Ship Board Head Joker Valve

[BroadReach]

Peg,
I recently (last summer) installed an Atlantis A5 electric head.
After a few days I noticed that the bowel would fill with raiments of the last usage.
Changed the joker valve and it works OK
Problem -- I ordered a new joker from West Marine.
What arrive was the red Raritan C253 joker.
The old one I took out was of a different design and color as shown in this photo.
The Red C253 joker was of much stiffer material than the one I took out.
Believe that Raritan sells the black joker as a C255.
Th Raritan A5 is an electric commode. Does the structure of the old black joker made for the A5 or is it OK to use the stiffer C253 red joker ??

BroadReach

PS Just checked the attached photo and the word description is a bit off.Please ignore.

BR

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

According to the parts list for the Atlantes...

The correct joker valve for it is C254. However, I would check with Raritan to find out whether it matters or not.

FYI, replacing the joker valve is only a "band aid" for backflow...it's not the real cure and will cease to prevent it once the joker valve becomes just slightly worn. Backflow is an indication that something is happening downstream of the toilet to send bowl contents back the way they came.

Could be as simple as an uphill run from the toilet all the way to the tank...if waste is running back, it just means you aren't flushing long enough to get it there..the only thing that should be running back downhill is a little clean water.

Or, if the toilet is designed to use sea water, sea water mineral buildup in the head discharge line can reduce the diameter enough to create backpressure that's preventing the flush from getting very far.

Or...I'm betting on a blocked or partially blocked tank vent that's pressurizing the tank, creating backpressure that's not allowing the flush to get very far. The most common locations for tank vent blockage are the vent thru-hull and the vent line connection to the tank--both that end of the vent line and the vent fitting on the tank. Tank vent maintenance is critical to a trouble-free system.

 

[Head Master18695]

Either the red Joker Valve (#C253) or the black Joker Valve (#C254) will work without problem. The red one (#C253) seems to seal against backflow a little better over the long run. The black one (#C254) offers less restriction to the outflow. So basically, flip a coin... My personal preference leans toward the C253.