Fresh water flush

GWG

.
May 3, 2010
53
Beneteau 40 LI Sound
I would like to hook up my jabsco electric head on my B40 to fresh water to both rid my boat of the stink when first Using the head, and to increase use of fresh water so that the tanks are regularly emptied and refilled. Is it as simple as teeing of the fresh water hose from the forward tank on its way to , and before it reaches, the fresh water pump? Is any sort of valve or special fitting needed? I assume I do not have to energize the fresh water pump or use the accumulator tank because the Jabsco head has its own pump. A schematic and pictures would be appreciated.
 
Sep 25, 2008
7,075
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Not a good idea because of the possibility of cross contamination. No valve is going to eliminate the possibility. Best to dedicate one tank exclusively to the head for flushing. If it approximates the holding tank volume, the unintended benefit is a good indicator of when the holding tank is full.

As far as fresh tank water, there are better ways to ensure that happens.
 
Mar 20, 2016
594
Beneteau 351 WYC Whitby
I just grab the shower head fill the toilet with fresh water before I leave boat and don't draw any water in... no smell
 
May 17, 2004
5,026
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
Jabsco sells 2 models of electric head - the 37045 and 37245. The 37045 is made for fresh water plumbing, and 37245 is for raw water. As far as I can tell from a quick look at the owners manuals, they are the same except that the raw water version has a pump, and the fresh water version has a solenoid. The solenoid provides separation to prevent contamination. A call to Jabsco may be in order to conform there are no other differences. Our dealer changed our head from raw to fresh water when we bought the boat. I’m guessing all they did was to replace the pump with the solenoid. We do need to have the pressure water system running to flush the head. Reusing he pump from the raw water model is likely not compatible with the solenoid.

Your 40 has water tank capacity of, what, 95 gallons? I think it’s unlikely that using fresh water for the head will make any significant dent toward using up the water in those tanks.
 
Dec 2, 1997
8,708
- - LIttle Rock
I would like to hook up my jabsco electric head on my B40 to fresh water to both rid my boat of the stink when first Using the head, and to increase use of fresh water so that the tanks are regularly emptied and refilled. Is it as simple as teeing of the fresh water hose from the forward tank on its way to , and before it reaches, the fresh water pump?
Nooooo...and don't even think of doing that! You'd run a huge risk of contaminating your potable water supply with sea water and/or bacteria from the toilet bowl. All toilets designed to use fresh water need PRESSURIZED water and have built in siphon breaks and backflow preventers. And instead of intake pumps, solenoid valves that work kinda like faucets on a sink to allow water to flow into the bowl when you push the flush button and block it when you let go.

There's a very simple and inexpensive --and SAFE--way to supply fresh water to prevent odor caused by sea water left to sit and stagnate in the toilet intake:

Sink drain thru-hulls are below the waterline on almost all sailboats. So re-route the toilet intake hose to tee or wye it into the sink drain line as close to the seacock as possible because the connection must be below waterline to work.
This will allow you to flush normally with sea water. After you’ve closed the sink drain seacock in preparation to close up the boat (you do close all seacocks before leaving the boat to sit??), fill the sink with clean fresh water and flush the toilet. Because the seacock is closed, the toilet will draw the water out of the sink, rinsing the sea water out of the entire system—intake line, pump, channel in the rim of the bowl and the discharge line,(Water poured into the bowl only rinses out the toilet discharge line). If your toilet is electric, be careful not to let it run dry…doing so can burn out the intake impeller. Or you can keep the sink drain seacock closed except when it's needed to drain the sink and flush with fresh water down the sink all the time...your choice.
It may also be necessary to keep the sink plugged except when in use, with a rubber sink plug or by installing a conveniently located shut-off valve in the drain hose. Otherwise the toilet may pull air through the sink when you try to flush, preventing the pump from priming.

--Peggie
 
Dec 19, 2006
5,809
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
I added a sprayer hose a long side my Sea Era for flushing and also have sink drain into my Sea Era
and makes things smell ok and less build up of salt and no real reapairs and joke value lasts longer.
Nick
 

NYSail

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Jan 6, 2006
3,048
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
Both my electric jabsco heads are freshwater flushed and have solenoids.