Problem with my Groco HF head

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Jul 5, 2005
219
Catalina Capri 22 Alum Creek Sailing Association
Hi Peggy and all, My less than 1 year old Groco HF manual head stopped drawing water up through the thru-hull. I can't understand what the problem is. I was on the boat, the head worked fine. After returning from a two week vacation, I'm getting no suction when I pump the handle up and down. I made sure the thru-hull was open. I even went underneath the boat and scrubbed any critters from the bottom of the boat, thinking maybe some marine growth was interfering. I "primed" the head, also with no better results. One thing I've noticed, and this is weird because no one has been on the boat since I left it, the lever next to the hand-pump labeled "flush dry" can now rotate completely around. I know this is something new. Before, the lever's range of motion was only about 45 degree, if that even. Thanks Peggy.
 
Dec 2, 1997
8,961
- - LIttle Rock
The wet/dry ("dry/flush") valve has failed

That lever moves a part in the pump that blocks or unblocks the flow the flush water. That the lever now can rotate 360 degrees obviously means the lever is no longer connected to the part inside the pump...you're not getting any flush water because that part got left in the "dry" position when the lever parted company with it. If the toilet is less than a year old, it's still under warranty...so I wouldn't mess with repairing it, I'd return it for a replacement. Btw...you DO close all the thru-hulls when you leave the boat...you don't rely only the wet/dry valve to to keep sea water from flooding the toilet? 'Cuz if you do leave the thru-hulls open, and if that valve hadn't stayed in the dry position, you could easily have come back to find your boat sitting on the bottom of your slip.
 
B

Ben

Yes, thru-hulls closed

Thanks Peggy. Yes, I do close my thru-hulls after each use. Thanks for the reminder though. I have a recurring nightmare where my boat is slowly sinking. Thanks for the information about the lever too. I'll probably just buy the replacement part though, I can't imaging taking the toilet back apart and sending it back. The replacement part should be too expensive. Thanks again, Ben
 
Dec 2, 1997
8,961
- - LIttle Rock
If I ever were to make a product for boat owners,

I'd put a lifetime warranty on it even if I were sure something in it would break within months or even weeks, 'cuz boat owners never return anything for exchange under warranty...they'd rather pay for parts they should get for free and spend a day taking something apart and putting 'em back together (not always successfully) instead of spending a total of about an hour to uninstall and reinstall the whole thing. :) At least call Groco for advice and the replacement part(s) you need under warranty: 410-712-2424. They may even have a dealer near you who'll swap out the toilet whether you bought it from 'em or not.
 
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