has anyone rebuilt the standard toilet on the 340. I have a pump that squeeks and is difficult to operate. i was wondeing if it is worth the time to rebuild it or just replace it. Does it make sence to replace it with a electric unit ?
- Status
Sounds like...
...your pump is yelling at you for help. A talking toilet may be a novelty but it's not right. Why not take it apart and simply fix it?
...your pump is yelling at you for help. A talking toilet may be a novelty but it's not right. Why not take it apart and simply fix it?
Fix it
If it's a Jabsco which is Hunter standard equipment, you can buy a complete rebuild kit for around $40 and fix it in 20 minutes with nothing but a screwdriver and some lithium grease. If I can do it, anybody can Don
If it's a Jabsco which is Hunter standard equipment, you can buy a complete rebuild kit for around $40 and fix it in 20 minutes with nothing but a screwdriver and some lithium grease. If I can do it, anybody can Don
Prob'ly doesn't need repair, just lubrication
A piston/cylinder toilet is no different from a piston engine...it needs lubrication, or it binds. The main difference is, in a toilet it's rubber o-rings around the piston rod that create the seal that rubs against the cylinder wall...operating the toilet without lubrication wears 'em down, which is why many toilets need rebuilding far more frequently than they would if they were kept properly lubricated. Most people wait to do it until the toilet becomes hard to pump, then pour something down the head that washes out in a few flushes...just again when the toilet starts to squeak again. That approach to toilet maintenance is like adding a cupful of oil to an engine only after it starts to smoke each time. Buy a tube of thick teflon grease--the same thing that's in every toilet when it leaves the factory. Remove the top from the pump...depending on the age of the toilet, that requires either removing 6 screws or just a nut. Put a healthy squirt of the grease in it...pump a few times to spread it all over the inside of the pump cylinder...put the top back on. You're done. Do this annually as part of your preventive maintenance schedule and your toilet will be trouble free for years longer, without any need to rebuild, for at least twice as long as it does if you don't. If lubricating it doesn't fix it, the toilet may have more serious problems that rebuilding won't cure. But try that first.
A piston/cylinder toilet is no different from a piston engine...it needs lubrication, or it binds. The main difference is, in a toilet it's rubber o-rings around the piston rod that create the seal that rubs against the cylinder wall...operating the toilet without lubrication wears 'em down, which is why many toilets need rebuilding far more frequently than they would if they were kept properly lubricated. Most people wait to do it until the toilet becomes hard to pump, then pour something down the head that washes out in a few flushes...just again when the toilet starts to squeak again. That approach to toilet maintenance is like adding a cupful of oil to an engine only after it starts to smoke each time. Buy a tube of thick teflon grease--the same thing that's in every toilet when it leaves the factory. Remove the top from the pump...depending on the age of the toilet, that requires either removing 6 screws or just a nut. Put a healthy squirt of the grease in it...pump a few times to spread it all over the inside of the pump cylinder...put the top back on. You're done. Do this annually as part of your preventive maintenance schedule and your toilet will be trouble free for years longer, without any need to rebuild, for at least twice as long as it does if you don't. If lubricating it doesn't fix it, the toilet may have more serious problems that rebuilding won't cure. But try that first.
"Head" Aches Too
The pump on my Jabsco head needs rebuilding and the joker valve too. The first sign of the pump needing a rebuild is water spritzing a little around the plunger stem when pumping. The joker valve failing to reseat causes water / waste back up into the bowl and that gurgling sound. My toilet is about 10 years old. Replacement parts only including an entirely new pump [ the pump and gasket kits never worked right for me in the past] is about $100. Replacing the entire toilet is $150. Hence it makes more sense to replace the entire thing as other gaskets and seals are probably worn and will start to leak eventually. Fred Miller M- Squared
The pump on my Jabsco head needs rebuilding and the joker valve too. The first sign of the pump needing a rebuild is water spritzing a little around the plunger stem when pumping. The joker valve failing to reseat causes water / waste back up into the bowl and that gurgling sound. My toilet is about 10 years old. Replacement parts only including an entirely new pump [ the pump and gasket kits never worked right for me in the past] is about $100. Replacing the entire toilet is $150. Hence it makes more sense to replace the entire thing as other gaskets and seals are probably worn and will start to leak eventually. Fred Miller M- Squared
In your case, I agree--replace it...
It needs more than it's worth to repair it--especially since, if you shop hard, you can usually find it on sale for $99 somewhere. And since it does need replacement, this is a good time to upgrade to a better toilet. For about $200-225, you should be able to find a Raritan PHC...the compact version of the PH II (same pump on a compact base). Btw, joker valves don't "re-seat." Repeated stretching of the slit in it by waste going through it causes it to gradually stretch and lose elasticity with use till it ceases to be a slit any more, but becomes just a hole.
It needs more than it's worth to repair it--especially since, if you shop hard, you can usually find it on sale for $99 somewhere. And since it does need replacement, this is a good time to upgrade to a better toilet. For about $200-225, you should be able to find a Raritan PHC...the compact version of the PH II (same pump on a compact base). Btw, joker valves don't "re-seat." Repeated stretching of the slit in it by waste going through it causes it to gradually stretch and lose elasticity with use till it ceases to be a slit any more, but becomes just a hole.
Peggie, you are my heroine.
You described my head and the maintenance I do to it. I'll get right on it.
You described my head and the maintenance I do to it. I'll get right on it.
If it is a Jabsco....
James: If it is a Jabsco you should rebuild it no matter what it costs. This is Rick Dinon's idea of being a frugal mariner. He has well over $400 in his $99 toilet. Being serious, replace it with a PHII. This is an easy unit to install and very easy to operate. We have had 4 toilets in our boat over the years. This is by far the best of the breed. The pump handle stick out a little, but that is what really makes pumping easy. PS: Rick D, have you given up YET!
James: If it is a Jabsco you should rebuild it no matter what it costs. This is Rick Dinon's idea of being a frugal mariner. He has well over $400 in his $99 toilet. Being serious, replace it with a PHII. This is an easy unit to install and very easy to operate. We have had 4 toilets in our boat over the years. This is by far the best of the breed. The pump handle stick out a little, but that is what really makes pumping easy. PS: Rick D, have you given up YET!
Iow, you're in so deep now you can't get out? 
)
<ROFL>! We've all been there about something. Your toilet reminds me of the guy who claimed to own an axe that once belonged to George Washington. The head has been replaced 4 times and the handle 6 times, but as far as he's concerned, it's still Washington's axe!
)<ROFL>! We've all been there about something.
Your toilet reminds me of the guy who claimed to own an axe that once belonged to George Washington. The head has been replaced 4 times and the handle 6 times, but as far as he's concerned, it's still Washington's axe! - Status