9 months liveaboard use before the pump and pipework need a rebore. Have extended that in the last few years by maybe another 3 months using Spanish Agua Fuerte.

Its the non return valve that gets clogged!!!! :eek:
Click to expand...
I think I might be luckier than you. I have two Lavacs that were fitted as original in 1979. I live aboard full time and in the last 14 years have;
- Replaced pump seals probably 4 times
- Replaced hoses twice
- Replaced bowl seals once.
- Re-drilled the bleed hole two or three times.

I have been known to splash a bit of vinegar through it but am unconvinced it makes any difference
I think this is probably one of the most reliable pieces of kit on my boat!
Now I am so going to regret typing that!!
 
timchapman said:
I think I might be luckier than you. I have two Lavacs that were fitted as original in 1979. I live aboard full time and in the last 14 years have;
- Replaced pump seals probably 4 times
- Replaced hoses twice
- Replaced bowl seals once.
- Re-drilled the bleed hole two or three times.

I have been known to splash a bit of vinegar through it but am unconvinced it makes any difference
I think this is probably one of the most reliable pieces of kit on my boat!
Now I am so going to regret typing that!!
Click to expand...

I must be one of the more unlucky ones....
When we bought the boat, the previous owner forgot to mention to me that he hadnt fitted the hole in the hose, and that one had to shut the inlet pipe seacock off after pumping, or the whole boat might fill with water. Guess how I found out... (well not the whole boat, but the trickling sound of water overflowing the bowl alerted me)
Completely re-did the heads including new seals etc, and brand new pipes; bought plenty of spares and set off round the world.
The (very old) pump stopped working properly just into our atlantic crossing. No problem, bucket n chuckit was fine, however needed a working heads before the Panama canal for the pilots to use. So that's when I replaced all valves, cleaned it up with Muriatic Acid, loverly- till the pump body cracked.....
Sitting on my newly-properly-working loo mid Pacific- what luxury- 'crack! Crack' as the boat rolled, 2 splits in the plinth around the screw holes....
I read this post, decide to fit new seat/lid seals, get my spares- despite it saying on the package the right part numbers for a 'Popular' (which I have), the new seals are far too big- by centimetres- so they must have sent me Zenith spares I suppose.....poo.
I still fondly believe I have the rolls royce of toilets- but my belief is being tested!
 
VicS said:
We had one regular crew member who flushed away the solids before he did the paperwork and then flushed that away separately.
Click to expand...

You let people put loo-paper in there?! :eek:

Nothing goes into our Lavac except what's comes out one's own body - whichever of the three routes it might take.

All loo paper and baby-wipes (so very useful for keeping oneself clean when away from facilities) go into biodegradable nappy-bags to be binned ashore.

The system is also regularly flushed with any left-over soapy water from the washing-up bowl, and gets a squirt of neat washing-up liquid on final flushing before leaving the boat.

No probs at all in five years, and the set of spare seals remains unopened.

By the way, our own vent-hole is taped over completely, and the bowl never floods. I guess it depends on the exact nature of your installation.
 
phanakapan said:
8-9 months use as liveaboard before clogging- thankyou, useful info. I had to fit a brand new pump in Panama back in April, and I was wondering how long before it needed looking at. Re original post- agree it may be the hole, I currently have tape over it, still experimenting with the hole size- in the meantime I keep my finger over it until I guess there's enough water in the bowl...
Slightly off topic, I have other issues with the loo at the moment- the plastic plinth on which the porcelain sits has cracked around the rear two screws which hold it down, making it perilous to use when the boat's tippy: the seat is getting stained beyond cleanability, and all the gaskets, seals and hinge pads need changing. (I do have the seat seals and the pump spares, but not the reat). The only thing in good nick is the porcelain bowl itself. Shall I buy all the bits separately or just bin it and get a brand new loo! (will be in Australia soon).
Oh, re agua fuerte, it almost certainly is a coincidence, but I was using hydrochloric acid (which is what Agua Fuerte is, no?) to clean the old pump just before the plastic casing of the old pump went 'powdery' and cracked irreparably, hence expensive new pump obtained in Florida and sent to Panama.
Click to expand...


Do nothing until you get to Oz. I have replaced a perfectly good Lavac with a run of the mill electric loo because I could not get the Lavac to work with a macerator. The law requires much finer maceration than what you get from the Mk IV.
 
Babylon said:
You let people put loo-paper in there?! :eek:

Nothing goes into our Lavac except what's comes out one's own body - whichever of the three routes it might take.
Click to expand...

I put loo paper in all types of heads, with care (ie not too much at once). I would argue that a head that can't pass paper isn't fit for purpose. Possibly slightly different with holding tanks, where it can settle and clump, but if it's going straight over the side then I've not had a problem.

Didn't the lavac salesman the boat show used to pump his tie through it? Surely it can cope with a bit of used bum-cartridge!

Pete
 
prv said:
I put loo paper in all types of heads, with care (ie not too much at once). I would argue that a head that can't pass paper isn't fit for purpose. Possibly slightly different with holding tanks, where it can settle and clump, but if it's going straight over the side then I've not had a problem.

Didn't the lavac salesman the boat show used to pump his tie through it? Surely it can cope with a bit of used bum-cartridge!

Pete
Click to expand...

Never had a problem with a Lavac coping with 'bum-cartridge'
 
Babylon said:
You let people put loo-paper in there?! :eek:

Nothing goes into our Lavac except what's comes out one's own body - whichever of the three routes it might take.

All loo paper and baby-wipes (so very useful for keeping oneself clean when away from facilities) go into biodegradable nappy-bags to be binned ashore.

The system is also regularly flushed with any left-over soapy water from the washing-up bowl, and gets a squirt of neat washing-up liquid on final flushing before leaving the boat.

No probs at all in five years, and the set of spare seals remains unopened.

By the way, our own vent-hole is taped over completely, and the bowl never floods. I guess it depends on the exact nature of your installation.
Click to expand...
Never had any problems with Lavacs coping with loo paper. Had one for 22 years on previous boat and 12 years to date on current boat.
I've only ever sailed once on a boat where the owner wouldn't allow loo paper. Never went again despite several invitations.
Separating loo paper seems such a 3rd world solution, are you expected to use both sides of the paper as well?
 
mansell said:
Can anyone help ?

Have a Lavac toilet with a new large Jabsco diaphragm pump. All tubes according to Lavac manual. Evacutes well. Seal on seat and lid appear good.

But it will not draw water in after evacuation even when sitting on the lid. Vacuum holds for not more than 5 seconds. Valve with the small hole is in the top of the loop. Discovered from Lavac that when they fitted a timer it was set for 30 to 40 seconds. Tried keeping the pump pumping for 45 seconds, but still no good.

Would welcome ideas.

Regards

Chris
Click to expand...

I had an identical problem. I am also assuming the Henderson Mk V hand-operated pump?

You say that the bowl will not hold vacuum which is the same fault that I had so I stripped down the pump again and found that the lower valve, the square one, had been assembled incorrectly during manufacture and needed to be removed from the Henderson pump and then, once removed, by 'un-sliding' the leaf valve from its square 'frame' and reassembling back into the pump so that the valve worked correctly.
 
red beard said:
We're all assuming that a. the seacock is open :D and b. not clogged?
Click to expand...

If the inlet seacock was not open or was blocked the vacuum would hold for longer than a few seconds if everything else was Ok.

Either the pump is defective or there is an air leak into the system.

The inlet may also be blocked but that will become apparent once the system is holding a good vacuum because there will still be no water coming in.
 
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