I have a manual Jabsco head. When I pump the lever, it moves very freely up and down and does not feal like there is any suction oulling fresh water in, or sucking the bowl clean. Any thoughts?
jabsco, no pressure
- Thread starter Quietude
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Just a guess, but it sounds like the bottom nut that holds the piston on the pump shaft has dropped off and allowed the piston to follow. If that were to happen you would just be pumping the shaft up and down. There is another nut on the top of the piston so the shaft would not pull out of the pump body.
I think your situation is a result of the "wet dry" lever not properly working...it is not being engaged. This is a common problem and a source of much frustration.
You will need to remove the 5 - 6 screws holdong the top on the piston assembly. When you lift the top, you willl see a "rubber flapper with weights". This piece (or the spring)is either out of place or needs replacing. If so, you need the rebuild kit that includes a new "rubber flapper" and the spring. Pay CLOSE attention to how the pieces come apart so you can put it back together. If your head is pretty new, I would contact Jabsco customer service and raise some cane and they will send you a new one for free.
You will need to remove the 5 - 6 screws holdong the top on the piston assembly. When you lift the top, you willl see a "rubber flapper with weights". This piece (or the spring)is either out of place or needs replacing. If so, you need the rebuild kit that includes a new "rubber flapper" and the spring. Pay CLOSE attention to how the pieces come apart so you can put it back together. If your head is pretty new, I would contact Jabsco customer service and raise some cane and they will send you a new one for free.
I just fixed the same problem with the wet/dry valve and made a short video of the project... I wish they were all this easy. http://k7zb.blogspot.com/
I'd point out that the cost of rebuilding a Jabsco head and buying a different head aren't all that far apart...and that there are far more reliable heads available. The Raritan PHII or PHC is available as a "kit", where you reuse the bowl, seat and lid from your existing head and upgrade the base and pump to that of a Raritan PHII or PHC head, giving you what is effectively a brand new Raritan PHII or PHC head for a fraction of the price. The part you need is available right here on the SBO store.
Just some comments from another recently experienced top valve gasket replacer ( earlier this afternoon) You can buy just the top valve gasket and spring ( my older model did not have the spring but the gasket is the same) should cost <20$. Nice video k7zb. Dont get to panicked about replacing the top gasket valve and the little plastic top valve seat- if yours has one- if you look carefully there is just one way they fit in and fit around everything with the weights correctly over openings. While you are in there lube the piston- jabsco says petroleum jelly, Peggy says teflon grease.
Lube the cylinder...the piston doesn't need it...
Apparently no one has bothered to tell the people who write the Jabsco manuals that petroleum degrades the rubber parts in toilets...or maybe they DO know and their advice to use it is part of a plot to make sure their toilets need to be replaced early and often.
But more likely they were written by the same guy who came up with this gem: "use only ethylene glycol antifreeze because automotive antifreeze is destructive to rubber." (If you don't get it, I'll explain it).
To lube the toilet (I do indeed recommend thick teflon grease):
While you have the top off the pump, Stick the tube nozzle into it and give it a healthy squirt....pump a few times to spread it all over the inside of the pump...put the top back on...you're done.
If you'll do this every year as part of spring recommissioning, your toilet will pump smoothly and quietly all season without the need to do anything more, and your seals, o-rings etc will last about twice as long):
Apparently no one has bothered to tell the people who write the Jabsco manuals that petroleum degrades the rubber parts in toilets...or maybe they DO know and their advice to use it is part of a plot to make sure their toilets need to be replaced early and often.
But more likely they were written by the same guy who came up with this gem: "use only ethylene glycol antifreeze because automotive antifreeze is destructive to rubber." (If you don't get it, I'll explain it).To lube the toilet (I do indeed recommend thick teflon grease):
While you have the top off the pump, Stick the tube nozzle into it and give it a healthy squirt....pump a few times to spread it all over the inside of the pump...put the top back on...you're done.
If you'll do this every year as part of spring recommissioning, your toilet will pump smoothly and quietly all season without the need to do anything more, and your seals, o-rings etc will last about twice as long):
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