Westerly Centaur Heads

ostell

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Just taken the original SL400 unit out of the heads in my new Centaur and have decided, after 3 boats with similar and having problems getting parts (and getting worse), to replace it. What replacement have others fitted? At the moment I'm thinking about a Jabsco manual but what size: the regular or compact. Has anybody done a similar swap and what size fitted easily?

Any one want 4 SL400 ceramic bowls, 3 valve assemblies in various states of disassembly?
 

Chris.mcc240

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Centaur heads

I replaced the heads two years ago with the jabsco compact..cost just under £100..brought new white hose looks much nicer..the bowl is plenty big enogh but if you don,t get the compact i dont know if the base will fit in the compartment..i doubt it..
If i had the budget i would have gone for the electric version..
tried putting toilet paper in mine even a little WILL block it..not a pleasant job to have do..
It took just a few hours to install but you need help to do up the fixings..
 

mitiempo

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The Lavac is an excellent choice. I installed one last year after troubles with Jabsco heads on several different boats. With the Lavac there is really nothing that can go wrong.
With heads as with most items you get what you pay for. Jabsco heads are quite light duty with their plastic parts and the most inefficient type of pump made. That is why Raritan sells the same type at a much higher price, but built much better.
 

Ubergeekian

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That is why Raritan sells the same type at a much higher price, but built much better.

The Raritan Compact I have - original fitment for the Westerly Jouster - suffers the same basic design flaw as all that type of toilet: using opposite sides of the same piston for seawater and sewage. This has two problems. First of all, since you want to pump out more than you pump in, you need some way to decrease the efficiency of the seawater side, which means more complication and something else to co wrong. Secondly, any blockage on the sewage side is an invitation to blowback past the piston sea and once you have sewage in the seawater side it takes a long time to get the thing running sweetly again.

Jumblie has an RM69 and will be changing to a Lavac as soon as I can (a) work out how to do it and (b) afford it.
 

mitiempo

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I agree that it is the basic pump design that is flawed. But if the intake hose is smaller in diameter (3/4" vs 1 1/2" for the outlet side I think) that should allow the outlet side to pump more than the inlet side. Some are better built as I posted but the flaws are common to all.

I have a neighbour who also lives aboard and his head is the basic bowl from a Jabsco converted to electric. Not the electric kit from Jabsco, but separate inlet pump and macerator on the outlet. All the pump assembly was removed only keeping the bowl from the original head. 2 push button switches are mounted above the head, you push the inlet pump switch to add water to the bowl, then push both, and then just the outlet pump switch to empty the bowl. He recently replaced his intake pump at a cost of about $300 - but the previous one lasted 20 years! Macerators seem to last about 4 or 5 years. It has been totally trouble free other than this.

As far as figuring out how to install a Lavac, their pump comes in either a surface mount or recessed mount design, so there should be a way to install one or the other in most any boat. Other than the pump it should be no more difficult to find space for than any other head.
 

VicS

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But if the intake hose is smaller in diameter (3/4" vs 1 1/2" for the outlet side I think) that should allow the outlet side to pump more than the inlet side
The larger diameter outlet pipe may "allow" the outlet side to pump more ( more importantly bigger lumps) but the actual volumes pumped are determined by the volumes swept by the piston in the pump cylinder. With the single double sided piston the inlet side is a smaller volume because the piston rod occupies some of the space with the cylinder.
 

Searush

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Chris: said:
"Tried putting toilet paper in mine"


Er, s'cuse me, but wot is the bog for???

Sorry, Tom, but many boat bogs CANNOT deal with loo paper.

That's a prime reason why I recommended the Lavac which is very unlikely to block. It uses a large rubber diaphragm & pumping chamber & two simple rubber flap valves. Flushing water is drawn in as required by vacuum.
 
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