Tecma toilet problem

[steved]

My 2012 Tecma bowl has started to fill with water after going through the normal flush sequence.

First button press will partially fill the bowl, second press will add further water and then flush, then the final 'suck' after 20 seconds or so, all normal, and the waste disappears as it should. However, after about an hour the bowl partially refills with water (appears to be clean water)..

This partial refilling has only just started to happen, any ideas as to why?

Thanks all.

 

[PaulRainbow]

My 2012 Tecma bowl has started to fill with water after going through the normal flush sequence.

First button press will partially fill the bowl, second press will add further water and then flush, then the final 'suck' after 20 seconds or so, all normal, and the waste disappears as it should. However, after about an hour the bowl partially refills with water (appears to be clean water)..

This partial refilling has only just started to happen, any ideas as to why?

Thanks all.

I suspect it's fresh water flush and the fill valve isn't sealing properly Steve. You could try taking it apart and cleaning it.

 

[MapisM]

Yep, Tecmas are indeed "feeded" by the fresh water circuit, in all the installations I came across - mine included.
So, if the fill valve doesn't seal well, the bowl should keep filling, and eventually overflow. Which I guess the OP would have mentioned, if that were the case...
If the refill only reaches a certain level and stays there, a possible alternative is a backflow from the outlet, possibly due to a change of asset of the boat (different load and/or weight distribution), or capillary action triggered by a partially obstructed outlet.
Steved, I appreciate that tasting the bowl content isn't an attractive proposition (to put it mildly! ), but did you check if this last "self-refill" is with fresh or salt water?

 

[jfm]

I agree. You likely have a weeping flush valve. This is a solenoid valve mounted in the boat's fresh water piping somewhere near the toilet and you'll have to find it. Hard/impossible to disassemble - I always just replace them.

Theoretically the other way for the bowl to fill is if you have bad quality plumbing (two WC's sharing a single pipe to the black tank - a sunseeker speciality) AND a failure of the flap valve/NR valve that is located where the Tecma loo discharges its macerated cr@p into the boat's black piping. In this case the water filling the bowl wouldn't be clean, so this seems very unlikely to be the problem.

 

[MapisM]

In this case the water filling the bowl wouldn't be clean.

Agreed. If the bowl outlet goes into a waste tank, the alternative I previously mentioned simply can't materialize.
I was only thinking to straight outboard plumbing - which I don't think is allowed anymore, but used to be quite popular, years ago.
Even in boats equipped with black water tank, which often had a T valve for selecting whether to discharge straight out, or into the waste tank.

 

[BlueJasper]

If you can't hear the fresh water pump cutting in, it could be back flush from the outlet pipe. My Tecma has a joker valve on the outlet side that needs changing periodically. A standard Jabsco one fits and is relatively easy to change.

 

[Hurricane]

I agree. You likely have a weeping flush valve. This is a solenoid valve mounted in the boat's fresh water piping somewhere near the toilet and you'll have to find it. Hard/impossible to disassemble - I always just replace them.

I installed/upgraded my own system. In doing so, I installed the solenoid valves separately in an accessible bilge so that they can be serviced/replaced without having to remove the toilet. The OP might like to consider this option when replacing/repairing his leaky valve. The pipework is straight forward plumbing.

 

[jrudge]

I simple way to prove it is fresh water other than the taste test is flush the toilet. Turn off the water pump. Dump pressure by turning on a tap and wait an hour.

No water = leaking solenoid

 

[steved]

Thanks for the replies, update as follows:

I don't think it is a weeping flush valve, as the water rises to a certain level then doesn't rise any further. This would then suggest the joker valve may have got clogged and letting water back in. The good news is that for the time being the water ingress has stopped, which would also point to the joker valve being blocked and not sealing after a flush. If it does start again I'll do as jrudge suggests.

The boat is relatively new to me, and I've not had the chance dig into the depth's of the toilet workings as yet, but I like the idea of moving the solenoid valves to a more accessible location, and I'm sure I've got some spare Jabsco joker valves hidden in my garage full of boaty things that have been collected over the years on a 'I might need that one day' basis...

Steve

 

[Hurricane]

Thanks for the replies, update as follows:

I don't think it is a weeping flush valve, as the water rises to a certain level then doesn't rise any further. This would then suggest the joker valve may have got clogged and letting water back in. The good news is that for the time being the water ingress has stopped, which would also point to the joker valve being blocked and not sealing after a flush. If it does start again I'll do as jrudge suggests.

The boat is relatively new to me, and I've not had the chance dig into the depth's of the toilet workings as yet, but I like the idea of moving the solenoid valves to a more accessible location, and I'm sure I've got some spare Jabsco joker valves hidden in my garage full of boaty things that have been collected over the years on a 'I might need that one day' basis...

Steve

I also installed the electronic control boxes remotely so I don't have to disassemble the toilet for minor adjustments.

 

[jrudge]

Thanks for the replies, update as follows:

I don't think it is a weeping flush valve, as the water rises to a certain level then doesn't rise any further. This would then suggest the joker valve may have got clogged and letting water back in. The good news is that for the time being the water ingress has stopped, which would also point to the joker valve being blocked and not sealing after a flush. If it does start again I'll do as jrudge suggests.

The boat is relatively new to me, and I've not had the chance dig into the depth's of the toilet workings as yet, but I like the idea of moving the solenoid valves to a more accessible location, and I'm sure I've got some spare Jabsco joker valves hidden in my garage full of boaty things that have been collected over the years on a 'I might need that one day' basis...

Steve

Are you flushing to see or holding tank ?

Unless there is a blockage the wc is usually above both sea level and the holding tank. So any run back has another cause.

If tank the. Switch to sea and see what happens.

 

[Seastoke]

Peeps will like this one ,rip it out and fit a Jabsco electric. You it’s working you can here it.