Why on earth do I do it??????????

capnsensible

capnsensible

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Well, just re read all that romanticised twaddle from a previous thread whilst contemplating the first thing I'm going to have to do tomorrow morning.
Yup, Fix The Heads Again My Favourite Hoorah.
Another night with the multi purpose bucket. At least it wont get used for doing the washing on the jetty for a few days......
 
S H I T happens, just a shame it doesnt always stay in the pipes, or indeed, pass through the pipes... and are you telling me you only have one bucket ?
There is a small mod you can do with a water puppy 3000 pump and a pipe and hose fitting, fit this to the side of the bucket, hey presto, a bidet.... and a washing machine, we also find the 2hp yam works well to agitate the washing. also as a macerator. you just need to learn to adapt......................... with a change to a rule 3700 colonic irrigation is also possible....:D
 
Re: Reducing heads blockages

Oh very yes otherwis it would need doing more often. For those of a technical mind, its a lavac heads. The pump non return valve gets sediment build up on the mating surfaces to the point that it can't seal anymore so the pump fails.
This happens on average about every 6 months with live aboard useage. Therefore this is probably the eighteenth time I have repaired this. Munster, the manufacturers have very kindly in the past suplied me wth new flap valves Free Of Charge. Excellent service.
As they say, it may be 5hit to you, but it's bread and butter for a plummer.
I am halfway through the task as I write. Why have I stopped?? Well its raining. For possibly the 3rd time this year here. When Neptune gets frisky, he knows how to wind us poor sailors up.
 
Re: Reducing heads blockages

Afternoon Mr Sensible.
Re the lavac, after much pondering and useage of said pump, and the (imho) poor design of the outlet valve of the henderson Mk5, we opted to change the whole pump, we now use a Whale Gusher Titan, different valve design, easier to service (never needed yet) stronger diaphragm, and the full service kit is half the cost of the Hend´Mk5.service kit.
Might be worth giving it a shot. Works for us, no problems with paper, just kitchen towel AGHH !!! that is banned, dont ask me how I know !.
Seriously, the design has had its day, the new pump is a godsend in respect of ease of use and inlet / oulet valve design, no triscuspid vavle arrangement in 4 months not the slightest trace of a problem, even the best curry... Also the mounting position we chose is so that the body is horizontal as opposed to vertical (We got the one with the bulkhead fitting so the handle is in the same place) that also stops the crud falling around the tricuspid vavle which we found the worst problem, as well as hole size diminishing, the valves in the gusher titan are probably twice as large and controlled by a simple stainless steel spring wire.
Joe n Jayne
 
Re: Reducing heads blockages

That's a very good tip Joe!
Will try one next year. Loo problems are particularly unwelcome when the better looking crew are on board.
 
Re: Reducing heads blockages

To stop calcium build up, pump fresh water through the toilet and fill the bowl, add about 1/4 to 1/2 bottle of muriatic acid, (sulfaman, hydrochloric acid, ferronet, agua forte), to this water, pump 1/2 of it through the system, wait half an hour, pump the rest through the system, it will attack the calcium build up in your pipes, and on the valves and sealing edges, it will not attack the rest, give it another half an hour and flush the system through. It´s safe to leave it overnight if you think the build up is really bad., then pump out, it will keep your heads clear. Not sure what effect it will have on sewage plants, but ok for holding tanks.
By the way, it works, very well. Just another thing, it´s not a very green way of doing things, but if you do it at sea and underway, it will minimise it´s effect.
 
Re: Reducing heads blockages

Sounds interesting and I'm going to try it - possibly changing to the Whale Gusher Titan at the same time!
Where can one obtain the hydrochloric acid? I assume the other chemicals mentioned are just proprietary names for the same thing?
 
All long-term cruisers have a good blocked-heads story. Mine comes from one of the first times I did a long-distance passage.

It was in a charter boat, with six of us. The heads blocked up about the fifth day out and after some disasterous experiences with a bucket, we decided to put into a little Spanish town to effect a repair.

After a day's hard labour, we couldn't shift the blockage. The entire outlet pipe seemed affected. The heads was at the front of the yacht, but the outlet seacock was right at the other end, under the engine. Of course it was glassed in for almost its entire length, and completely innaccessible.

So we decided on bypass surgery. The only pipe in the town hardware store was clear plastic hose. We connected one end to the heads, removed the heads door and ran the pipe right through the main cabin to the outlet seacock. So for the remainder of the voyage there was an unencumbered view of the heads from the main cabin, and of any offerings as they passed along the pipe by our feet.

The one woman among us took this arrangement with commendable equinamity. Clearly she had the indomitable spirit required of an ocean cruiser, so I asked her there and then to come with me. And we are still together!
 
Re: Reducing heads blockages

[ QUOTE ]
it´s not a very green way of doing things

[/ QUOTE ] Hey! Tell that to my stomach, which produces the stuff to help my digestion!

From distant schooldays I seem to remember that, mixed with seawater, it reacts with carbonates in solution to produce salt and other chlorides, while adding to the existing carbonic acid and water. Quite nice stuff really, even if the result is transparent, rather than green.

Keep it clear of decorative stainless steel though; it'll remove the present chromium oxide coating, leaving a dull surface.
 
Re: Reducing heads blockages

[ QUOTE ]
Keep it clear of decorative stainless steel though; it'll remove the present chromium oxide coating, leaving a dull surface.

[/ QUOTE ]

So I used our stainless steel sink, and a stainless steel pan to soak a Jabsco toilet pump in Aqua Forte ...... which removed what I now know is the decorative chromium oxide coating, leaving a dull surface /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Re: Reducing heads blockages

Your choice of pump is interesting. We have a Lavac, which has the standard Henderson Mk5 type sanitary pump and which has generally worked pretty well for us, although we did have the problem with calcium build up under the valve and consequent poor sealing.

The advantage the Mk5 has over the Gusher, as I understand it, is that you can quickly open up the pump via the threaded plate on the front, to clear a blockage or to clean out the inside. We also have a Mk5 as a manual bilge pump where this easy access option is equally important. On the other hand, if I read the Gusher instructions correctly, you have to remove the diaphragm to clear a blockage, which could be tricky for me in the limited confines of our cockpit locker where the bilge pump lives. I suppose spares for both are pretty widely available, but I was gratified to be able to pick up a Mk5 valve kit straight off the shelf from a chandlery in Mahon earlier this year. Incidentally, while kitchen paper does not agree with the Lavac, neither does Wet Wipes. A couple of those posted down were responsible for the only occasion that I had to do a serious dismantle of the head. BTW, I think we have your old cruising chute, purchased from your good lady the last time we were in A Coruna.
 
Re: Reducing heads blockages

Well great to meet up again. ! hope the chute is good for you too....
I have never had a blockage with the mk5 that could be cleared by removing the cover, the problem is always (for us) outside the outlet valve. We also have several Mk5 as bilgepumps too, but all are fitted with pre strainers, so again, no bloackages that way. it is actually so easy to remove the diaphragm on the titan, two screws, then it pulles off, very substantial diaphram too. with this removed, access to both valves is possible. we mounted thte titan horizontally with diaphragm uppermost, so it is an easy job to remove without spillage. we find that many fewer strokes are needed to pre and final flush, the vacuum is higher too, the loo appears to be much cleaner as the water flow has increased. The other thing for us was that the price of the full service kit for the titan is half the price of the mk5 kit, it is a much more modern design. I will confess that the mk5 "feels" smoother to operate, but thats all. for us a worthwhile conversion.
There is nothing worse, imho, the removing the inspection `plate on a H Mk5 used in a sanitary installation.... yuk ! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
And, due to almost every problem we had being caused by the outlet valve, it has been a great conversion. The other bloody annoying thing on the H Mk5 is the need to screw the outlet valve in place, and consequently unscrew it to clean it properly. A nasty, dirty job, then the chance of leaks from the fixing screws. (yes, following the instructions and sealing the flages with silicone etc, another pain! ) We have also had, over the years, leaks from the 2 halfs of the case to diaphragm seal due to case distortion in a high pressure situation, this is apparantly impossible with the design of the titan.

Anyways, great to meet up again, at least my health is now on the mend and we can move again although we are going to miss La Coruna a lot. hope you are enjoying your travels. We had a play with the sails the other day, had the Chute, fore stays´l, Main, Mizzen and Mizzen Stays´l out, Yikes..... looked like a canvas factory explosion lol...
we were always good in light airs, but wow, as Don Street said re Iolera, with that much cloth, she gotta go !
Joe n Jayne n Molly the cat
 
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