Yet another RM69 thread!

i've just dismantled the pump again. There are only two ways that particular gasket can fit as it has a ridge on the top end. Tried both and still no water coming in. Interestingly with the discharge sea cock closed the pump builds up pressure quickly. I'm thinking I must have a blockage in the intake pipe though I've used the dinghy pump and put air through it until bubbles come up the out of the seacock?
 
Dan Tribe said:
I fitted a Lavac in my Stella and it worked without a problem until I sold the boat 17 years later.
Current boat had a Lavac when I bought it 18 years ago, still not had a moments problem despite complete neglect and abuse.
Think of all the fun I have missed repairing other makes!
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yes it did once have a lavac. There's still a sign with instructions for use.
 
You say the seacocks work, but is that based on the handle turning and appearing to have the right amount of friction? I had a seacock fail closed last year but from the feel of the handle you would have sworn it was working. It was one of those quarter-turn jobs. If you had the same fitted to your inlet pipe and it had failed closed it would explain everything.......
 
Pye_End said:
Was the pipework also replaced? If so, is the loop in the inlet higher than it used to be?

I had exactly this problem. Lowered the loop by about an inch and hey presto it started working again.

Don't think you can get very much welly out of these pump so doesn't seem to take much for them to stop working. No idea if Jabsco pumps have any more ooomph than RM69?
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Now that's interesting. I should think it's highly likely that the pipe work was replaced. In fact there are two entirely different pipes using a short stub of copper pipe to connect them. The loops on both pipes come directly under the deck. The GK29 has very high freeboard so the water has to travel a long way.
 
Rafiki said:
You say the seacocks work, but is that based on the handle turning and appearing to have the right amount of friction? I had a seacock fail closed last year but from the feel of the handle you would have sworn it was working. It was one of those quarter-turn jobs. If you had the same fitted to your inlet pipe and it had failed closed it would explain everything.......
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I think the seacock is fine. I've use a dinghy pump on the intake pipe and air bubbles out of the seacock so it is open.
 
Chuckle54 said:
Now that's interesting. I should think it's highly likely that the pipe work was replaced. In fact there are two entirely different pipes using a short stub of copper pipe to connect them. The loops on both pipes come directly under the deck. The GK29 has very high freeboard so the water has to travel a long way.
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You have not still got the old Lavac inlet pipe with the pin hole air bleed hole in it have you? That might be enough to cause your problem if you have .
Look carefully it's a little plastic insert , a bit like the little plugs that used to be fitted in Bic ball point pens, with a hole through the centre. Originally it would have been at the highest point close up under the deck.

if the original pipework had been replaced at any time there could be just a small hole in the wall of the pipe!
 
VicS said:
You have not still got the old Lavac inlet pipe with the pin hole air bleed hole in it have you? That might be enough to cause your problem if you have .
Look carefully it's a little plastic insert , a bit like the little plugs that used to be fitted in Bic ball point pens, with a hole through the centre. Originally it would have been at the highest point close up under the deck.

if the original pipework had been replaced at any time there could be just a small hole in the wall of the pipe!
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Had another look at the dratted thing and yes the old lavac pipe does have the pin hole air bleed fitting! Brilliant I thought, all I have to do is block that off and voila - only it didnt :(
I then had a bit of an eureka moment - in fact someone already mentioned the solution earlier on in the thread but I failed to take it in. This RM69 replaced a lavac with the bulkhead mounted hand pump. The previous owner simply removed the lavac hand pump and added another length of pipe to connect to the RM69 intake valve. This has resulted in a ridiculous length of pipe which loops from the intake seacock, travels up to the deck and then back down to the RM69. I suspect that the RM69 pump just doesn't have the oomph to draw sea water that distance/height and I doubt very much if it ever did work properly if at all. I'm going to replace that long length of pipe with a much shorter piece between the seacock and the RM69 intake valve and then add a looped pipe with an anti syphon valve between the pump and the bowl. Hopefully, assuming everything else is operating as it should, sea water will be drawn in with ease and the pump will force it up the looped/vented pipe and into the bowl! Sounds like a plan?
 
Chuckle54 said:
Had another look at the dratted thing and yes the old lavac pipe does have the pin hole air bleed fitting! Brilliant I thought, all I have to do is block that off and voila - only it didnt :(
I then had a bit of an eureka moment - in fact someone already mentioned the solution earlier on in the thread but I failed to take it in. This RM69 replaced a lavac with the bulkhead mounted hand pump. The previous owner simply removed the lavac hand pump and added another length of pipe to connect to the RM69 intake valve. This has resulted in a ridiculous length of pipe which loops from the intake seacock, travels up to the deck and then back down to the RM69. I suspect that the RM69 pump just doesn't have the oomph to draw sea water that distance/height and I doubt very much if it ever did work properly if at all. I'm going to replace that long length of pipe with a much shorter piece between the seacock and the RM69 intake valve and then add a looped pipe with an anti syphon valve between the pump and the bowl. Hopefully, assuming everything else is operating as it should, sea water will be drawn in with ease and the pump will force it up the looped/vented pipe and into the bowl! Sounds like a plan?
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With luck you've cracked it

I wonder why the old Lavac was removed.
 
VicS said:
With luck you've cracked it

I wonder why the old Lavac was removed.
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I think I know why. The previous owner bought her on a whim, never having sailed before. He paid to have her sailed up from Essex to Grimbsy. His wife visited the yacht twice. The first time was to bleach everything in sight. I guess the old lavac heads was stained so a new RM69 took its place. The second time the wife went aboard was for their maiden sail. Things went wrong. Everyone was terribly sea sick and they ended up sending out a mayday and being towed back into port. The wife never set foot on the yacht again and she sat in the marina for over 14 months abandoned (the yacht not the wife). I picked the yacht up for a song. They just wanted rid. Pity about the Lavac.
 
This has just occurred to me...

Does the sink in the heads drain to the same skin-fitting that is used as the inlet for the loo? It does on mine and I have a valve on the sink drain-pipe that I close before I start pumping the loo; if I don't, the pump will just suck air from the empty sink.

Just a thought.
 
Chuckle54 said:
I think I know why. The previous owner bought her on a whim, never having sailed before. He paid to have her sailed up from Essex to Grimbsy. His wife visited the yacht twice. The first time was to bleach everything in sight. I guess the old lavac heads was stained so a new RM69 took its place. The second time the wife went aboard was for their maiden sail. Things went wrong. Everyone was terribly sea sick and they ended up sending out a mayday and being towed back into port. The wife never set foot on the yacht again and she sat in the marina for over 14 months abandoned (the yacht not the wife). I picked the yacht up for a song. They just wanted rid. Pity about the Lavac.
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Chuckle54,
You can have 2 very good Jabsco toilets from me, both with almost new valve sets. They were replaced on our boat for Lavacs (never had a problem with them).
Cheers,
Findus
 
VicS said:
If you do, replace it with a Lavac, it was probably what Westerly fitted in the firs tplace.

Correctly installed you can wave goo dbye to toilet troubles with minimal maintenance only required to the pump.

s7679-heads.jpg
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Agree totally! Had to fit a new Lavac when I got my boat as I accidently cracked the bowl... and the boss insisted I had to replace it - the cost of a complete new Lavac was only a few £'sss more than a replacement bowl. Never had a problem in 14 yrs. Excellent loo but more expensive than a Jabsco or similar.
 
The fact that chandlers often display "a wall of spares"...for Jabsco or RM69 toilets says to me........."these things break down"....

I once had an RM69 toilet and it was a complete pile of crap. I replaced it with a Lavac...which has been trouble free for 14 years. The other trouble free toilet on my boat is nearly 40 years old...and is an Italian Orvea Tirreno 73. The last time I looked you could still buy the same model off the shelf in Italy.
 
Well, the RM69 flushes! Unfortunately I've taken the thing to pieces so many times it now leaks very badly at the base of the pump spewing out raw sewage into the bilge........
 
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