Fixed! Raritan PHII Back Pressure Problem

[Sid at SailAway]

Well this issue had me stumped for a few days as well as the folks at Raritan Service. One minute the toilet pumped fine and then the next, no go. It felt like backpressure was building up and the raw water flow into the bowl was diminished. After some research I found where Peg Hall pointed out the air valve on the front as the culprit. Took it apart and it looked clean to me. Then it was on to the joker valve following advice from Raritan. Joker valve looked almost new. Next was the flapper valve. It did look a little crusty but the sealing surfaces looked ok. Pulled off the intake hose and used the water hose to backflush the line in case it was clogged. Still no joy.
Went ahead and bought the rebuild kit figuring it couldn't hurt and might solve the problem. Went through the rebuild process and when I got to where you replace the small ball inside the flush/fill selector I noticed what looked like a piece of grass wrapped around the ball. When I removed the ball I could see a blockage in the intake line that attaches under the fill/flush selector. I removed the intake line and right at the end was this..



Next purchase...strainer for the toilet intake line. I thought it was pretty funny, my wife, not so much.

I still can't figure out how it held on inside the line when I blew it out with the garden hose....

[Cormorant]

Excellent toilet story!

Yes, a strainer or screen over the intake will save you much trouble in years to come.