Check valve in head plumbing?

Nov 21, 2012
732
Yamaha 33 Port Ludlow, WA
Is a check valve normal/acceptable in the head plumbing? I'm replacing hoses and there's one in the hose from the Jabsco pump to the tank (via a y-valve, but that's for later.)
 

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Dec 2, 1997
8,944
- - LIttle Rock
No...there should not be a check valve before or after the joker valve in any toilet.

And after looking at your photo I'm VERY glad to know you're replacing all the hoses! You WLL be using ONLY sanitation hose, no clear water hose even for the toilet intake or tank vent?

--Peggie
 

RoyS

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Jun 3, 2012
1,742
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
I think the check valve he is referring to is the joker.
 
Nov 6, 2006
10,093
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
That check in the middle of the picture (with arrow pointing right) looks to be in a small diameter line .. maybe 5/8" ? seawater supply to the toilet pump or a check in the bilge shower sump?
If it is in the tank vent line, there would be a , uuhhh, Shower in the works !
 
Jan 11, 2014
12,955
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
And after looking at your photo I'm VERY glad to know you're replacing all the hoses! You WLL be using ONLY sanitation hose, no clear water hose even for the toilet intake or tank vent?
@Peggie Hall HeadMistress often admonishes us to never use cheap hardware store vinyl hose in our vent lines for holding tanks. She is correct on this in a big way.

Last year I had to replace the vent line as it became plugged. The outlet was inaccessible (damn boat builders) and the only marine sanitation hose I had available was priced at over $8.00 a foot at my least favorite national marine store. As a temporary fix I bought some cheap HW store vinyl hose and installed it at 1/10th the cost. Within weeks the hose had permeated and odor was quite evident. Fortunately the holding tank is in the aft section of the boat so the odor did not reach into the cabin, but the sail smelled pretty bad. New hose will be installed this spring.
 
Dec 2, 1997
8,944
- - LIttle Rock
New hose will be installed this spring.

When you do that, replace the "vent" thru-hull with an open bulkhead (aka "mushroom" thru-hull. That'll do two things: increase the air exchange needed to prevent odor from being created in the tank (that is, as long as the tank doesn't vent out the transom), and make it possible to put a hose nozzle against the thru-hull to backflush the vent line every time you wash the boat and/or pump out, preventing any future blocked vents.

--Peggie
 
Nov 21, 2012
732
Yamaha 33 Port Ludlow, WA
No...there should not be a check valve before or after the joker valve in any toilet.

And after looking at your photo I'm VERY glad to know you're replacing all the hoses! You WLL be using ONLY sanitation hose, no clear water hose even for the toilet intake or tank vent?

--Peggie
Yes, that's the plan. Not fun. I think they installed the hoses before adding the pan to the hull. Some of them are original. Fortunately the number of major projects is declining.
 
Nov 21, 2012
732
Yamaha 33 Port Ludlow, WA
The clear plastic hoses you see in the photo are are fresh water lines from the tank to the foot pump.

I made good progress today, except for one piece from the y-valve to the tank. There is no way to reach it. It must have been installed before the bulkhead went in. I marked the location and will drill a hole for an inspection port, but that's out of scope for this phase. It WILL be replaced, just not today. Same with the hose from the through-hull to the siphon break. i have no idea how to reach in and undo the clamps. Maybe another inspection port.
 
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