Its still plugged. My head is stilled plugged. I have changed the joker valve and the flaper valve at the top of the pump handle. I am still getting lots of back pressure when I try to pump out the head into the holding tank. Any hints to clear this upwould be appreciated. I have a factory installed holding tank on my Hunter 37 1988 boat.I always pump into my tank, i do not have a y valve. Thanks, Barrie
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Check the raw water input
Check the raw water input. Ensure the intake seacock is not clogged. Close the seacock, disconnect the hose, open the valve to ensure that water comes in. If not, the valve is clogged. If it flows, shut the valve. Connect the hose. Now disconnect the same hose at the head. Open the valve. There should be water flowing. If not, that's your problem. Good Luck.
Check the raw water input. Ensure the intake seacock is not clogged. Close the seacock, disconnect the hose, open the valve to ensure that water comes in. If not, the valve is clogged. If it flows, shut the valve. Connect the hose. Now disconnect the same hose at the head. Open the valve. There should be water flowing. If not, that's your problem. Good Luck.
Another thought...
...to help you isolate the problem. Under the bowl of the toilet, there is a horizontal pipe that should have 1 or 2 plugs that can be unscrewed for draining. Try removing one and see if there's anything in that pipe blocking the flow. Pump it while the plug is out to see if anything passes out. Just don't put your face too close when you pump it ..
...to help you isolate the problem. Under the bowl of the toilet, there is a horizontal pipe that should have 1 or 2 plugs that can be unscrewed for draining. Try removing one and see if there's anything in that pipe blocking the flow. Pump it while the plug is out to see if anything passes out. Just don't put your face too close when you pump it ..
Head ache
This happened to me once and the solution was simple. The flapper valves were backward. That not being the case work your way through the system starting by snaking a wire from the head to the holding tank. If you get there it is the head unit itself and since you know it isn't the joker valve (in the right way I hope) It has to be in the valves or the piston. Good luck.
This happened to me once and the solution was simple. The flapper valves were backward. That not being the case work your way through the system starting by snaking a wire from the head to the holding tank. If you get there it is the head unit itself and since you know it isn't the joker valve (in the right way I hope) It has to be in the valves or the piston. Good luck.
Barry, Has this head...
...worked in the past? And what has happenned (or been done) since it last worked?
...worked in the past? And what has happenned (or been done) since it last worked?
One more time:
Your toilet and/or head discharge line prob'ly is NOT plugged. If your toilet is a Jabsco manual toilet, the "dry/flush" valve is known to fail. It hangs up, creating backpressure that feels just like the toilet is plugged. USUALLY, it's fine in the "flush" mode (bringing flush water in), only feels like the toilet is clogged in the "dry" mode...however, it can jam in just the right position to create backpressure in both modes. The cure: call Jabsco for a replacement dry/flush valve (this is a piece of hardware, not related to the joker or flapper valves). Since it 's a known problem, Jabsco USUALLY sends a replacement part at no charge. If your toilet is a Raritan PH II, the air valve in the pump may have gotten clogged or has failed. The air valve looks like a little square nut with a hole in it on the pump cylinder. Remove it (unscrew it) and clean it...if that doesn't work call Raritan for a replacement air valve. It's a very inexpensive part. In either case, the problem feels just like a clogged toilet. But unless someone has put something down it they shouldn't have (tampon, paper towel or a HUGE wad of the wrong toilet paper), it's unlikely that the toilet IS clogged...the odds are about 100-1 that you have one of the above problems, depending uon which make model toilet you have.
Your toilet and/or head discharge line prob'ly is NOT plugged. If your toilet is a Jabsco manual toilet, the "dry/flush" valve is known to fail. It hangs up, creating backpressure that feels just like the toilet is plugged. USUALLY, it's fine in the "flush" mode (bringing flush water in), only feels like the toilet is clogged in the "dry" mode...however, it can jam in just the right position to create backpressure in both modes. The cure: call Jabsco for a replacement dry/flush valve (this is a piece of hardware, not related to the joker or flapper valves). Since it 's a known problem, Jabsco USUALLY sends a replacement part at no charge. If your toilet is a Raritan PH II, the air valve in the pump may have gotten clogged or has failed. The air valve looks like a little square nut with a hole in it on the pump cylinder. Remove it (unscrew it) and clean it...if that doesn't work call Raritan for a replacement air valve. It's a very inexpensive part. In either case, the problem feels just like a clogged toilet. But unless someone has put something down it they shouldn't have (tampon, paper towel or a HUGE wad of the wrong toilet paper), it's unlikely that the toilet IS clogged...the odds are about 100-1 that you have one of the above problems, depending uon which make model toilet you have.
It's a _______ job, but.....
Consider this as a last resort, only if none of the other easier tips didn't work, and you're still convinced the thing is clogged. This won't be pretty, but it was the only thing that ended up working for me. My youngest son flushed a couple of "wipe-a-dipes" down the old head-a-roo. Have the holding tank pumped out first, then empty the bowl as best you can, to prevent a mess in the bilge when disassembling the plumbing. Keep a bucket and rags handy to catch any messies. Disconnect both ends of the large hose that goes from the toilet to the holding tank. Using something long (preferably sacrificial, because you won't want to keep it after this), ram it through the hose. If you have a section of old garden hose, or semi-rigid plastic tubing, use that. At this point, you might want to consider replacing that hose if odors are a problem, because old hose can retain odor. Oh, and by the way, wear rubber gloves and put a clothes pin on your nose for this job. Good luck!
Consider this as a last resort, only if none of the other easier tips didn't work, and you're still convinced the thing is clogged. This won't be pretty, but it was the only thing that ended up working for me. My youngest son flushed a couple of "wipe-a-dipes" down the old head-a-roo. Have the holding tank pumped out first, then empty the bowl as best you can, to prevent a mess in the bilge when disassembling the plumbing. Keep a bucket and rags handy to catch any messies. Disconnect both ends of the large hose that goes from the toilet to the holding tank. Using something long (preferably sacrificial, because you won't want to keep it after this), ram it through the hose. If you have a section of old garden hose, or semi-rigid plastic tubing, use that. At this point, you might want to consider replacing that hose if odors are a problem, because old hose can retain odor. Oh, and by the way, wear rubber gloves and put a clothes pin on your nose for this job. Good luck!
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