Peggy, I have not had problems with my head in a long time and forgot about your website. I just posted an issue with Hunter owners, but would like your viewpoint since my problem with backflow is somewhat different from the one you just answered. Could you, please, give me your view, given that I don't have a vented loop? thanks (see my article below) John Need emergency assistance from knowledgeable Hunter ownwers. Set up of head lines: I am third owner of a 1991 35.5 Legend. Originally, this boat's waste line is supposed to come with a vented loop. Well, it seems the previous owner installed a macerator, and likely changed discharge lines, because there is no vented loop anywhere to be found. The discharge line runs pretty flat coming out of the toilet, underneath the aft cabin and rises about 6 inches at the end, in order to reach the top of the holding tank. Late last year I began to experience water backing up into the toilet. The Jabsco manual pump seems to do its job taking all waste out rather well. However, after pumping several times, I can hear the toilet regurgitating, and little by little, water begins to accumulate back into the bowl. I changed the joker valve, but the problem persists. I contacted Jabsco and Hunter. The believe it's not the joker valve (too new, they say, to go bad so soon). Because of the noise it makes after pumping, they believe I have a clogged discharge line, and since there is no vented loop, I can't get rid of the air pressure, which forces liquid back into the bowl. There doesn't seem to be a marine-type DRANO to unclog discharge lines (no one knows about any). I thought of two alternatives and I need your feedback: 1) Pump out well; disconnect the discharge line; and put a snake through it. 2) Pump out well; disconnect the discharge line: and put high air pressure through it. Will an y of these work? Should I be concerned with any of these two, like the snake getting stuck inside the hose at the end? Any other ideas? Thanks
- Status
I'd bet you don't have a clog...
At least not in the head discharge line unless somebody has flushed something they shouldn't have. If you're sure that only waste and quick-dissolve TP have gone down the toilet, even an overload of solids and TP would dissolve on its own within hours. I suspect your tank vent may be blocked, creating backpressure that's pushing bowl contents back into the bowl...That the "regurtitating" sound you're hearing is water being forced back through the joker valve. Check the vent thru-hull and the vent line connection at the tank...clean 'em out with a screwdriver blade if necessary. Make sure the vent is completely open before you attempt to pump out the tank...if it's not, the pumpout will pull a vacuum that will prevent it from removing more than a gallon or so...a particularly strong pumpout could even create enough suction to crack your tank. It's also possible that sea water mineral buildup in the head discharge line may have reduced the reduced the diameter enough to create backpressure. So if the vent isn't blocked, disconnect the head discharge fitting, remove the joker valve and take a look inside the hose. There is one more possibility: if the water coming back into the bowl is clean, it may NOT be backflow. If there's no vented loop in the head intake (it should be between the pump and the bowl), the wet/dry valve in the pump may have failed...and what you're hearing is INTAKE water gurgling in. Any macerator wouldn't be in the HEAD discharge line (at least it shouldn't be), it would be in the TANK discharge line---which would be split using a tee fitting or a y-valve--to dump the tank at sea (which, btw, you cannot legally do in the Bay)...so it would have nothing to do with toilet flushing or backflow. If the boat has always been plumbed to flush only into the tank--no y-valve in the head discharge line to provide a choice of flushing into the tank or directly overboard--it's unlikely there ever was a vented loop in the HEAD discharge line. Any vented loop should be in the TANK discharge line, between the macerator and the thru-hull. So it wouldn't have anything to do toilet flushing either. There is no drain opener that's safe to use in marine plumbing, btw. Nor should a plunger ever be used. Let me know what you find.
At least not in the head discharge line unless somebody has flushed something they shouldn't have. If you're sure that only waste and quick-dissolve TP have gone down the toilet, even an overload of solids and TP would dissolve on its own within hours. I suspect your tank vent may be blocked, creating backpressure that's pushing bowl contents back into the bowl...That the "regurtitating" sound you're hearing is water being forced back through the joker valve. Check the vent thru-hull and the vent line connection at the tank...clean 'em out with a screwdriver blade if necessary. Make sure the vent is completely open before you attempt to pump out the tank...if it's not, the pumpout will pull a vacuum that will prevent it from removing more than a gallon or so...a particularly strong pumpout could even create enough suction to crack your tank. It's also possible that sea water mineral buildup in the head discharge line may have reduced the reduced the diameter enough to create backpressure. So if the vent isn't blocked, disconnect the head discharge fitting, remove the joker valve and take a look inside the hose. There is one more possibility: if the water coming back into the bowl is clean, it may NOT be backflow. If there's no vented loop in the head intake (it should be between the pump and the bowl), the wet/dry valve in the pump may have failed...and what you're hearing is INTAKE water gurgling in. Any macerator wouldn't be in the HEAD discharge line (at least it shouldn't be), it would be in the TANK discharge line---which would be split using a tee fitting or a y-valve--to dump the tank at sea (which, btw, you cannot legally do in the Bay)...so it would have nothing to do with toilet flushing or backflow. If the boat has always been plumbed to flush only into the tank--no y-valve in the head discharge line to provide a choice of flushing into the tank or directly overboard--it's unlikely there ever was a vented loop in the HEAD discharge line. Any vented loop should be in the TANK discharge line, between the macerator and the thru-hull. So it wouldn't have anything to do toilet flushing either. There is no drain opener that's safe to use in marine plumbing, btw. Nor should a plunger ever be used. Let me know what you find.
John
The boat came with a vented loop, but it is not visible. The small line that leaves the pump, travels into the space under the aft state room bed and then under the cabinette and sink. From there it disappears up behind the shower where the vent is located. The line then returns back to the head. The macerator pump in the aft lazerette is as Peggie says, on the tank discharge side.
The boat came with a vented loop, but it is not visible. The small line that leaves the pump, travels into the space under the aft state room bed and then under the cabinette and sink. From there it disappears up behind the shower where the vent is located. The line then returns back to the head. The macerator pump in the aft lazerette is as Peggie says, on the tank discharge side.
Which shower, Alan?
Alan, thank you for the reply. However, when you say the line disappears behind the shower, are we talking about the shower in the head or the one near the transom? If the latter, is that vent accessible without tearing the boat apart? Let me know, please. I'm writing to Peggy now regarding the results of her suggestions. John
Alan, thank you for the reply. However, when you say the line disappears behind the shower, are we talking about the shower in the head or the one near the transom? If the latter, is that vent accessible without tearing the boat apart? Let me know, please. I'm writing to Peggy now regarding the results of her suggestions. John
Peggy, results of your suggestions
I disconnected the hose that goes to the outside vent and put 100 lbs of pressured air into it. Then, I disconnected the intake hose. I also disconnected the discharge line and put a snake through it, probably as far as the elbow that takes the hose into the tank. I thought the snake had removed the waste. Then, I pumped out and flushed the tank three times. Well, water backed up again. I took out the joker valve and set it against ligh, and noticed a small opening/separation in one of the three little "doors" that keeps it shut. That might account for water seeping back. What I don't understand is the regurgitating, which continues, and suggests that there is still pressured air trapped in the line. I'm a bit frustrated and thinking about buying a new Jabsco, which I can get at $50 off its price, just in case that the pump is not doing the job. What do you think, again? thanks
I disconnected the hose that goes to the outside vent and put 100 lbs of pressured air into it. Then, I disconnected the intake hose. I also disconnected the discharge line and put a snake through it, probably as far as the elbow that takes the hose into the tank. I thought the snake had removed the waste. Then, I pumped out and flushed the tank three times. Well, water backed up again. I took out the joker valve and set it against ligh, and noticed a small opening/separation in one of the three little "doors" that keeps it shut. That might account for water seeping back. What I don't understand is the regurgitating, which continues, and suggests that there is still pressured air trapped in the line. I'm a bit frustrated and thinking about buying a new Jabsco, which I can get at $50 off its price, just in case that the pump is not doing the job. What do you think, again? thanks
If it's a small line (3/4")...
It's not in the head discharge...that's the one for the head intake...installed between the pump and the bowl (and also about a mile further away from the toilet than it needs to be or SHOULD be). It has nothing to do with discharge from the toilet..it only prevents flush water from outside the boat from seeking its own level INSIDE the boat via the toilet bowl by breaking the siphon started by priming the pump--and by creating an arch that's higher than the waterline. It SHOULD be mounted directly above the toilet, high enough remain 6-8" above waterline at any angle of heel...not a mile away behind the shower.
It's not in the head discharge...that's the one for the head intake...installed between the pump and the bowl (and also about a mile further away from the toilet than it needs to be or SHOULD be). It has nothing to do with discharge from the toilet..it only prevents flush water from outside the boat from seeking its own level INSIDE the boat via the toilet bowl by breaking the siphon started by priming the pump--and by creating an arch that's higher than the waterline. It SHOULD be mounted directly above the toilet, high enough remain 6-8" above waterline at any angle of heel...not a mile away behind the shower.
I'm confused
Peggy, In your latest e-mail, I believe you are replying to Alan. You mention a 3/4" hose,I think you are referring to the intake hose, that takes water from the river into the bowl when you pump. If so, I agree. We both think the problem is in the discharge line, a wide one (tends to be white). Hence, any thoughts given what I did and the results?
Peggy, In your latest e-mail, I believe you are replying to Alan. You mention a 3/4" hose,I think you are referring to the intake hose, that takes water from the river into the bowl when you pump. If so, I agree. We both think the problem is in the discharge line, a wide one (tends to be white). Hence, any thoughts given what I did and the results?
Results of MY suggestions? I don't THINK so...
" I disconnected the hose that goes to the outside vent and put 100 lbs of pressured air into it." I didn't suggest that. If a dirt dauber built a nest in your vent thru-hull, blowing air through it wouldn't even begin to budge it. The only way you're gonna get it out is by scraping it out. However, you don't make it clear which end of the tank vent line you disconnected...if from the tank, did you even bother to LOOK at the fitting ON the tank? If you disconnected it from the thru-hull and blew air through the line back into the tank, did you even bother to look at the thru-hull? "Then, I disconnected the intake hose." Why? I didn't suggest that either. The head intake has nothing to do with head discharge--if it did, the toilet couldn't move anything out of the bowl in the dry mode...so what did you expect to accomplish by disconnecting the intake hose? "Then, I pumped out and flushed the tank three times." Did you make sure the pumpout actually emptied tank? Or just assumed it did when it stopped removing any waste? 'Cuz if the vent is blocked, a gallon or two is all the pumpout will get before it pulls a vacuum. "I took out the joker valve and set it against light, and noticed a small opening/separation in one of the three little "doors" that keeps it shut. That might account for water seeping back." That's normal for a joker valve that's been installed for more than a month or two. A joker valve isn't supposed to block slow seepage (How many times have I said this????). It might for a short time, until enough flushes have gone through it to stretch the "lips" a micromilimeter...but all a joker valve is supposed to do is block a flood--NOT slow seepage. "What I don't understand is the regurgitating, which continues, and suggests that there is still pressured air trapped in the line." I agree...something DOWNSTREAM of the toilet is creating backpressure. "I'm a bit frustrated and thinking about buying a new Jabsco, which I can get at $50 off its price, just in case that the pump is not doing the job." One more time: any backflow has NOTHING to do with the toilet...it's caused by either gravity (waste/flush water left sitting in a line that runs uphill from the toilet, running back downhill to the toilet), or backpressure downstream of the toilet. So if you replace the toilet, it'll have a brand new joker valve in it that'll prob'ly block the backflow for about a month...till enough flushes go through it to stretch the slit a micromilimeter...then you'll be right back where you are now. What do you think, again? I think you need to do more than just rely on an air pump through a a hose that's been disconnected from the most likely places where tank vent line blockages occur and do what I told you to do in my first reply: check your vent thru-hull and the tank vent fitting for a blockage. I also think you prob'ly need to spend more time pumping your toilet in the dry mode...to make sure that the bowl content actually make it all the way into the tank instead of being left to sit in the head discharge line to run back downhill to the toilet. If you stop pumping as soon as the bowl is empty, that's where the bowl contents stop moving. Enough flushes that don't move the bowl contents more than a foot, and the head discharge hose fills up and has no place to go BUT down hill to the toilet. Any toilet that's working anywhere near factory specs can move waste up to 6' in the dry mode (how many times have I said THAT too???)...search the archives for instructions on how to flush a manual toilet without filling up the tank with flush water.
" I disconnected the hose that goes to the outside vent and put 100 lbs of pressured air into it." I didn't suggest that. If a dirt dauber built a nest in your vent thru-hull, blowing air through it wouldn't even begin to budge it. The only way you're gonna get it out is by scraping it out. However, you don't make it clear which end of the tank vent line you disconnected...if from the tank, did you even bother to LOOK at the fitting ON the tank? If you disconnected it from the thru-hull and blew air through the line back into the tank, did you even bother to look at the thru-hull? "Then, I disconnected the intake hose." Why? I didn't suggest that either. The head intake has nothing to do with head discharge--if it did, the toilet couldn't move anything out of the bowl in the dry mode...so what did you expect to accomplish by disconnecting the intake hose? "Then, I pumped out and flushed the tank three times." Did you make sure the pumpout actually emptied tank? Or just assumed it did when it stopped removing any waste? 'Cuz if the vent is blocked, a gallon or two is all the pumpout will get before it pulls a vacuum. "I took out the joker valve and set it against light, and noticed a small opening/separation in one of the three little "doors" that keeps it shut. That might account for water seeping back." That's normal for a joker valve that's been installed for more than a month or two. A joker valve isn't supposed to block slow seepage (How many times have I said this????). It might for a short time, until enough flushes have gone through it to stretch the "lips" a micromilimeter...but all a joker valve is supposed to do is block a flood--NOT slow seepage. "What I don't understand is the regurgitating, which continues, and suggests that there is still pressured air trapped in the line." I agree...something DOWNSTREAM of the toilet is creating backpressure. "I'm a bit frustrated and thinking about buying a new Jabsco, which I can get at $50 off its price, just in case that the pump is not doing the job." One more time: any backflow has NOTHING to do with the toilet...it's caused by either gravity (waste/flush water left sitting in a line that runs uphill from the toilet, running back downhill to the toilet), or backpressure downstream of the toilet. So if you replace the toilet, it'll have a brand new joker valve in it that'll prob'ly block the backflow for about a month...till enough flushes go through it to stretch the slit a micromilimeter...then you'll be right back where you are now. What do you think, again? I think you need to do more than just rely on an air pump through a a hose that's been disconnected from the most likely places where tank vent line blockages occur and do what I told you to do in my first reply: check your vent thru-hull and the tank vent fitting for a blockage. I also think you prob'ly need to spend more time pumping your toilet in the dry mode...to make sure that the bowl content actually make it all the way into the tank instead of being left to sit in the head discharge line to run back downhill to the toilet. If you stop pumping as soon as the bowl is empty, that's where the bowl contents stop moving. Enough flushes that don't move the bowl contents more than a foot, and the head discharge hose fills up and has no place to go BUT down hill to the toilet. Any toilet that's working anywhere near factory specs can move waste up to 6' in the dry mode (how many times have I said THAT too???)...search the archives for instructions on how to flush a manual toilet without filling up the tank with flush water.
Poor Peggie...
I don't know how you do it. You should have a severe drinking problem by now. Having been one of your "problem children" before and since I'm in the middle of reassembling my 35.5 plumbing right now, let me take a crack at this. John, does the boat have the original holding tank? If so, it will need to be replaced sooner than later. My aluminum tank had 6-8 holes in it AND a clogged vent line. It would flush because of the holes! Anyway,if it's STOCK, the ONLY vented loop in the entire system is the one between the toilet raw water intake (at the toilet pump) and the bowl. One hose leaves pump and enters bulkhead and another hose exits bulkhead and attaches to bowl. The loop is indeed behind the shower stall in the head compartment and that hose (3/4") has a run of about 6 feet EACH WAY to and from loop! Hope that you do not need to access that loop, it should be OK. The discharge from the toilet, as you say, goes through bulkhead, under the aft cabin berth and should connect to the holding tank. This unfortunately is a run of almost 10 feet. No loop in that line. From the tank, MOST 35.5's discharge went to a y-fitting with one leg to a macerator (no loop) and the other leg to the deck pumpout fitting (no loop). You could put a vented loop in the discharge line after the tank, but I don't think it's neccessary. The loop in the raw water intake between pump and bowl is the one Peggie is saying will stop your boat from sinking. The other thing she is saying is you need to pump your toilet enough in the DRY mode to move all waste the 10 ft. or so through the discharge line into the holding tank or it will come back through the joker valve. The vent line on the tank is 5/8 white corrugated and is a SOB to get to even where it exits the hull. You didn't say whether that vent line "blew out" clear with your blast of pressure or was clogged. The only way to get to the tank end of it is to have an access panel cut into the aft bulkhead which is how the old tank has to come out if that hasn't already been done. I'd do this, get rid of the old toilet, get rid of the macerator (if it's not legal in your area), and plumb from the tank straight to the deck pumpout. Best of luck.
I don't know how you do it. You should have a severe drinking problem by now. Having been one of your "problem children" before and since I'm in the middle of reassembling my 35.5 plumbing right now, let me take a crack at this. John, does the boat have the original holding tank? If so, it will need to be replaced sooner than later. My aluminum tank had 6-8 holes in it AND a clogged vent line. It would flush because of the holes! Anyway,if it's STOCK, the ONLY vented loop in the entire system is the one between the toilet raw water intake (at the toilet pump) and the bowl. One hose leaves pump and enters bulkhead and another hose exits bulkhead and attaches to bowl. The loop is indeed behind the shower stall in the head compartment and that hose (3/4") has a run of about 6 feet EACH WAY to and from loop! Hope that you do not need to access that loop, it should be OK. The discharge from the toilet, as you say, goes through bulkhead, under the aft cabin berth and should connect to the holding tank. This unfortunately is a run of almost 10 feet. No loop in that line. From the tank, MOST 35.5's discharge went to a y-fitting with one leg to a macerator (no loop) and the other leg to the deck pumpout fitting (no loop). You could put a vented loop in the discharge line after the tank, but I don't think it's neccessary. The loop in the raw water intake between pump and bowl is the one Peggie is saying will stop your boat from sinking. The other thing she is saying is you need to pump your toilet enough in the DRY mode to move all waste the 10 ft. or so through the discharge line into the holding tank or it will come back through the joker valve. The vent line on the tank is 5/8 white corrugated and is a SOB to get to even where it exits the hull. You didn't say whether that vent line "blew out" clear with your blast of pressure or was clogged. The only way to get to the tank end of it is to have an access panel cut into the aft bulkhead which is how the old tank has to come out if that hasn't already been done. I'd do this, get rid of the old toilet, get rid of the macerator (if it's not legal in your area), and plumb from the tank straight to the deck pumpout. Best of luck.
Peggy, my apologies; Honeyman, thanks
Peggy, I apologize for generalizing. I followed what I understood were your suggestions (and likely I misunderstood them), and I also did things on my own and attributed them to you. I also thank you for your patience. Not having had problems with the head in a long time, I haven't followed nor visited this website in over three years. So, whatever you have said in the past, I haven't read. Again, my apologies for taking up your time. Also, please bear in mind that, although I have been sailing for six years now, I still don't know everything there is to know. So, here it goes, one last time. I disconnected the thinner hose that goes from the tank to the outside vent hole, and did so at the vent hole. This is for air to escape from the tank, I believe. I put pressured air to it. I did not disconnect that hose at the other end, that is at the tank's end; too difficult to do so. I did disconnect the discharge hose at the pump, took a look at the joker valve, and inserted a snake all the way through. It seemed to be okay at this end. I did not disconnect the end that goes into the holding tank; again, too difficult to do so. Question: what do you mean by the "vent thru-hull?" The one that goes out onto the side of the boat? If it helps to clarify, I operate the toilet only on the dry. This means that the thru-hull that attaches to the intake hose is permanently closed. I put fresh water from the sink to flush, thereby preventing bacteria from the river getting into the tank and causing bad odors. It has worked for me for the last three years I've been doing so. By the way, the water that backs up is not clean; it's gray, and doesn't smell anything like a rose garden. Honeyman, also, my thanks to you for your indulgence. I don't know if the tank is the original. I suppose it is, but believe me, everything around it is as dry and odorless as it can be. Maybe I've been lucky so far. One last thing: you both say I need to pump enough in the DRY mode. Well, I've always done that. Remember, the backup started only last Fall. However, this time after I keep pumping more than five times, I feel pressure, and a small gush of water sort of like comes back into the bowl, and that's when the regurgitating sound begins, or a little thereafter. I think that if I keep pumping something will explode if, indeed, the line is clogged. Sorry to put you through this Peggy. Take consolation that I haven't bothered you in about three years, and that was only a bit.
Peggy, I apologize for generalizing. I followed what I understood were your suggestions (and likely I misunderstood them), and I also did things on my own and attributed them to you. I also thank you for your patience. Not having had problems with the head in a long time, I haven't followed nor visited this website in over three years. So, whatever you have said in the past, I haven't read. Again, my apologies for taking up your time. Also, please bear in mind that, although I have been sailing for six years now, I still don't know everything there is to know. So, here it goes, one last time. I disconnected the thinner hose that goes from the tank to the outside vent hole, and did so at the vent hole. This is for air to escape from the tank, I believe. I put pressured air to it. I did not disconnect that hose at the other end, that is at the tank's end; too difficult to do so. I did disconnect the discharge hose at the pump, took a look at the joker valve, and inserted a snake all the way through. It seemed to be okay at this end. I did not disconnect the end that goes into the holding tank; again, too difficult to do so. Question: what do you mean by the "vent thru-hull?" The one that goes out onto the side of the boat? If it helps to clarify, I operate the toilet only on the dry. This means that the thru-hull that attaches to the intake hose is permanently closed. I put fresh water from the sink to flush, thereby preventing bacteria from the river getting into the tank and causing bad odors. It has worked for me for the last three years I've been doing so. By the way, the water that backs up is not clean; it's gray, and doesn't smell anything like a rose garden. Honeyman, also, my thanks to you for your indulgence. I don't know if the tank is the original. I suppose it is, but believe me, everything around it is as dry and odorless as it can be. Maybe I've been lucky so far. One last thing: you both say I need to pump enough in the DRY mode. Well, I've always done that. Remember, the backup started only last Fall. However, this time after I keep pumping more than five times, I feel pressure, and a small gush of water sort of like comes back into the bowl, and that's when the regurgitating sound begins, or a little thereafter. I think that if I keep pumping something will explode if, indeed, the line is clogged. Sorry to put you through this Peggy. Take consolation that I haven't bothered you in about three years, and that was only a bit.
Which side...
of the boat was the "thinner hose" that you disconnected and blew pressurized air into? Are you sure it was the holding tank vent? It should come out through the starboard locker next to the helm seat where your batteries probably are and attaches to the chrome vent high up on the starboard side of the boat. What was the result, did the hose seem to be clear or did pressure blow back on you? It still sounds like a blocked vent hose.
of the boat was the "thinner hose" that you disconnected and blew pressurized air into? Are you sure it was the holding tank vent? It should come out through the starboard locker next to the helm seat where your batteries probably are and attaches to the chrome vent high up on the starboard side of the boat. What was the result, did the hose seem to be clear or did pressure blow back on you? It still sounds like a blocked vent hose.
That's the one, Honeyman
Yes, the vent on the starboard side that you reach through the locker where the batteries are. And yes, they seemed to be free of stuff. I will try to disconnect it at the other end or at least put a snake through it.
Yes, the vent on the starboard side that you reach through the locker where the batteries are. And yes, they seemed to be free of stuff. I will try to disconnect it at the other end or at least put a snake through it.
Holding tank
If the aft bulkhead in your aft cabin does not have any sort of "cutout" in it (maybe with some sort of cover?), your tank is original. This cutout would be approx. 14"x21". Without access through the bulkhead, you would only be able to "snake" that vent line because you cannot reach the tank to disconnect it at the elbow. My old aluminum tank was clogged right at the elbow. I'm telling you, if you have the original tank, it's got to one of a very few left to not be full of holes by now. Aluminum and urine do not co-exist very well. The old Jabsco head probably can't push the waste all the way to the tank, so it seeps back into the head. I'd at least consider installing the Raritan PHII head. Get the high boy model and it's like "sittin' on the throne at home"! Plenty of room in the 35.5 to install one and the best $250 bucks or so you could spend.
If the aft bulkhead in your aft cabin does not have any sort of "cutout" in it (maybe with some sort of cover?), your tank is original. This cutout would be approx. 14"x21". Without access through the bulkhead, you would only be able to "snake" that vent line because you cannot reach the tank to disconnect it at the elbow. My old aluminum tank was clogged right at the elbow. I'm telling you, if you have the original tank, it's got to one of a very few left to not be full of holes by now. Aluminum and urine do not co-exist very well. The old Jabsco head probably can't push the waste all the way to the tank, so it seeps back into the head. I'd at least consider installing the Raritan PHII head. Get the high boy model and it's like "sittin' on the throne at home"! Plenty of room in the 35.5 to install one and the best $250 bucks or so you could spend.
What makes you think I don't, honeyman? 
John.."vent thru-hull" is just what the name implies: the through-the-hull fitting that allows the air in the tank to escape to the outside of the boat. If you can find the part of it inside the hull that the vent line is connected to, the rest of the fitting will be in the same location on the outside of the hull. And it's that part on the outside of the hull that's one of the two most likely places for the vent to become clogged...the other one is the fitting on the tank. So, somehow, you have to figure out how to gain access to it. You said, "If it helps to clarify, I operate the toilet only on the dry...." Doesn't matter whether you ever use the wet mode or not...the issue is whether you pump long enough in the dry mode move the bowl contents all the way into the tank (or at least over the top of any loop so that gravity can get it rest of the way. "....thereby preventing bacteria from the river getting into the tank and causing bad odors. It's a myth that fresh water prevents holding tank odors. Waste produces so much bacteria all by itself that it doesn't matter whether the flush water is clean or dirty. Fresh water only prevents odor from sea or river water trapped in the TOILET INTAKE. "this time after I keep pumping more than five times, I feel pressure, and a small gush of water sort of like comes back into the bowl, and that's when the regurgitating sound begins, or a little thereafter. I think that if I keep pumping something will explode if, indeed, the line is clogged." That's a classic description of what happens when the tank vent is clogged. If the air in the tank displaced by incoming waste can't get out the vent, the tank becomes pressurized...creating backpressure against pumping the toilet. Waste has a hard time moving forward, so it moves in the only direction it can--back the way it came. And you're right--something WILL explode if the tank becomes pressurized enough...more than one person has seen his toilet turn into a geyser that sprayed waste all over the head (and him)...or a geyser all over the boat, dock and anyone nearby when the pumpout cap is loosened (highly entertaining to those out of reach of the geyser, but not to the victims)...hose connections blown off...even cracked tanks. If your toilet doesn't just get harder and harder to pump--but instead only seems to build up pressure each time you use it, it means that enough pressure is escaping through the toilet between uses to relieve it. But if 3 or 4 people were to use the toilet back-to-back, the last two would be well advised to wear foulies! Might be best if you "bothered me" a little more often...'cuz preventing problems is a LOT easier than curing 'em--for instance, backflushing the vent every time you wash the boat and/or pump out to clear any waste out of it before it can turn into a clog would have prevented the need for you gain access to the vent fitting on the tank to clean it out--and 3 years is a long time to get away with completely ignore toilet and tank maintenance. I'm surprised you've been able to get away with it that long. Maintaining every system on the boat is easier than only "fix what breaks"...and there's a lot of good advice here about every system. So you'd be doing yourself a BIG favor if you "bother" ALL of us more often! And btw...NObody has ALL the answers. I've been a boat owner for more years than most people here have been alive, and solving potty problems for nearly 20 years...and I don't even pretend have all the answers, just where to find 'em.
John.."vent thru-hull" is just what the name implies: the through-the-hull fitting that allows the air in the tank to escape to the outside of the boat. If you can find the part of it inside the hull that the vent line is connected to, the rest of the fitting will be in the same location on the outside of the hull. And it's that part on the outside of the hull that's one of the two most likely places for the vent to become clogged...the other one is the fitting on the tank. So, somehow, you have to figure out how to gain access to it. You said, "If it helps to clarify, I operate the toilet only on the dry...." Doesn't matter whether you ever use the wet mode or not...the issue is whether you pump long enough in the dry mode move the bowl contents all the way into the tank (or at least over the top of any loop so that gravity can get it rest of the way. "....thereby preventing bacteria from the river getting into the tank and causing bad odors. It's a myth that fresh water prevents holding tank odors. Waste produces so much bacteria all by itself that it doesn't matter whether the flush water is clean or dirty. Fresh water only prevents odor from sea or river water trapped in the TOILET INTAKE. "this time after I keep pumping more than five times, I feel pressure, and a small gush of water sort of like comes back into the bowl, and that's when the regurgitating sound begins, or a little thereafter. I think that if I keep pumping something will explode if, indeed, the line is clogged." That's a classic description of what happens when the tank vent is clogged. If the air in the tank displaced by incoming waste can't get out the vent, the tank becomes pressurized...creating backpressure against pumping the toilet. Waste has a hard time moving forward, so it moves in the only direction it can--back the way it came. And you're right--something WILL explode if the tank becomes pressurized enough...more than one person has seen his toilet turn into a geyser that sprayed waste all over the head (and him)...or a geyser all over the boat, dock and anyone nearby when the pumpout cap is loosened (highly entertaining to those out of reach of the geyser, but not to the victims)...hose connections blown off...even cracked tanks. If your toilet doesn't just get harder and harder to pump--but instead only seems to build up pressure each time you use it, it means that enough pressure is escaping through the toilet between uses to relieve it. But if 3 or 4 people were to use the toilet back-to-back, the last two would be well advised to wear foulies!
Might be best if you "bothered me" a little more often...'cuz preventing problems is a LOT easier than curing 'em--for instance, backflushing the vent every time you wash the boat and/or pump out to clear any waste out of it before it can turn into a clog would have prevented the need for you gain access to the vent fitting on the tank to clean it out--and 3 years is a long time to get away with completely ignore toilet and tank maintenance. I'm surprised you've been able to get away with it that long. Maintaining every system on the boat is easier than only "fix what breaks"...and there's a lot of good advice here about every system. So you'd be doing yourself a BIG favor if you "bother" ALL of us more often! And btw...NObody has ALL the answers. I've been a boat owner for more years than most people here have been alive, and solving potty problems for nearly 20 years...and I don't even pretend have all the answers, just where to find 'em.Peggy, would a dozen....
electronic roses do? Or would you want real ones? You were right! The air vent was clogged, and badly! Of course, it was at the tank's end, which I had not disconnected. When I did, I found the metal top (that goes to the vent hose) completely filled with dried "stuff." I think what happened--and it has once before--was that a combination of early bad weather and timing shutted down the three pumnp out stations close to my slip for the winter, and I couldn't get the tank cleaned on time. I do perform general maintenance throughout the year, but this was one of those things that, well, just happened, again. Thank you, Peggy.
electronic roses do? Or would you want real ones? You were right! The air vent was clogged, and badly! Of course, it was at the tank's end, which I had not disconnected. When I did, I found the metal top (that goes to the vent hose) completely filled with dried "stuff." I think what happened--and it has once before--was that a combination of early bad weather and timing shutted down the three pumnp out stations close to my slip for the winter, and I couldn't get the tank cleaned on time. I do perform general maintenance throughout the year, but this was one of those things that, well, just happened, again. Thank you, Peggy.
Send the roses to my dad...
Today is his *90th* birthday! He's the reason I'm now in Little Rock...and SO glad I am! We don't live together--the only person who'd hate that worse than me is HIM! Tonight I had a dinner part for him and the few friends he hasn't outlived..they just went home. He grows the most beautiful roses...I was at his house the other day and found him up in a tree cutting out out dead branches--and couldn't think of any reason why he shouldn't be up there...'cuz he's in better shape that I am ! God willing, he'll be still be around when it's time to celebrate his 100th. Meanwhile, I'm just glad to have this time with him.
Today is his *90th* birthday! He's the reason I'm now in Little Rock...and SO glad I am! We don't live together--the only person who'd hate that worse than me is HIM! Tonight I had a dinner part for him and the few friends he hasn't outlived..they just went home. He grows the most beautiful roses...I was at his house the other day and found him up in a tree cutting out out dead branches--and couldn't think of any reason why he shouldn't be up there...'cuz he's in better shape that I am ! God willing, he'll be still be around when it's time to celebrate his 100th. Meanwhile, I'm just glad to have this time with him.
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