advice needed

[lillia28]

Lillia is a 1978 Mariner 28 which was "rescued", that is, had been abandoned by the previous owner, so I have no documentation of any kind. The boat had been unused for about 3 years. As part of a refit, I purchased and installed an overhaul kit for the Jabsco compact electric head. I tested the operation of the head by opening the sea cock and pushed the button, water flowed, filled and emptied the bowl, leaving a small amount of water at the bottom of the bowl. All seemed good. Later I used the head, and all worked well. After the second use, the motor will not run. I don't believe it is blocked, as only liquid was flushed. Reading through the over haul instructions, it appears that flushing should leave the bowl dry. During two successful attempts, holding the switch down evacuated the bowl, but water continued to fill the bowl as long as the switch was down, leaving the small amount of water mentioned. There is smoe sort of electric activity, as I can hear clicking when I push the switch.
Is it worth replacing the motor or does it sound like larger issues? Should the bowl be dry at the end of flushing? Am I was I not holding the switch down long enough? I'm considering replacing the head with a new manual model. My previous boat had a porta potti, so this is all new territory. Thanks for your help.
lou

 

[Brock Halbeisen]

Best bet

Seek out the "Head Mistress" on this forum. One ot the best.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

If the motor doesn't run...

It most likely means that it's not getting any power. So check the breaker or fuse. However, the boat is a 'rescue,' so it's been sitting awhile...which can result in corroded connections. So if it hasn't blown a fuse or tripped its breaker, check all the wiring.

As for the bowl filling...have you found the wet/dry knob? When the toilet is in the wet mode, pushing the flush button simultaneously brings in flush water while it pulls bowl contents out of the bowl. When the toilet is in the DRY mode, it oly evacuates the bowl...doesn't pull in any flush water. Use the dry mode to move the last of the water out of the bowl.

I'm 99% certain that this is your toilet:
http://www.ittflowcontrol.com/marin...onversion-kits/29200-electric-conversions.htm
...the owners manual may help. You can download it by clicking on "downloads."

All that said, that thing is a horrible excuse for a toilet...it uses almost twice as much power as any other modern electric toilet...makes enough noise to wake the dead...costs even more than the best electric macerating toilet...and has one of the shortest trouble-free lifespans of any electric toilet. So if you can't make it work again without putting any more money into it, I'd replace it. And, on a 28' sailboat, I'd prob'ly go with a manual toilet...check this one out: sbo.com PHII PHC LBA It's been rated the best manual toilet in its class for more than 25 years.

 

[lillia28]

Well I learned a lot. I disassembled the entire assembly. There was a piece of cloth, cleaning cloth I hope, that had wrapped itself around the macerator blade. At one point I had disassembled the unit and it had worked for a few test flushes, so the cloth is a mystery. I removed the cloth, replaced the impeller and some seals from the over haul kit I had purchased to ward off repairs. Motor ran fine with everything taken apart. Reassembled, motor wouldn't run. I loosened the four screws which hold the motor housing to the head, just a bit, motor et al works. The unit is: a Jabscco 37010- electric. The switch looks like a rubber covered push button (PN 37020-000). I don't see a wet dry setting. I'm going to spend the winter looking for a decent manual head! Thanks for your help and advice.
One last point, head repairs should be done on a day when the temperature is not 103 degrees F.

Lou

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Check out the Raritan SeaEra

It was designed to be a "plug and play" drop in upgrade/replacement for the Jabsco 37xxx series. Practical Sailor rated it "best budget buy" in their February issue this year. It's available in both sea water and pressurized flush water version...both versions are available as a "conversion" that's everything but the bowl, seat and lid. You can read all about it here: Raritan Sea Era

If you're determined to switch to a manual toilet, the Raritan PH II Raritan PH II has been rated the best for more than 20 years...also available as a conversion that allows you to "recycle" your existing bowl. sbo.com PHII PHC LBA