It locks the piston all the way down...
which will prevent any waste water from flowing back into the toilet, because the 'flapper valve' (#16 on the parts diagram, link below) will be held shut. That valve 'flaps' UP on the upward stroke of the piston, which sucks water from the bowl into the pump cylinder, while the 'joker valve' (#33) prevents waste from flowing back in from the discharge hose.So I can believe that when the pump piston IS locked down, it will prevent backflow of waste water, and with the wet/dry lever in the dry position, nothing's coming in from that end....... but I'm still not going to dispense with my vented loops because they ALWAYS work, but the lever and lock will ONLY work when they are set by the user.I think I'll buy the locking lever to get that extra bit of security......BTW, I found a Jabsco pump cylinder on Defender (#500162) that comes with:pump cylinder (#28)top valve/gasket (#21)base valve/gasket (#16)discharge flange (#32)joker valve (#33)Discharge elbow (#34)All that for only $40.99.... it's everything you need to service the toilet except for the o-ring on the cylinder itself.... WM wants more than $60 for their service kit and you end up with a bunch of left-over parts.Cheers,Bobs/y X SAIL R 8