Black Particles in Head

[Bill Saint]

I notice that every time I pump my head, black particles appear in the pump water. Also, after sitting a week, the pump is very hard to use - I have to add lubricant to the head (have been using West Marine "Marine Head Lubricant"). I'm thinking the head needs a rebuild kit ('97 Hunter I purchased used). Perhaps part of the gaskets are dry and flaking off, which is the black stuff I see. Any thoughts?

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

The black particles are most likely

bits of decayed weeds that were sucked up the intake and got trapped in the channel in the rim of the bowl (the stiff pump is a different issue). I'm surprised they don't stink. If there's a lot of "junk" in your waters, the problem can be prevented in the future by adding a strainer to the intake line. Raritan has 'em and theirs are the most reasonably priced. Go to the Raritan website at http://www.raritaneng.comYou'll have to inspect the strainer and clean it regularly, but that's easier than cleaning out the toilet. That's gonna take a bit of work, 'cuz the only way to clean out the channel is to blast it with enough detergent and water to flush all the junk out of it, which means removing the bowl and putting it on the dock unless you want a flood in your boat. Make sure that all the holes are open too.As for your stiff pump, After 5 years, your toilet definitely needs new seals and valves (a rebuild kit), but that's not why it's stiff. Anything you just pour in the bowl to lubricate it is gonna be washed out in only a few flushes (why do you think the WM head lube comes in pints and quarts?). You need to take the pump apart and really slather the cylinder with SeaLube or SuperLube--which are thick teflon grease, and what marine toilet mfrs use--to accomplish anything that willl last a season. So, between cleaning out the channel and rebuilding it, you have some major work to do on your toilet. If it's a Jabsco manual, it may not be worth it. The average lifespan of that toilet is about 7 years at most, and yours is already 5 years old...a rebuild kit costs nearly half as much as a new toilet (they've been on sale for $99 most of the summer)...and then there's the value of your time and labor...removing and replacing two hoses and four bolts is a lot easier and quicker, and cheaper in the long run...however, you'll need a strainer whether you swap out the toilet for a new one or not.If the toilet is working, just shedding black flecks and requires frequent lubing, I'd live with it till the end of the season, though...meanwhile you can decide which way to go--repair or replace.

 

[Stan Galper]

Vegetable oil

To make the head pump more easily, just before leaving the boat for the week, just pour a little vegetable oil into the bottom of the bowl and pump a few times so that it coats the head's pump seals. Do this every time you close up the boat, and every 3 to 4 days while cruising. Any cheap veg. oil will do. Your head will always work like new.

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

Not a good idea, Stan...

If you MUST use vegetable oil instead of lubricating the toilet properly once or twice a year, put it down when you first come aboard...not when you're closing up the boat and never use more than spoonful!). For one thing, vegetable oil turns rancid in the summer heat...for another, when you flush the toilet, almost all of it goes down the discharge, and oil traps any waste or salt water particles in the hose, contributing to odor permeation. The last thing that should go down a toilet before closing up the boat is a cupful of undiluted white vinegar, which dissolves sea water and urine crystals in the hose before they build up and inhibits odor production. You'll find this and other useful information in the collection of articles in Head Mistress forum Reference Library...you might want to spend a few minutes browsing through 'em.