Problem wih jabsco toilet

We have exactly the same on ours. If the lever is to the right and it moves ever so slightly, pumping becomes impossible. Pressing and holding the lever to the right solves the problem, althought it does not move more than a millimeter.
Sounds as though the can on the lever has become loose or worn. If I remember correctly this is not changed in a service kit
 
I don't think the later versions are identical. The Twist n' Lock type has a spring on one of the little valves, I believe.

There is a little spring, I had forgotten that it is not in the earlier model. The other parts are identical though - AFAIK
 
Thanks for the info .

Have trawled the jabsco website and watched this video a couple of 3 times.

http://youtu.be/BnQq4d-NmkE

It seems to show that on their cutaway toilet, when the switch it turned, it pushes against a spring.

My theory is that If the spring is even a little bit too long or over stretched, it will stop the valve from being fully open. Hopefully adjusting the spring will help.

Any thoughts?
 
Advice please as I'm sure this happens to a lot of people with jabsco toilets.

When both our toilets were new there was no problem with them. However first one and now the other have developed the same problem..

When you have the switch to the left ie to flush seawater through the bowl, no problem at all.

However when the switch is to the right, ie to empty the bowl there is great resistance to pumping , unless you do it very slowly. A vacuum or airlock seems to occur somewhere within the pump housing .

He problem can be alleviated somewhat by making sure that you hold the switch over far right, so that here is no play in it whatsoever.

I have taken the unit apart and replaced everything within the unit with a service kit. To no avail.

Any ideas or solutions?
Its to do with the lever, if you look underneath the lid when you take it off you will see a plastic hook that the lever moves that presses on the brass disk that pushes on the seal. It isn't doing its job, as others say pushing hard on the lever corrects it. Take apart and check to see if the hook is going back in its correct position or that its not worn
S
 
We have live aboard our vessel for 6 years now and this is what we have experienced.
A new Jabsco twist `n lock toilet or pump works for about 3 months. After that you can kind of keep it alive for 6 months by lubricate it with cooking oil.
After that you need to open the pump, change seals and messing about. And sometimes it still does not work.
What we do is to change the whole toilet. Done under 5 minutes.
So 100£ a year goes to toilets.

or by a Lavac
 
We have live aboard our vessel for 6 years now and this is what we have experienced.h
A new Jabsco twist `n lock toilet or pump works for about 3 months. After that you can kind of keep it alive for 6 months by lubricate it with cooking oil.
After that you need to open the pump, change seals and messing about. And sometimes it still does not work.
What we do is to change the whole toilet. Done under 5 minutes.
So 100£ a year goes to toilets.

or by a Lavac

The twist and lock version is essentially the same as the older version except that it has a longer pump shaft which physically holds the bottom valve shut to prevent backwash. They will last as long as the older version but although cooking oil is a quick fix I think it will affect the rubber seals and hasten their demise. Silicon grease or proper rubber grease are needed if the new seals are to have a decent life.

Richard
 
We have live aboard our vessel for 6 years now and this is what we have experienced.
A new Jabsco twist `n lock toilet or pump works for about 3 months. After that you can kind of keep it alive for 6 months by lubricate it with cooking oil.
After that you need to open the pump, change seals and messing about. And sometimes it still does not work.
What we do is to change the whole toilet. Done under 5 minutes.
So 100£ a year goes to toilets.

or by a Lavac
I don't know what you do with yours but I replaced the original pump with a twist and lock one four years ago. It is in daily use for three months plus each year and has given virtually no trouble.
 
On the dry bowl operation the lever holds one valve closed and the other open (to allow air in, otherwise you pumping a vacuum). It may be that the valve that the "hook" on the lever is sticking down. Try a good smear of petroleum jelly on both valve seats in the top valve assembly. If that does not work then it would appear to indicate wear on the hook of the internal wet/dry bowl lever, or a misalignment where the hook is not locating properly on the base weight enabling a good clearance when open.

(Remember, the special high/low thread on the self tappers, when reassembling the toilet, always turn the screws anti-clockwise, until you feel them fall into the threads previously cut by the screws, then do up as normal)

Jon
 
I find ours also exhibits this exact behaviour if the switch isn't fully pushed to the right. Guests often have issues. It only needs to move over a mm or two to make it work again...
 
We had exactly this problem recently on our 18 month old Jabsco Twist'n'Lock. When I dismantled it, I discovered that the problem was in the valve diaphragm - that has a rather heavy brass slug riveted onto it which is the main valve - the rivet had popped off (it's a small spring-washer that grips a pin on the brass slug) and the slug had come free. By the time I realised what had happened, I had removed all the components, so I could not see where the slug had landed, so I don't fully understand the mechanism that was causing this to lock up the piston, but replacing the diaphragm completely solved it.
 
+1. I have had the same problem. The problem "develops", so not a wrong installation.
On my "winter to do list".

I note that when the issue happens, there's is a small amount of play in the lever, ie its not right the way over.
 
I replace a mark 1 pump with a twist lock 12 months ago.

1. I cracked the pump body by removing a very tight pipe during winter maintenance. The new body is shiny and brittle compared to older soft plastic bodies

2. I have the pump lock issue, resolved by holding the lever over another mm. I've not experienced this on the old black or grey handled pumps. I'm feeling this issue is specific to or more likely on the twist lock pumps?

3. The joker valve is still critical to backfill and only does about 3 months without cleaning or replacing ... so same as the previous pump!
 
I replace a mark 1 pump with a twist lock 12 months ago.

1. I cracked the pump body by removing a very tight pipe during winter maintenance. The new body is shiny and brittle compared to older soft plastic bodies

2. I have the pump lock issue, resolved by holding the lever over another mm. I've not experienced this on the old black or grey handled pumps. I'm feeling this issue is specific to or more likely on the twist lock pumps?

3. The joker valve is still critical to backfill and only does about 3 months without cleaning or replacing ... so same as the previous pump!

+1 the jokervalv is rubbish
 
Our Joker valve has 2 years use since last disassembly cleaning etc.

I was also puzzled by the comments about the unreliability of the joker valve. We've had boats for quite a few years now and I've never had to replace one. The only time I ever had a problem was when I flushed some dirty cat litter and the valve temporarily stuck open - it took a lot of pumping to clear that!
 
When Joker valves fail they leak smelly water back into the bowl. The usual cause is that urine reacts with seawater to cause deposition of, mostly, insoluble carbonates, which fill the space behind the valve, distorting the rubber, and on the tricuspid lips, holding them open. If Joker valves are failing frequently it is almost certainly because insufficient flushing is taking place. It is quite difficult to flush through the vertical part of a loop but prolonged flushing is the best remedy.
 
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