My raritan cricket toilet is backflushing from the holding tank. Any ideas where I can get a repair kit and how much it will cost? TIA Rich
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I don't think a rebuild will solve the problem
Have you checked your tank vent for a blockage? 'Cuz 99x out of a 100, a backup is due to a blocked tank vent that's pressurized the tank. Waste is backing up 'cuz it has nowhere else to go against the pressure. Apparently you didn't bother to keep the manual after you installed it...'cuz if you had, you'd see that the Cricket pump doesn't have any moving parts to wear out...it's a diaphragm. So there is no rebuild kit like the ones for piston/cylinder pumps. The Cricket "rebuild kit" is a new diaphragm--the equivilant of a whole new pump except for the housing. If you need a new diaphragm, that wouldn't cause the toilet to back up...instead, it would have just started requiring more and more pumping to move anything out of the bowl. At most, you prob'ly need a new joker valve. You can download and print a new manual from here: http://www.raritaneng.com/pdf_files/cricket/L229cricketv0502.pdf So first, carefully loosen the pumpout fitting to relieve any pressure in the tank. Then check the vent thru-hull and the vent connection on the tank for a blockage. Scrape it out with a screwdriver blade. If the vent isn't blocked, there is one other good possibility: the diaphragm may be impacted with solids and TP. That happens if the Cricket isn't always flushed enough enough to move all the solids and TP out of the diaphragm...they build up in it. That too many people stop flushing as soon as the bowl is empty, leaving waste in the diaphragm, is the reason Raritan finally discontinued the Cricket...too many people were having problems with it because they don't flush it long enough, and there was just no way to make it "operator error-proof." If none of the above solves your problem, give Vic Willman at Raritan a call: 800-352-5630 x 6. If he thinks you need to rebuild it, you can order the kit direct from Raritan.
Have you checked your tank vent for a blockage? 'Cuz 99x out of a 100, a backup is due to a blocked tank vent that's pressurized the tank. Waste is backing up 'cuz it has nowhere else to go against the pressure. Apparently you didn't bother to keep the manual after you installed it...'cuz if you had, you'd see that the Cricket pump doesn't have any moving parts to wear out...it's a diaphragm. So there is no rebuild kit like the ones for piston/cylinder pumps. The Cricket "rebuild kit" is a new diaphragm--the equivilant of a whole new pump except for the housing. If you need a new diaphragm, that wouldn't cause the toilet to back up...instead, it would have just started requiring more and more pumping to move anything out of the bowl. At most, you prob'ly need a new joker valve. You can download and print a new manual from here: http://www.raritaneng.com/pdf_files/cricket/L229cricketv0502.pdf So first, carefully loosen the pumpout fitting to relieve any pressure in the tank. Then check the vent thru-hull and the vent connection on the tank for a blockage. Scrape it out with a screwdriver blade. If the vent isn't blocked, there is one other good possibility: the diaphragm may be impacted with solids and TP. That happens if the Cricket isn't always flushed enough enough to move all the solids and TP out of the diaphragm...they build up in it. That too many people stop flushing as soon as the bowl is empty, leaving waste in the diaphragm, is the reason Raritan finally discontinued the Cricket...too many people were having problems with it because they don't flush it long enough, and there was just no way to make it "operator error-proof." If none of the above solves your problem, give Vic Willman at Raritan a call: 800-352-5630 x 6. If he thinks you need to rebuild it, you can order the kit direct from Raritan.
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