I don't believe my system was installed correctly. This is what I have, a Jabsco electric toilet that flows to a 6 gallon holding tank that has a 5/8" vent, a 1 1/2" outlet that has a hose going to a tee with the top side going to the deck for a pump out and the other side going to a seacock in the bottom of the hull (18" Draft). There is no vented loop, Y valve, or macerator pump to empty the tank when offshore. I have not owned this boat long enough to know if this system works, however the tank is only holding about an inch of water and the seacock is in the open position, which I know is not right, so my question is what is the proper configuration is there a drawing somewhere that I can view, should I have a pump will it be capable of pumping out the bottom of the hull with a 18" draft, and where can I get a bigger thru hull vent than the 5/8" that is there now. Also the toilet leaks around the base any Idea how to fix this. Sorry about the long post just wanted to include as much detail as possible -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nauti-Dawg 20'CC KeyWest W/ Merc 175 Mako 243 W Twin Suzki 175's -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edited by - Nauti-Dawg on Jan 03 2007 18:41:21
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Jabsco head
Nauti-Dawg, According to the Jabsco installation manual there should be a vented loop between the hand pump and the bowl if the head is lower than the water line at maximum heel. The vented loop breaks the vacumm so sea water won't get siphon back in to sink your boat. Check the Jabsco web site or go to West Marine to have a look in an open box. The PO installed the loop on the hose from the water intake which is wrong. The vent needs water pressure to close. I sail in the great lakes and not allow to dump that stuff overboard so can't answer your second question. Alex CS30 - Toronto
Nauti-Dawg, According to the Jabsco installation manual there should be a vented loop between the hand pump and the bowl if the head is lower than the water line at maximum heel. The vented loop breaks the vacumm so sea water won't get siphon back in to sink your boat. Check the Jabsco web site or go to West Marine to have a look in an open box. The PO installed the loop on the hose from the water intake which is wrong. The vent needs water pressure to close. I sail in the great lakes and not allow to dump that stuff overboard so can't answer your second question. Alex CS30 - Toronto
If the entire tank is above the waterline,
I suspect what you have is an installation known as the "KISS" system, shown here: http://www.sailcopress.com/editorial%20MSD.htm. The tank drains via gravity, so no pump is needed, nor is any vented loop needed in the tank discharge line. When the boat is at sea beyond the "3 mile limit" (extended to 12 miles in the Keys), waste flows overboard through the tank...the seacock should be kept closed while in coastal waters...and btw, they're pretty ticky about that in the Keys. So if that IS what you have, the only vented loop you're missing is the one in the head intake, as shown in the Jabsco installation instructions here: http://www.jabsco.com//prodInfo/overview/43001_0507_01_03.pdf And btw, that's where it belong in ALL manual toilet installations, not just Jabsco. If that's not what you have, get back to me and we'll sort out what you need to do to make it work (I've never understood why so many buyers fail to ask the sellers to show 'em where EVERYTHING on a boat is and how it works before taking delivery, but that never seems to occur to 'em). As for your leaking toilet...I suspect a hairline crack in the pump cylinder wall at the bottom of it. Jabsco's are such cheap junk that you're better off replacing the toilet with one that's a bit better quality than trying to repair it. As for a larger tank vent thru-hull...so-called "vent" thru-hulls only come in one size--5/8"--which is the standard size for all water, fuel and waste tank vents. So if you want a larger diameter vent line, you'll need a plain ol' bulkhead thru-hull...just look for "thru-hull fittings" to find one.
I suspect what you have is an installation known as the "KISS" system, shown here: http://www.sailcopress.com/editorial%20MSD.htm. The tank drains via gravity, so no pump is needed, nor is any vented loop needed in the tank discharge line. When the boat is at sea beyond the "3 mile limit" (extended to 12 miles in the Keys), waste flows overboard through the tank...the seacock should be kept closed while in coastal waters...and btw, they're pretty ticky about that in the Keys. So if that IS what you have, the only vented loop you're missing is the one in the head intake, as shown in the Jabsco installation instructions here: http://www.jabsco.com//prodInfo/overview/43001_0507_01_03.pdf And btw, that's where it belong in ALL manual toilet installations, not just Jabsco. If that's not what you have, get back to me and we'll sort out what you need to do to make it work (I've never understood why so many buyers fail to ask the sellers to show 'em where EVERYTHING on a boat is and how it works before taking delivery, but that never seems to occur to 'em). As for your leaking toilet...I suspect a hairline crack in the pump cylinder wall at the bottom of it. Jabsco's are such cheap junk that you're better off replacing the toilet with one that's a bit better quality than trying to repair it. As for a larger tank vent thru-hull...so-called "vent" thru-hulls only come in one size--5/8"--which is the standard size for all water, fuel and waste tank vents. So if you want a larger diameter vent line, you'll need a plain ol' bulkhead thru-hull...just look for "thru-hull fittings" to find one.
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