Jabsco Marine Head Rebuild Question

[Bob F]

My plunger/pump O-ring is getting tired, and I find myself removing the plunger and relubing it often, And the rubber parts on top are gettting close too, so I bought a "rebuild kit" today at WM. But before I start taking things completely apart, any words of wisdom from the wise??? Or tips the wont tell me about in the instructions??Your comments are appreciated.Bob F.

 

[Steve Dion]

DON'T

Don't waste your money. One of our GOOD sailing friends has invested something like $400+ on a Jabsco.Get a PHII and pump happily for many years to come. These toilets are actually worth rebuilding.

 

[Peggie Hall/HeadMistress]

Steve's right...

It doesn't make a lot of sense to spend $50 to rebuild a toilet that only has an average lifespan of about 5 years and can almost always be found on sale somewhere for $99. You can go cheap again and replace it with another $99 toilet that'll need replacing again in 5 years...or you can bite the bullet and spend about $250 for Raritan PH II, which has been rated the best manual toilet under $500 for decades, can "swallow" flushes that would choke most toilets, and will provide 20+ years of trouble-free service if it's just kept properly lubricated and rebuilt (<$40 for the kit) about every 5 years or so.It's your money, and your call.

 

[Jay Eaton]

Jabsco Rebuilds

I rebuilt my Jabsco last season. In my search for kits, none of the marine stores in MD & DE carry the proper kit - you need to check the picture on the bag closure; does match your head pump handle (black or gray)? I ended up getting one from a distributor in New Bedford, MA.I am considering a change, and my question is do the fittings and piping on the Jabsco match close enough to the PHII?

 

[Steve Dion]

I think I changed the water intake only.

Changing to the PHII was a matter of replacing the raw water intake hose only. The sewage hose was OKAY as is. I used one of the bolt holes and redrilled the others. Be sure to fill the old holes with caulking or something like Marinetex to prevent moisture from getting into the platform.