dslittle
Well-known member
Following on from Vic’s ‘A day in the life of a Liveaboard’...
Well before I start, I am really surprised that no one in the USA has sued Jabsco yet - how it can be called quiet flush is beyond me...
The next thing is the fact that I will cheerfully throw the two guys from the Xylem video overboard if they ever come onto my boat. I don’t doubt that, in real life, they are nice enough guys but to say that changing the joker valve is a five minute job and ten minutes to change out the seals is reason enough for me to take extreme revenge!!!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BuHMYCEEqWk
Obviously a nice clean new toilet on a workbench without any pipe work or electrics will always be easier than bent triple around a corner of the heads with your face in the toilet trying to use tools that don’t fit into the space available.
TOP TIP AT THE END!
Luckily I was able to go to Mr. Bricolage who kindly sold me a screwdriver that was short enough to fit. That being said, it was short enough to fit in the gap it it was still an effort to get any grip on it to undo the slotted screws holding the fitting on. Why oh why don’t they use cross head screws? (I am sure that some engineer with more knowledge than me will know the answer but take it from me, slotted screws are not easy to undo in these circumstances - especially when wearing latex gloves!!!)
I was ‘looking forwards’ to the nice easy job of removing the joker valve housing as my two new best friends on the video had told me that it was held on with cross head screws. THEY LIED!!! The first two, near the top, came out with only minimal expletives, the bottom one broke me. After three hours. I gave in and took a break.
The next morning saw another 30 minutes to get the screw out. This one couldn’t t be accessed by any screwdriver, either too long or too stubby so I had to resort to minimal turning with a small ratchet and a slotted screwdriver, by now bending my body through four planes. On the cusp of giving up me taking a saw to it, the screw came out. The main problem with this one (other than position and access) was the fact that some genius had put the hose over the screw before tightening up the jubilee clips which were now holding it tightly in place. No amount of hot water/heat would budge it...
Another trip to Mr Bricolage acquired cross head screws to replace those on the joker valve housing but not the ones holding the impeller on. Luckily there are a number of chandlers around and, as I am on a French boat in France, I thought that it would not be too difficult to obtain cross head screws for them. Suffice to say, the old screws are back in place.
That last sentence was so easy to write - it sounds as though replacement was a doddle...
As it goes it was much easier to replace everything, mainly due to the fact that I took the bowl of the toilet off the base to change the seal there. I now had access to all of the lower working without too much trouble. The hoses were still stiff, the screws were still inaccessible but I didn’t have to shove my face down the loo and reach behind it. It was at about this time that I remembered how I had previously serviced the aft heads. Arghhhhhh
Everything is back together again now. I still haven’t put any water through yet because I’m scared that it will leak. It all looks nice and clean though so I might just leave it as it is...
So Top Tip - take the bowl off first.
Alternatively just buy another toilet and drop it in, it’s almost worth it financially - especially as it cost me £20 for a joker valve and four seals!!!
Well before I start, I am really surprised that no one in the USA has sued Jabsco yet - how it can be called quiet flush is beyond me...
The next thing is the fact that I will cheerfully throw the two guys from the Xylem video overboard if they ever come onto my boat. I don’t doubt that, in real life, they are nice enough guys but to say that changing the joker valve is a five minute job and ten minutes to change out the seals is reason enough for me to take extreme revenge!!!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BuHMYCEEqWk
Obviously a nice clean new toilet on a workbench without any pipe work or electrics will always be easier than bent triple around a corner of the heads with your face in the toilet trying to use tools that don’t fit into the space available.
TOP TIP AT THE END!
Luckily I was able to go to Mr. Bricolage who kindly sold me a screwdriver that was short enough to fit. That being said, it was short enough to fit in the gap it it was still an effort to get any grip on it to undo the slotted screws holding the fitting on. Why oh why don’t they use cross head screws? (I am sure that some engineer with more knowledge than me will know the answer but take it from me, slotted screws are not easy to undo in these circumstances - especially when wearing latex gloves!!!)
I was ‘looking forwards’ to the nice easy job of removing the joker valve housing as my two new best friends on the video had told me that it was held on with cross head screws. THEY LIED!!! The first two, near the top, came out with only minimal expletives, the bottom one broke me. After three hours. I gave in and took a break.
The next morning saw another 30 minutes to get the screw out. This one couldn’t t be accessed by any screwdriver, either too long or too stubby so I had to resort to minimal turning with a small ratchet and a slotted screwdriver, by now bending my body through four planes. On the cusp of giving up me taking a saw to it, the screw came out. The main problem with this one (other than position and access) was the fact that some genius had put the hose over the screw before tightening up the jubilee clips which were now holding it tightly in place. No amount of hot water/heat would budge it...
Another trip to Mr Bricolage acquired cross head screws to replace those on the joker valve housing but not the ones holding the impeller on. Luckily there are a number of chandlers around and, as I am on a French boat in France, I thought that it would not be too difficult to obtain cross head screws for them. Suffice to say, the old screws are back in place.
That last sentence was so easy to write - it sounds as though replacement was a doddle...
As it goes it was much easier to replace everything, mainly due to the fact that I took the bowl of the toilet off the base to change the seal there. I now had access to all of the lower working without too much trouble. The hoses were still stiff, the screws were still inaccessible but I didn’t have to shove my face down the loo and reach behind it. It was at about this time that I remembered how I had previously serviced the aft heads. Arghhhhhh
Everything is back together again now. I still haven’t put any water through yet because I’m scared that it will leak. It all looks nice and clean though so I might just leave it as it is...
So Top Tip - take the bowl off first.
Alternatively just buy another toilet and drop it in, it’s almost worth it financially - especially as it cost me £20 for a joker valve and four seals!!!
