New Guy! Needs Help with Toilet (possibly to save marriage!)

[CourageousME]

Originally Posted by Comogene

Amazing how many suggestions you can receive whn you toss out a question!
If you look at the exploded diagram, you will see that the system uses a motor to bring in raw water with a rubber impeller and send that water to the bowl. A second impeller (metal) that they call a chopper then macerates the waste and sends it on its way. Since both impellers are on the same shaft, raw water continues to enter the system so long as the motor is engaged.

All too often with this unit, the motor seizes and that is the expensive part to replace. If your motor is functioning as you say it is, then your repair costs are reduced considerably.

There are three hoses. The largest one (1") runs from the base out, which is your discharge line. A second hose runs from the pump housing up to the bowl. The third hose is attached to the pump directly on the opposite side from the hose that runs up to the bowl. This is your intake hose.

Trace the intake hose to its through hull fitting and verify that the seacock is open. If it is not, you have burned out the rubber impeller and will need to replace it. If it is open, then you have a blockage. Go back to the head and remove the intake hose from the pump housing. Blow air into the hose as the blockage may be in the hose or in the through-hull. If no air flows, then remove the hose from the through hull and first blow air back to the head. If no air, replace the hose. If nor air when you blow air into the through hull, the strainer is clogged. Your need to go swimming or wait until you haul out. The alternative is to careen the boat if you are adventurous.

Once you have verified the flow of raw water, you still need to replace that impeller. Close the seacock; then empty standing water in the head; disconnect the hose from the pump to the bowl; remove the four ss 1/4x20 bolts that hold the bowl to the base and lift it off. Ther is a gasket and it probably reusable. Should take less than 10 minutes.

Now, with access to the base, have some disinfectant and towels handy. Remove the discharge hose and plug it. Remove the intake hose. Cut the positive and negative wires after you shut the circuit brake. There are four screws that hold the pump to the base. After you remove them, wiggle the pump housing with the motor until it comes loose.

Inside the plastic collar, the chopper/macerator screws off the shaft and then work your way back to what is left of the rubber impeller. Don't remove the impeller housing and you won't have to replace the seal between it and the motor.

The service kit has the new impeller and seals.

The whole disassebly and reassembly should take around an hour, depending upon your constitution.

Oh, if you reverse the positive and negative wires, the motor and pump will run backwards. While the rubber impeller will still work, the centrifigal force for the discharge will not properly function.

Hugely thankful for your time. Do you have FaceTime? Maybe you can give me a virtual tour of I get stuck!


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[peghall]

A second impeller (metal) that they call a chopper then macerates the waste and sends it on its way.

Close, but no cigar. The discharge impeller isn't metal, nor does it do any chopping. If you look at the exploded drawing (link to it posted in two posts in this thread but what the heck, once more won't hurt:Jabsco 37010 owners manual ), you'll see that the discharge impeller is part #16 and the "chopper" (macerator) blade--part #1--is completely separate from it.

And...he told us about 35 posts earlier that the toilet discharges just fine. His only problem is, it doesn't bring in any flush water.


Amazing how many suggestions you can receive when you toss out a question!

Yup....'tis indeed!

Peggie
http://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Bo...dp/1892399784/
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein

[roberthowell]

it may b just the way it was designed i also have a conversion and 1 button fills the bowl and the other button flushes what is in the bowl out with a loud noise the nice part about it is there is no sea water left in the bowl to smell up the boat or leave a salt deposit either. i just fill the bowl and reflush once or twice if there was deposited a heavy load

[peghall]

Originally Posted by roberthowell

it may b just the way it was designed i also have a conversion and 1 button fills the bowl and the other button flushes what is in the bowl out with a loud noise the nice part about it is there is no sea water left in the bowl to smell up the boat or leave a salt deposit either. i just fill the bowl and reflush once or twice if there was deposited a heavy load

Your toilet isn't the same model as his. If yours is a Jabsco sea water toilet, it's a 37255 with a remote intake pump Jabsco Quiet Flush Sea Water Conversion Kits His toilet is a 37010 (at least that's what he said it is) with an integral intake pump and is only available with a single button that simultaneously brings in flush water and pulls bowl contents out. The owners manual can be downloaded from the link here.

[CourageousME]

Well, I wish I could post a video of the newly working head, but alas, the app doesn't support it. Here is a pic though. At first glance down the hatch, the seacock looked open (before my post and when I was scratching my head) But alas- it was closed. In my defense the handle was in line with a hose just the wrong one! Once I got that seacock open the other way (correctly open, that is)...duh. Thing worked like a champ. As I read about these it looks like the sea water lubricates them- and I never did run the pump dry. I kept thinking it maybe was a prime issue so I kept putting water in the bowl. I guess that saved the impeller or pump from burning up- because it is working as I expected it to.

So here's to complicating a simple problem, and hugely thankful for the community. At some point I'll be able to pay it forward to another new person.

On to my next issue, onboard fresh water system!

Thanks from Casco Bay- Josh




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[HopCar]

Josh, glad you solved the problem. By the way the intake impeller is lubricated by water but putting water in the bowl won't help. It never gets to the intake pump. You may have reduced it's life some but if it's working now, don't worry about it. When it eventually fails, just change it.

[CourageousME]

Originally Posted by HopCar

Josh, glad you solved the problem. By the way the intake impeller is lubricated by water but putting water in the bowl won't help. It never gets to the intake pump. You may have reduced it's life some but if it's working now, don't worry about it. When it eventually fails, just change it.

Ahh ok. Makes sense now that you say that.


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[inspectr]

Is it possible that the blue cistern at the back of the toilet in the photos is a fresh water flushing tank.
I have just had my boat lifted and antifouled and the clowns who did the work pressure cleaned the hull and blasted so much junk into the inlet skin fitting that I have had to have a diver clean it.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by inspectr

Is it possible that the blue cistern at the back of the toilet in the photos is a fresh water flushing tank.

Iit.

The "blue cistern" is full of holes, and looks suspiciously like a waste basket.


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[peghall]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

The "blue cistern" is full of holes, and looks suspiciously like a waste basket.

[CourageousME]

Haha yeah that blue thing is just a place we keep wet-wipes, hand sanitizer and some wash clothes. No fresh water gonna stay in it, it's full of holes


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[inspectr]

Originally Posted by inspectr

Is it possible that the blue cistern at the back of the toilet in the photos is a fresh water flushing tank.
I have just had my boat lifted and antifouled and the clowns who did the work pressure cleaned the hull and blasted so much junk into the inlet skin fitting that I have had to have a diver clean it.

Duuhhhhhh

Thats what happens when you see the pics on an iphone and post before seeing them full screen!

Glad to see that you got there in the end

[RSB333]

My wife and I went for the composting toilet on our Whitby 42 and were very pleased. No holding tank odor to contend with, and no searching for a pumpout in foreign ports. Composting toilets take up a bit more space than traditional marine heads, but you save the space of the holding tank so it's worth it. Good luck!