Jabsco twist and lock - will not pump out/dry

[SV Haku]

I try to figure the actual waterline out... as I do also want to know.
From what I can see for now is that the skin fittings are lower as the toilet which sits on a "shelf", higher as the sole of the head... but yes, it's worth making sure.

[Dockhead]

I think this is your boat:





The heeled waterline (at 30 degrees of heel) will be roughly where the hull ports are, maybe above them. Is the rim of the toilet above that?


My boat is larger, with lots of freeboard and a raised salon. Neither of my toilets is above the heeled waterline and I have vented loops on both toilets, both supply and discharge sides. I don't think I've ever seen a monohull which didn't need vented loops, other than possibly some of those monomaran designs with the whole accommodation above deck level. It might not be impossible IF the toilet is quite high AND is near the centerline of the boat, but you should be really, really sure about that.



You might not need a vented loop in the discharge side if (as I've seen in several Benes) the toilet discharges into a high mounted, gravity-draining holding tank, and not directly overboard. But you should be careful with that too.


One (among many others) advantage of fresh water toilets is you've got no intake sea cock open, so this problem disappears on the supply side.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by SV Haku

I try to figure the actual waterline out... as I do also want to know.
From what I can see for now is that the skin fittings are lower as the toilet which sits on a "shelf", higher as the sole of the head... but yes, it's worth making sure.

It's very good to know where your waterline is. Should be marked somewhere inside your boat. In my boat, the mark is inside the engine room.

Note that the position of the skin fittings in relation to the toilet is irrelevant, as the danger is of a SIPHON effect. If the rim of the toilet bowl is lower than the sea surface at any point, including when the boat is heeled, this danger exists.

That's why the loop MUST be vented -- to break the siphon.

[sck5]

Re: Buying a complete pump rather than a rebuild kit.

Last time I did this, the price difference was $20 more or less. Halfway through a rebuild you will ask yourself "Would I pay $20 to not be doing this?"

To me the answer was obvious but of course, YMMV

[donradcliffe]

I just convert all marine toilets to the Jabsco plus a spare pump assembly, which still costs a small fraction of the other toilets. Every five years, you just buy another Jabco.

[sailcrazy]

On our live-a-board, we just bought and installed one of the Jabsco handpump toilet. Unlike Dockhead, we wanted something onboard that we could rely on if the DC power should fail, or the feesh water was in short supply, (ie, a manual). Our other (primary) toilet is a fresh-water, DC powered unit. We have experienced exactly what I think you are describing....when I mistakenly closed off the water supply to the toilet and then tried to pump it. The pressure buildup was significant and the pump handle would not budge. Once I re-opened that seawater valve...all was fine! May be worth a check?

[sinnerman]

As others have already stated, replace the entire pump assembly. Do not waste your time trying to repair the JABSCO unit.

If you are voyarging take an extra pump and joker valve with you.

Or upgrade to a Raritan.

Tons of stuff on the blog about tilets. You can even make your own flushing unit with a gusher pump (used to pump out holding tanks) and a water spray unit.

my two cents

cheers.

[Capt Clark]

Haku,

If it’s not too late, leave everything connected except the out hose. Try flushing (catch the water in a container). If it flushes you now know it’s in the hose, if it doesn’t you know it’s in the mechanism.

I’ve have this toilet for over 20 years and it’s been great. I find that it works much better with fresh water. The most likely cause is a blockage at the outlet thru hull. I have to remove mine every 4-5 years to clean the hose where it mixes with saltwater. Good luck.

[Icarus]

Obviously there is a blockage in the discharge hose or valve.
Dive over the side and poke a wire hook up the discharge valve...
Cold be a build up of growth or something stuck in the valve or bend

[nofacey]

Have same model, same issue - it’s the wet/dry cam. Flip the black lever firmly a couple times to solve temporarily, replace pump unit (fast & clean) to fix.

[Rigdaddy]

Originally Posted by peghall

Sounds like you have problem that's very common in Jabsco manual toilets--a failed wet/dry cam. The wet/dry "valve" is actually just a little "gate" (the cam) that the lever swings to block or unblock the flow of incoming flush water. Due to either a tooling or mfr'g flaw, it hangs up...creating back pressure that feels like pumping against a clog or blocked tank vent, except it only happens in one mode--usually,, but no always--the wet mode.
The cure: replace the wet/dry cam assembly…Jabsco will often send a replacement at no charge. However this requires taking the pump apart, which can be a nasty job if you haven’t been able to fliush.

So my advice: just replace the pump instead. It's prob'ly overdue for a rebuild or at least a joker valve --and besides, modern Jabsco toilets have fairly short lifespan--they're purposely made to be "disposable" like everything else today. A service kit costs almost as much as a pump, which doesn't cost that much anyway... and swapping it out only requires removing and replacing the 4 bolts that hold the pump on the base and two hoses, which beats the socks off taking the pump apart!


--Peggie

Two things; you need an antisiphon loop, and before you tear into everything, put on your goggles and check your through hull from below. A few years ago, I could have saved myself a lot of unnecessary trouble if I had gotten all the oysters & barnacles cleared away first.

[SV Haku]

Thanks everyone for sharing ideas and experiences.

We did come to another idea, to rule out the pump cam, after we had changed all components that seemed needed it, the joker valve was ready to be replaced anyway...
So eventually, we attached a regular air pump to the out-hose, and as nothing moved in there, we decided it was time to take off the discharge hose (again) but this time on the valve side, the hose didn't look bad buildup wise, but quite a lot of build up was in the bronze valve, not allowing anything to pass.

So we cleaned buildup out of the bronze valve, and first pumped some vinegar through. The head went from a since-we-got-the-boat-difficult-to-pump-situation, to a pump that moved easily.

On the upside of this messy job, we learned, about anti siphon valves, - all - about our head plumbing, no more jabsco twist and lock-head secrets lol
and most importantly that we will use vinegar way more diligently, with occasional muriatic acid to avoid re-build up's in the future...

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by SV Haku

. . . On the upside of this messy job, we learned, about anti siphon valves, - all - about our head plumbing, no more jabsco twist and lock-head secrets lol
and most importantly that we will use vinegar way more diligently, with occasional muriatic acid to avoid re-build up's in the future...

A real sailor always makes a learning experience out of every technical problem


Don't forget to buy a new pump and keep it in your spares, if you decide to stick with that type of toilet

[Wotan]

Originally Posted by SV Haku

What we did since :
Let vinegar with baking soda sit in it for + 12hours.

Just a heads up, this doesn't really do much. Vinegar (diluted acetic acid) is acidic, so alone it will dissolve metal oxides, i.e. rust, and anything else built up in the toilet.
Baking soda is basic and a great degreaser. This is because it interacts with acids in compounds you want to clean.

But together, they react, neutralizing the Ph and effectively canceling the cleaning benefits out. They react to make water, CO2 (the little bubbles), and a salt compound.

That being said, to clean with them don't mix them, use each one by one. It will be much more effective.

Here's an article that explains in more detail the reactions: https://moralfibres.co.uk/why-you-sh...when-cleaning/

Best luck with the toilet.