Toilet
- Thread starter Jdaniel343
- Start date
It could have been any one of many: Groco, Jabsco or Wilcox Crittendon Head Mate units.
Many aren't made anymore.
The Raritan PHII or PHC are highly recommended. Much better than any current competitors and available from this very website's store.
Many aren't made anymore.
The Raritan PHII or PHC are highly recommended. Much better than any current competitors and available from this very website's store.
You won't be able to rebuild an HC...it's been obsolete for about 25 years, replaced first by the HE, and then by the current HF version. There is an "HC to HF upgrade kit" but the price for it ranges from $150-200...so IMO you'd be better off just replacing the toilet with a Raritan PHC "conversion." Groco makes good toilets--the only mfr left except Raritan who does--but the PHC uses a PHII pump, which is a lot more robust than ANY compact pump. The online store right here carries it: Raritan LBA Upgrade for almost any toilet
I have a 29 year old Groco that was converted to an HF. It is super simple and easy to work on. WM still sell individual parts without buying an expensive rebuild kit. The pump flapper valve has to be replaced about every 5 years. It is a $15 part and takes about 20 minutes to change. A new head might be your answer, but keep in mind that any head will not fit the existing bolt hole pattern and you will have to drill new holes. Existing plumbing will probably not fit, so new hoses may be required. There is not much room to play with on a C27, so make sure you have enough space to mount a new toilet.
I think I will rebuild the pump. DownWind Marine sells a Groco "HC Master" Toilet Service Kit for $82. This will allow me to rebuild the pump.
You'll be spending $100 including tax and shipping to rebuild a 38 yr old toilet that Groco will tell you has a working lifespan of 9-11 years...better than the 5-7 yr lifespan of most compacts, but still obsolete and 30 yrs past its prime. Rebuilding the pump will not restore it to factory performance because parts that aren't in rebuild kits also wear...and if they're worn enough to need replacing too, you'll be out of luck if you need aany that aren't also compatible with the HF.
A '55 Chevy was a really cool car in its day...but if you found one in someone's barn, would you seriously consider trying to restore it--not as a classic museum piece, but as your primary transportation? 'Cuz that's essentially what you you'd be doing if you try to resurrect a toilet that's been obsolete for 20+ years.
Spend the money to upgrade it to an HF, or replace it with a current model of any compact toilet--even a Jabsco if there isn't room in your budget for anything better...it'll last a couple of years and is about the same price as the HC rebuild kit....and it's not a big a deal at all to drill a couple of new holes and fill a couple a new toilet won't fit.
Or you can play Russian roulette with the only toilet on your boat and pray that a) there's only one loaded chamber, and b) it's not a guest--or worse yet, your wife--who'll pull the trigger on it.
A '55 Chevy was a really cool car in its day...but if you found one in someone's barn, would you seriously consider trying to restore it--not as a classic museum piece, but as your primary transportation? 'Cuz that's essentially what you you'd be doing if you try to resurrect a toilet that's been obsolete for 20+ years.
Spend the money to upgrade it to an HF, or replace it with a current model of any compact toilet--even a Jabsco if there isn't room in your budget for anything better...it'll last a couple of years and is about the same price as the HC rebuild kit....and it's not a big a deal at all to drill a couple of new holes and fill a couple a new toilet won't fit.
Or you can play Russian roulette with the only toilet on your boat and pray that a) there's only one loaded chamber, and b) it's not a guest--or worse yet, your wife--who'll pull the trigger on it.
I just gotta say that that was one of the nicest and most detailed
DON'T DO IT
posts I've ever read.
To Jd343, please take Peggie's advice, she knows what she's talking about, since she, literally, wrote The Book on Boat Odors.
It is usually easy to put in a new head and even match up the hoses. I replaced our Head Mate with a PHII - here is the story and the photos
http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,3797.0.html
DON'T DO IT
posts I've ever read.
To Jd343, please take Peggie's advice, she knows what she's talking about, since she, literally, wrote The Book on Boat Odors.
It is usually easy to put in a new head and even match up the hoses. I replaced our Head Mate with a PHII - here is the story and the photos
http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,3797.0.html
I want to thank everyone for their advice.
I should have posted that I only use this boat on weekends on a lake in Wyoming.
Only said about 3 to 4 months out of the year.
I don't want to spend much on the toilet. It would just be nice to go number 1 while sailing if need be.
We usually use the toilets at the boat club before going out sailing.
We don't and will not go number 2. I have had someone get motion sick and they used the toilet, not pretty. This guy was a sailor but must have eaten something that didn't agree with him.
I should have posted that I only use this boat on weekends on a lake in Wyoming.
Only said about 3 to 4 months out of the year.
I don't want to spend much on the toilet. It would just be nice to go number 1 while sailing if need be.
We usually use the toilets at the boat club before going out sailing.
We don't and will not go number 2. I have had someone get motion sick and they used the toilet, not pretty. This guy was a sailor but must have eaten something that didn't agree with him.
It really doesn't matter if you only use the boat one weekend a year...you're not gonna be happy if the toilet fails during that weekend. And fwiw, LACK of use...sitting unused for extended periods...is harder on any equipment than constant heavy use...rubber dries out, or becomes permanently warped from being left in the same position...
So if you don't want to spend much money on a toilet, do not spend it trying to salvage a worn out antique...at least spend it on a cheap NEW one. A new Jabsco manual pump and base assembly (you CAN re-use your bowl, seat and lid) will cost you just about the same amount as the HC rebuild kit.
I'm done here.
So if you don't want to spend much money on a toilet, do not spend it trying to salvage a worn out antique...at least spend it on a cheap NEW one. A new Jabsco manual pump and base assembly (you CAN re-use your bowl, seat and lid) will cost you just about the same amount as the HC rebuild kit.
I'm done here.