Aqua-T Standard Electric head backflow issue

[gbillman]

5 year old heads. Fresh water flush. Have worked great.

6 months ago, my port head started getting backflow into bowl after head was flushed and bowl emptied. Within an hour, the bowl ends up with some water back in it. My starboard head bowl stays dry, as this one did for 4.5 years.

I removed this from where I assumed the head's joker valve would be. It does not look like any joker valve I've ever seen, and the open areas suggest this would not stop backflow.

Johnson Pump's Aqua-T website shows a parts list, with no mention of a joker valve. This piece looks to be part of the "seal assembly".

Anyone have any Aqua-T electric head experience? Thanks

[peghall]

That's a flapper valve. They preceded joker valves in older macerating electric toilets, and still have a different function in manual and some electric toilets.

Is the water clean or dirty? If dirty, the most common cause is blocked tank vent that's pressurized the tank, creating back pressure that's not letting the flush make it all the way into the tank. Or, if it's an uphill run from the toilet to the tank, sea water mineral buildup in that line may have reduced the diameter enough to no longer get the fllush that far in amount of time you're leaving your finger on the flush button. If so, use muriatic acid to clean it out.
If clean, the source is the toilet intake, opposite end of the system, so joker/flapper valve wouldn't have anything to do with it. Save me having to dig out the manual for the Aqua-T and tell me whether there's a combo solenoid valve/siphon break in the intake line. If there is, it may be time to replace it.

Those are my best guesses using the info provided.

--Peggie

[gbillman]

Thank you for responding, Peggie.

The water is definitely coming from discharge side. The head has always been flushed fresh, so I'm not sure scaled discharge line is it, but will try muriatic acid cleaning.

How does the flapper valve keep discharge from coming back into bowl with the holes it has in it? Does the flapper look in good shape to you?

I have a ball valve that has to be manually opened to flush (dedicated tank is at a level above the head). The level in bowl is constant, so it's definitely not the intake side.

[peghall]

How high above the toilet is the inlet fitting?



--Peggie

[gbillman]

Originally Posted by peghall

How high above the toilet is the inlet fitting?



--Peggie

The ball valve/fitting is 18" above toilet inlet fitting (which is at base of bowl)

[peghall]

You misunderstood my question. How high must the toilet lift bowl contents to get all of it into the tank?


--Peggie

[gbillman]

Ooops...

4' 8"

[gbillman]

It's a Leopard 40. The tank is next to toilet, but on a shelf above its level.

[peghall]

I think that's your problem...According to the manual, your toilet can lift a MAXIMUM of 1.2 meters (4')...you're getting backflow because most, if not all, of your flushes aren't making it into the tank. And I don't know what you can do about it short of relocating the tank at least a foot lower, 'cuz 4' is the max lift limit for most manual and electric toilets...only the expensive high end electric toilets have pumps that can lift any higher.


One of them wouldn't be overkill on a 40' boat, but the $800+ price may be overkill for your budget. If it isn't, the Raritan Marine Elegance Raritan Marine_Elegance Promo.pdf is the top rated macerating electric toilet...its pump can lift up to 30', move bowl contents up to 100 linear feet.


--Peggie

[gbillman]

Thank you Peggie. I guess I'm lucky the stbd one isn't doing it!