Old ITT Jabsco recirculates

[thomas.dargan]

Ms Hall,

My ITT Jabsco electric head recirculates waste. For instance, if I pour blue stuff deodorant into the bowl and flush it, it comes out under the rim, from where these water inlet is. Jabsco guy suggested fiddling with the circular plate that separates the macerator from the inlet water pump, get it tighter, wait for stuff to accumulate and seal it over time.

Both inlet and outlet pump are on the same motor shaft. But I think the design is horrifyin'. Can I retrofit some other works? The ceramic head itself is fine. It's the works I don't care for.

Tom Dargan
Sea Wolf
New York

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

I'd go with the Raritan SeaEra

It was designed to be an identical upgrade replacement for the Jabsco 37*** series....and is available as a complete toilet or a "conversion" (everything south of the bowl) in both sea water and pressurized fresh water models. Check it out here: Raritan Sea Era

The online store here has the complete toilets at the best prices I've seen, http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.htm?group=653&cat=3702 but don't show the "conversion" on their price list...I dunno why they don't 'cuz they can certainly get it...so give a Dave in sbo.com customer service a call for a quote.

 

[Mike Turner]

Peggy -

I found the Sea Era conversion kit at the Raritan "parts harbor" here: http://www.raritaneng.com/store/page3.html . A couple of different versions, I'm not quite clear what the differences are.

Our "new" Lazyjack 32 also has the older Jabsco electric head with raw water intake. We've had some problems with the bowl not pumping dry - the water swirls around but doesn't go anywhere. I put some lube (mineral oil) in the bowl, swirled the water and let it sit overnight - the bowl pumped dry after that, but then seemed to hang up if we used any toilet paper (thankfully we were testing all of this, not in "live" black water mode!). There is a check valve in the line between the head and the holding tank, I'm thinking this may need to be cleaned out. Do you also think perhaps I've got a joker valve issue of some type? Thanks in advance.

 

[Head Master18695]

As Peggie noted, the Raritan SeaEra head was designed to match the bolt mounting pattern of the Jabsco 37000 series electric head. The SeaEra does not have the two pumps piggy-backed together like the Jabsco does. I agree, Jabsco doesn't have the best design in that regard. Their discharge pump comes first, with a seal and plate, then the intake pump. So if the seal fails, you recirculate the dirty discharge contents from the discharge pump to the intake pump. The sludge from the "dirty water" can become lodged in the hollow rim at the top of the toilet bowl. Once it gets in there, you've got a mess on your hands. It'll take quite a while to work its way out, even after having repaired the head by replacing the seal.

The Raritan SeaEra on the other hand, has the intake pump and the discharge pump at opposite ends of the motor - it is a double-shafted motor. So there's no way to recirculate the dirty water with the SeaEra head. Also, it evens out the strain on the motor bearings; you don't have both pumps being driven by one end of the motor and nothing being driven by the other end. With one pump at one end of the motor and the other pump at the other end of the motor, it equalizes the strain on the motor bearings, and the motor (in theory at least) will last longer before the bearings go.

Mike, the passages in the Jabsco unit are pretty small, and are prone to clogging if you use too much toilet paper. The SeaEra has larger passages and is a lot less prone to clogging. However, I'd also check the inside of the connecting hoses to be sure you don't have a buildup there, that restricts the flow of anything through the hose.

 

[thomas.dargan]

Re: I'd go with the Raritan SeaEra

It was designed to be an identical upgrade replacement for the Jabsco 37*** series....and is available as a complete toilet or a "conversion" (everything south of the bowl) in both sea water and pressurized fresh water models. Check it out here: Raritan Sea Era

The online store here has the complete toilets at the best prices I've seen, http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.htm?group=653&cat=3702 but don't show the "conversion" on their price list...I dunno why they don't 'cuz they can certainly get it...so give a Dave in sbo.com customer service a call for a quote.

Peggy,

I see the Sea era conversion kit to stop recirculation in a Jabsco head costs $560. I also see that both Jabsco and Johnsom Pump have a $169 manual head. The SBO site features the Johnson Pump. My local shop stocks the Jabsco. The Jabso features a twist-n-lock pump handle that engages a conical seal to prevent back flow. Do you think this feature solves the problem, or rather, admits it is there? Do you think these inexpensive heads are good value? Manual is ok with me--the simpler the better on a boat.

And my waste line has a 15-degree up hill run for the first 15 inches. Is an anti-siphon fitting a good idea? Are these stinky items to have in a head?

I wish your book was in print. I am picking stuff up from you about siphons and manual versus electric issues, but in a scattered way. Would you consider posting the book online? Ads and commercial links would be fine, if they could help pay for your effort.

The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater has a composting head, not unpleasant.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Peggy, I see the Sea era conversion kit to stop recirculation in a Jabsco head costs $560.

I dunno where you saw that price, but it's higher than sbo.com's price for the complete toilet.

I also see that both Jabsco and Johnsom Pump have a $169 manual head. The SBO site features the Johnson Pump. My local shop stocks the Jabsco. The Jabso features a twist-n-lock pump handle that engages a conical seal to prevent back flow. Do you think this feature solves the problem, or rather, admits it is there? Do you think these inexpensive heads are good value? Manual is ok with me--the simpler the better on a boat.

If you're happy with a manual, then I recommend the PHII or PHC...also available from the sbo.com online store for a LOT less than the complete toilet sbo.com PHII PHC LBA

And my waste line has a 15-degree up hill run for the first 15 inches. Is an anti-siphon fitting a good idea? Are these stinky items to have in a head?

A loop might be a good idea, but you certainly don't need an anti-siphon valve.

I wish your book was in print.

It is in print, available from a zillion vendors...the link in my signature below goes to it on this site...it's also available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble , Armchair Sailor...I have more than a dozen sources worldwide who carrry it bookmarked.

Would you consider posting the book online?

That wouldn't help the sales of it much.

The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater has a composting head, not unpleasant.[/quote]

If you like that idea, go for it.