Just installed a new head on my boat. When I tried the pump, nothing happened, there does not seem to be a vacuum to draw water. Should I prime it with some water? Is there a valve that may be shut and I have to open?
Operating the head
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Valve to open
There should be only one valve to open and that would be a thru-hull for raw water input. Just prime it and keep pumping until it sucks the water in.
There should be only one valve to open and that would be a thru-hull for raw water input. Just prime it and keep pumping until it sucks the water in.
Which toilet is it?
If it's the Jabsco, the little lever that chooses raw intake water or emptying the bowl might not be working or might be in the wrong position. Left fills the bowl, right empties it. Before disassembling the pump, try what the other posters recommended - those are the easy solutions. BTW, if your raw water intake hose is cracked or leaky, it could cause this problem. On most boats, the entire intake hose is below the waterline, so you would have water coming out of the leaky hose under pressure. Other things to check: a blocked thru-hull or hose. Good luck! At least the problem is on the 'clean' side of a new toilet. ;D Cheers, Bob s/v X SAIL R 8 p.s.... I hope this doesn't sound too critical, but in the future, you might want to check for the existence of AND open/close condition of the applicable thru-hull and seacock BEFORE working on any of the hoses (water supply, drain, etc) on the boat. I just read your post again and noticed that you are wondering about the raw water intake hose (after disconnecting it from the old toilet, presumably) and don't seem to know where it goes.
As a general comment, before you sail anywhere or do anything with your boat, you should know exactly where every hole in the hull is and have a means to plug it (usually a soft wooden plug) in the event of an emergency. In addition, the LAST thing you should do before leaving your boat in its slip is double-check all of the seacocks - many boats sink right at their slips due to hose failure. Close those seacocks!
If it's the Jabsco, the little lever that chooses raw intake water or emptying the bowl might not be working or might be in the wrong position. Left fills the bowl, right empties it. Before disassembling the pump, try what the other posters recommended - those are the easy solutions. BTW, if your raw water intake hose is cracked or leaky, it could cause this problem. On most boats, the entire intake hose is below the waterline, so you would have water coming out of the leaky hose under pressure. Other things to check: a blocked thru-hull or hose. Good luck! At least the problem is on the 'clean' side of a new toilet. ;D Cheers, Bob s/v X SAIL R 8 p.s.... I hope this doesn't sound too critical, but in the future, you might want to check for the existence of AND open/close condition of the applicable thru-hull and seacock BEFORE working on any of the hoses (water supply, drain, etc) on the boat. I just read your post again and noticed that you are wondering about the raw water intake hose (after disconnecting it from the old toilet, presumably) and don't seem to know where it goes.
As a general comment, before you sail anywhere or do anything with your boat, you should know exactly where every hole in the hull is and have a means to plug it (usually a soft wooden plug) in the event of an emergency. In addition, the LAST thing you should do before leaving your boat in its slip is double-check all of the seacocks - many boats sink right at their slips due to hose failure. Close those seacocks!
Did you read and follow the instructions?
All new equipment comes with a set of installation and operation instructions that also often include a trouble-shooting guide. If you followed them when you installed the toilet and again when you tested it, the toilet should work. That is, if the boat is in the water. We do see posts every now and then from people who can't figure out why their new toilet won't bring in any flush water while it's sitting in the yard. However, I suspect that either the intake thru-hull is closed or the wet/dry valve lever on the top of the pump is in the dry position. If that's not the problem, try reading the directions to make sure you installed it correctly. Bob's advice about knowing the location and condition of every hole in your boat--and making sure to close 'em when you leave the boat--was the best you've gotten...take it to heart and follow it!
All new equipment comes with a set of installation and operation instructions that also often include a trouble-shooting guide. If you followed them when you installed the toilet and again when you tested it, the toilet should work. That is, if the boat is in the water. We do see posts every now and then from people who can't figure out why their new toilet won't bring in any flush water while it's sitting in the yard. However, I suspect that either the intake thru-hull is closed or the wet/dry valve lever on the top of the pump is in the dry position. If that's not the problem, try reading the directions to make sure you installed it correctly. Bob's advice about knowing the location and condition of every hole in your boat--and making sure to close 'em when you leave the boat--was the best you've gotten...take it to heart and follow it!
head not working
All good points, one other thing you might have an air lock in your raw water hose. run a garden hose in the bowl and get it cleared. On some models also I think if the holding tank value is in the wrong position you won't be able to get a suction on the pump.
All good points, one other thing you might have an air lock in your raw water hose. run a garden hose in the bowl and get it cleared. On some models also I think if the holding tank value is in the wrong position you won't be able to get a suction on the pump.
Possible Simple Solution
A wise friend once told me to try the easiest solution first. I've had this exact problem several times with my Jabsco heads. Before I knew any better I replaced the pump mechanism to fix the problem. Somewhere along the line I found that pumping the handle as quickly as you can for 10-30 seconds while in "wet bowl" mode would prime the pump. After priming it would work fine for months. Hope the simple solution works for you!
A wise friend once told me to try the easiest solution first. I've had this exact problem several times with my Jabsco heads. Before I knew any better I replaced the pump mechanism to fix the problem. Somewhere along the line I found that pumping the handle as quickly as you can for 10-30 seconds while in "wet bowl" mode would prime the pump. After priming it would work fine for months. Hope the simple solution works for you!
Jabsco Head Not Responding
Thanks to all who responded, the information was very helpful and I'm almost there. I did locate a lever that apparently allows the holding tank (on my Hunter 25.5 it is a large rubberized container below the head berth) to be emptied at some future time when it is full. When I shifted the lever away from the position allowing access to the holding tank, there was a definit vacuum in the pump (which I did not have before). However, after making sure the intake lever was correctly shifted (to the left) and about 5 minutes pumping I still did not get any water in the bowl. In response to another boater's question today, I informed me that I had not filled the water tank on the boat. He explained that this was the problem since the head does not draw water from a thru hull connection but draws water from the water tank. Since I was not able to locate any thru-hull valve that needs to be opened, the response seem plausible yet illogical. Can this possibly be correct?
Thanks to all who responded, the information was very helpful and I'm almost there. I did locate a lever that apparently allows the holding tank (on my Hunter 25.5 it is a large rubberized container below the head berth) to be emptied at some future time when it is full. When I shifted the lever away from the position allowing access to the holding tank, there was a definit vacuum in the pump (which I did not have before). However, after making sure the intake lever was correctly shifted (to the left) and about 5 minutes pumping I still did not get any water in the bowl. In response to another boater's question today, I informed me that I had not filled the water tank on the boat. He explained that this was the problem since the head does not draw water from a thru hull connection but draws water from the water tank. Since I was not able to locate any thru-hull valve that needs to be opened, the response seem plausible yet illogical. Can this possibly be correct?
Hooboy...
If your manual Jabsco toilet draws its flush water from the fresh water tank, that's a MAJOR no-no! No manual toilet should ever be connected to the fresh water plumbing...that cannot be done without risk of e-coli contamination of your fresh wate supply, damage to the toilet, or both...and every toilet manufacturer specifically warns against it in their installation instructions. The 3/4" hose that connects to the pump should go to a thru-hull below the waterline...which should also have a seacock on it that opens and closes it. (All this is in the installation instructions that came with your toilet!!!!) The 1"--or possibly 1.5"--hose coming off the bottom of the pump goes to the holding tank and has nothing to do with whether the toilet can bring in flush water or not. The lever on the top of the pump has absolutely NOTHING to do with the holding tank...it controls a little "gate" (Jabsco calls it a cam) that the lever swings to block or unblock the flow of incoming flush water. So the first thing you need to do is trace the plumbing to--or in this case, from--your toilet to find out where the hoses go. And READ the bloomin' DIRECTIONS! If, after you've traced the plumbing and determined that your toilet IS installed correctly, it still won't work, you may have a defective toilet...in which case, pull it out, return it and replace it with one that's a decent quality. 'Cuz even if it does work, you'll be lucky if a Jabsco lasts two years before you have another failure.
If your manual Jabsco toilet draws its flush water from the fresh water tank, that's a MAJOR no-no! No manual toilet should ever be connected to the fresh water plumbing...that cannot be done without risk of e-coli contamination of your fresh wate supply, damage to the toilet, or both...and every toilet manufacturer specifically warns against it in their installation instructions. The 3/4" hose that connects to the pump should go to a thru-hull below the waterline...which should also have a seacock on it that opens and closes it. (All this is in the installation instructions that came with your toilet!!!!) The 1"--or possibly 1.5"--hose coming off the bottom of the pump goes to the holding tank and has nothing to do with whether the toilet can bring in flush water or not. The lever on the top of the pump has absolutely NOTHING to do with the holding tank...it controls a little "gate" (Jabsco calls it a cam) that the lever swings to block or unblock the flow of incoming flush water. So the first thing you need to do is trace the plumbing to--or in this case, from--your toilet to find out where the hoses go. And READ the bloomin' DIRECTIONS! If, after you've traced the plumbing and determined that your toilet IS installed correctly, it still won't work, you may have a defective toilet...in which case, pull it out, return it and replace it with one that's a decent quality. 'Cuz even if it does work, you'll be lucky if a Jabsco lasts two years before you have another failure.
Tony, the thought just occured to me...
From your questions, I'd almost bet real money that you and the installation directions for your toilet have never met...which would mean that, in addition to anything else that may be preventing the toilet from priming, you prob'ly didn't install the vented loop in the head intake that's specified for toilets that are at or below waterline. But if I'm wrong, and if you did install the vented loop--but put it in the wrong place...that would prevent the pump from priming. One more possibility also just occurred to me: If the toilet was stored--even new in the box--for an extended period with the wet/dry lever in the dry position, that can cause the flapper valve in the pump to distort...which would prevent the pump from priming.
From your questions, I'd almost bet real money that you and the installation directions for your toilet have never met...which would mean that, in addition to anything else that may be preventing the toilet from priming, you prob'ly didn't install the vented loop in the head intake that's specified for toilets that are at or below waterline. But if I'm wrong, and if you did install the vented loop--but put it in the wrong place...that would prevent the pump from priming. One more possibility also just occurred to me: If the toilet was stored--even new in the box--for an extended period with the wet/dry lever in the dry position, that can cause the flapper valve in the pump to distort...which would prevent the pump from priming.
How the Head was installed
There have been a lot of interesting responses to my dilema and I truly appreciate them all. When I initially stated the problem I may have not been clear on what exactly I replaced. The only item replaced was the head itself. This required that I disconnect the lines already there, install the new Jabsco head, and reconnect all the existing lines. All the lines that were there before are still there. What I seem to have missed is the mysterious seacock that needs to be opened so that the unit will work. There also seems to be a misconception that I did not read the instructions. Since the unit is rather simple, the instructions consisted of a list of the items, placing the unit in its locations, and installing and tightening the bolts to hold the unit in place. There were no instructions dealing with any of the hoses or where they should go. All the hoses were in place and were not touched. Only the bowl and pump, which comes as a unit, was replaced. So much for reading the instructions. As for the fresh water source, I agree with the comments on that, it did not seem logical, from my perspective, that this would be the source of the intake water. I'm glad to hear that my initial skepticism was justified.
There have been a lot of interesting responses to my dilema and I truly appreciate them all. When I initially stated the problem I may have not been clear on what exactly I replaced. The only item replaced was the head itself. This required that I disconnect the lines already there, install the new Jabsco head, and reconnect all the existing lines. All the lines that were there before are still there. What I seem to have missed is the mysterious seacock that needs to be opened so that the unit will work. There also seems to be a misconception that I did not read the instructions. Since the unit is rather simple, the instructions consisted of a list of the items, placing the unit in its locations, and installing and tightening the bolts to hold the unit in place. There were no instructions dealing with any of the hoses or where they should go. All the hoses were in place and were not touched. Only the bowl and pump, which comes as a unit, was replaced. So much for reading the instructions. As for the fresh water source, I agree with the comments on that, it did not seem logical, from my perspective, that this would be the source of the intake water. I'm glad to hear that my initial skepticism was justified.
What's the make.model of the toilet?
We've been assuming it's a Jabsco, which includes includes fairly detailed installation instructions...but so does every other brand. Which one is it? Only one way to find the "mysterious seacock" (which you need to find anyway because it should always be closed when no one is aboard): Trace the smaller hose from the toilet to its other end somewhere below the waterline on the same side of the keel. Btw...you said, "When I shifted the lever away from the position allowing access to the holding tank, there was a definit vacuum in the pump (which I did not have before)." As I previously replied, that lever has nothing to do with the holding tank...but there is something else you need to check: the holding tank vent. 'Cuz that "vacuum" is a sure sign that all that pumping has put a lot of air into the tank that has pressurized the tank 'cuz it can't escape out the vent. So I think at this point the smartest thing you can do is find someone who can come aboard and explain hoe your toilet works, figure out the plumbing and unclog the tank vent. You'd prob'ly find the link below useful too...it's a complete "marine toilets 101" manual that can prevent a LOT of future "head aches."
We've been assuming it's a Jabsco, which includes includes fairly detailed installation instructions...but so does every other brand. Which one is it? Only one way to find the "mysterious seacock" (which you need to find anyway because it should always be closed when no one is aboard): Trace the smaller hose from the toilet to its other end somewhere below the waterline on the same side of the keel. Btw...you said, "When I shifted the lever away from the position allowing access to the holding tank, there was a definit vacuum in the pump (which I did not have before)." As I previously replied, that lever has nothing to do with the holding tank...but there is something else you need to check: the holding tank vent. 'Cuz that "vacuum" is a sure sign that all that pumping has put a lot of air into the tank that has pressurized the tank 'cuz it can't escape out the vent. So I think at this point the smartest thing you can do is find someone who can come aboard and explain hoe your toilet works, figure out the plumbing and unclog the tank vent. You'd prob'ly find the link below useful too...it's a complete "marine toilets 101" manual that can prevent a LOT of future "head aches."
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