SeamanStaines
New member
Firstly, can I apologise if this has already been covered.
We live aboard (in the UK and Europe) on a catamaran which has four toilets (excessive I know but she was a charter yacht!). We tend to use one of them all of the time and the others occasionally when we have the family on board. They are all Jabsco manual compact toilets. About two years ago I replaced the pumps on all four of them with the twist and lock type when we moved on board full time.
Since then I have done nothing put replace parts of the pumps, the twist mechanisms go, the flush/empty levers jam and, on the one that is used the most, eventually becomes too stiff to actually use. During the last two years I have replaced most of the components and eventually, last spring purchased another complete pump assembly.
After about six months of operation this has now also pretty much seized up so I am back into the routine of replacing parts, or most likely replacing the entire pump assembly. I then contacted Jabsco to ask what on earth as going on and was told that the toilets are not designed for live aboard use and are intended to be used occasionally for a few weeks a year (they suggested four) over the design life of the toilet which is apparently five years. This implies a life of six months, which to be honest is about what I am getting.
This is crazy of course as it means they are suggesting a new pump assembly twice a year which at around £50 a time is not insignificant. I did mutter about ‘not fit for the purpose’ but these are apparently ‘leisure’ products.
Has anyone any thoughts on a sensibly toilet I could retrofit without too much pain that might work for a little longer, or better, am I missing something obvious on the maintenance?
We live aboard (in the UK and Europe) on a catamaran which has four toilets (excessive I know but she was a charter yacht!). We tend to use one of them all of the time and the others occasionally when we have the family on board. They are all Jabsco manual compact toilets. About two years ago I replaced the pumps on all four of them with the twist and lock type when we moved on board full time.
Since then I have done nothing put replace parts of the pumps, the twist mechanisms go, the flush/empty levers jam and, on the one that is used the most, eventually becomes too stiff to actually use. During the last two years I have replaced most of the components and eventually, last spring purchased another complete pump assembly.
After about six months of operation this has now also pretty much seized up so I am back into the routine of replacing parts, or most likely replacing the entire pump assembly. I then contacted Jabsco to ask what on earth as going on and was told that the toilets are not designed for live aboard use and are intended to be used occasionally for a few weeks a year (they suggested four) over the design life of the toilet which is apparently five years. This implies a life of six months, which to be honest is about what I am getting.
This is crazy of course as it means they are suggesting a new pump assembly twice a year which at around £50 a time is not insignificant. I did mutter about ‘not fit for the purpose’ but these are apparently ‘leisure’ products.
Has anyone any thoughts on a sensibly toilet I could retrofit without too much pain that might work for a little longer, or better, am I missing something obvious on the maintenance?
