Problem with toilet

[Dr. D]

The previous owner converted the manual Jabsco toilet into an electric. We have had some unpleasant behavior of the toilet. Two months ago we had the maintenance kit professionally installed. Everything fine. Then last week we had the holding tank emptied and flushed. When I visited the boat on Saturday there was fluid leaking from the base of the toilet and about a pint in the head drain.

Might this be due to a poor conversion to electric? Or overly energetic flushing? Or what??

[peghall]

How exactly was the toilet converted to electric? There are only a couple of ways to do that to a Jabsco...the most likely was, the pump was replaced with this one
Jabsco 29200_Electric_Conversion
The owners manual is here Jabsco 29200 owners manual should help you ID what's likely to be the source of the leak from the base of the toilet. I suspect that either the kit wasn't installed correctly or it could be the wrong kit--that the "pro" installed the kit for the manual pump. Since it was done very recently he's the one who should trouble shoot it...for no charge.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "head drain"....in the bottom of the bowl?? If so, is the water clean or dirty?

All that is moot if I haven't ID'd the right "conversion"...if I haven't, can you post a photo of the toilet? Not the bowl...all bowls look alike. I need to see the "works" from a couple of angles if possible.

[Dr. D]

Shower drain, the sump for the entire head. The bowl was clean.

No good looking for the poor installer. Several years ago at a different marina.

I don't have the part number on hand, but the installed motor was the proper one for this type of conversion.

I'm not looking forward to replacing the toilet, but a correctly functioning head is vital for a happy boat.

[peghall]

Shower drain, the sump for the entire head.

Hopefully you're NOT saying that toilet drains into the shower sump, only that there's a little water in the sump. That would be normal if you've used the shower...sump pumps leave about a cupful behind. If the toilet is plumbed to drain into the sump, that has to be corrected immediately to reroute the toilet discharge hose to go directly into the holding tank.

No good looking for the poor installer. Several years ago at a different marina.

I was referring to the "pro" who installed the maintenance kit just a couple of months ago. He's the one who should troubleshoot the source of your leak and fix it at no additional charge.

I don't have the part number on hand, but the installed motor was the proper one for this type of conversion.

There's more than "proper" conversion for a Jabsco manual toilet. You don't need the part number to know whether your toilet looks like the one in the literature I sent you or is a different one.

I'm not looking forward to replacing the toilet, but a correctly functioning head is vital for a happy boat.

AMEN!

[Dr. D]

No, the toilet does not drain into the shower sump when functioning normally. Any fluid spilled in the head drains into the shower sump. It looks like when the holding tank is flushed fluid is leaking from the toilet pump assembly.

Ah, now I get you about the responsible party.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Dr. D

Any fluid spilled in the head drains into the shower sump.

It looks like when the holding tank is flushed fluid is leaking from the toilet pump assembly.

???

Head and shower sump should be completely separate, never the twain shall meet. What does "spilled in the head" mean? Spilled in the toilet? Spilled in the room containing the toilet? Or...?

Toilets flush, holding tanks are pumped out. Hard to understand what you're describing.

Do you mean you have leakage near the toilet when the toilet is flushed?

Or do you mean you have leakage near the toilet when the holding tank is pumped out?

-Chris

[Kenomac]

Ha! We had the exact same issue... caused by an incompetent potty tech in the UK forgetting to replace the rubber gasket that seats the bowl to the base. In our case the rubber gasket was missing completely and the knucklehead had smeared silicone all over the joint. In your case, the connecting bolts might just need tightening if the black gasket is in place, or maybe an improper gasket was used or improvised. It might not be the correct thickness.

I picked up a proper gasket, installed it in twenty minutes, never leaked again.

[Dr. D]

Kenomac -- Thanks! I'll take a look for that this weekend.

Others: I am not explaining this well. The toilet is plumbed as usual with raw water intake and pipe to holding tank. In the head, below the toilet base, is the shower sump. There is a hose in the head for showering; the water goes into the sump and gets pumped out.

Toilet was working correctly after o-rings, et al, were replaced. Then after the holding tank was pumped out and the holding tank flushed, there was fluid (water with some dark something) leaking from the base of the toilet into the shower sump.

Besides inspecting for the right base gasket, I need to inspect for the point of leakage. However, flushing the holding tank should not force fluid back to the toilet.

[Kenomac]

It's the gasket between the top bowl and the base pedistal. Here is no gasket on the very bottom between the base and the bathroom floor. It's a rubber ring/washer about 3 inches in diameter.

[peghall]

flushing the holding tank should not force fluid back to the toilet.

It can if the holding tank vent is blocked. If air displaced by incoming contents can't escape, flushing the toilet pressurizes the system, which creates backpressure that pushes flushes back to the toilet. A blocked vent will also prevent air coming into the tank to replace contents as they're pumped out, causing the pumpout pump to pull a vacuum that prevents it from removing more than a gallon or two.

However, while that explains how water going to the tank can be forced back to the toilet, it doesn't explain why the bowl is leaking. Kenowac's idea that the bowl is either missing its gasket or not installed correctly is a strong possibility. Over tightening the bolts that secure the bowl to the base is a common cause of leaks because over-tightening against a rubber gasket puckers the rubber and can actually create the leak(s) that really tightening bolts was done to prevent.

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

[Dr. D]

Peggie: Thanks! I will check that, too.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Dr. D

Others: I am not explaining this well. The toilet is plumbed as usual with raw water intake and pipe to holding tank. In the head, below the toilet base, is the shower sump. There is a hose in the head for showering; the water goes into the sump and gets pumped out.

Toilet was working correctly after o-rings, et al, were replaced. Then after the holding tank was pumped out and the holding tank flushed, there was fluid (water with some dark something) leaking from the base of the toilet into the shower sump.

I'm interpreting this to mean it's a "wet head," and the shower sump located below the toilet is simply coincidental to the situation. IOW, the toilet is leaking -- without regard to what it's leaking onto.

If correct, then it's easier to disregard the idea of sump altogether, and to home in on gasket Ken mentions, and/or the vent constriction Peggie mentions.

FWIW, on our toilet there's a gasket (lip of joker valve) right at the connection of bowl to outlet hose. If you have something like that, might be something else to check. Ours is slightly above the actual base of the toilet, though...

-Chris

[peghall]

FWIW, on our toilet there's a gasket (lip of joker valve) right at the connection of bowl to outlet hose. If you have something like that, might be something else to check. Ours is slightly above the actual base of the toilet, though...

Good catch, Chris. The flange on the joker valve is the gasket that seals it to the discharge fitting and over-tightening the screws when replacing it is a common mistake. I can't count the number of times I've heard, "It wasn't leaking till I replaced the joker valve!"