My head is extreamly hard to pump in the dry mode. What might be the problem? My wife must use all she has to pump dry, I get a good workout too. I won't mention I think the whole system is plumbed wrong to boot. Waste runs from the head to a Y valve, which runs A-to holding tank, B-overboard. (I run to holding tank, the overboard section is closed and locked.) There is no vented loop anywhere in the system. Thank you.
Very hard to pump dry
- Thread starter TONY A
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Nothing wrong with your plumbing
If there were, you'd have problems in both the wet and dry modes. But there are a couple of possible causes for your problem: 1. When--if ever--was the lst time the toilet was lubricated? If it's been a while--or never--and it's also a bit stiff in the wet mode, put a couple of tablespoons of mineral oil (baby oil) in the bowl and flush it. If that cures the problem, keep it lubricated. 2. If the toilet is a Jabsco that was mfr'd in the last 7 years, the problem is the wet/dry valve...which isn't a valve, but just a little "gate" (Jabsco calls it a cam) that the lever swings to block or unblock the flow of flush water. Due to either a design or tooling defect that Jabsco apparently doesn't intend to correct till the mold for that li'l doodad wears out--if ever, it hangs...almost always in the "dry" mode, creating backpressure that feels like a clog. Jiggling the wet dry lever sometimes frees it, but a replacement wet/dry cam assembly and some surgery--or better yet, a better quality toilet!--is the only permanent fix. Meanwhile, continuing to apply a "gorilla" flushing technique is likely to break it off or break something else in the pump.
If there were, you'd have problems in both the wet and dry modes. But there are a couple of possible causes for your problem: 1. When--if ever--was the lst time the toilet was lubricated? If it's been a while--or never--and it's also a bit stiff in the wet mode, put a couple of tablespoons of mineral oil (baby oil) in the bowl and flush it. If that cures the problem, keep it lubricated. 2. If the toilet is a Jabsco that was mfr'd in the last 7 years, the problem is the wet/dry valve...which isn't a valve, but just a little "gate" (Jabsco calls it a cam) that the lever swings to block or unblock the flow of flush water. Due to either a design or tooling defect that Jabsco apparently doesn't intend to correct till the mold for that li'l doodad wears out--if ever, it hangs...almost always in the "dry" mode, creating backpressure that feels like a clog. Jiggling the wet dry lever sometimes frees it, but a replacement wet/dry cam assembly and some surgery--or better yet, a better quality toilet!--is the only permanent fix. Meanwhile, continuing to apply a "gorilla" flushing technique is likely to break it off or break something else in the pump.
Wilcox
This head appears to be a Wilcox Head-Mate Md# 1460. The head instruction on the inside of the seat lid say "Wilcox" the only place I find a name on it. Looking at the Wilcox web site sure looks the same as the Head-Mate.
This head appears to be a Wilcox Head-Mate Md# 1460. The head instruction on the inside of the seat lid say "Wilcox" the only place I find a name on it. Looking at the Wilcox web site sure looks the same as the Head-Mate.
If it's a Wilcox. it's HeadMate
Headmate is the only manual toilet W-C makes that costs less than $700. In that case, I'd try lubricating it. If that doesn't work, and if the toilet is more than 10 years old, it may be time for a new toilet. 'Cuz although the Headmate is considerably above jabsco in quality, it's still a "budget" model with a lifespan of 7-10 years.
Headmate is the only manual toilet W-C makes that costs less than $700. In that case, I'd try lubricating it. If that doesn't work, and if the toilet is more than 10 years old, it may be time for a new toilet. 'Cuz although the Headmate is considerably above jabsco in quality, it's still a "budget" model with a lifespan of 7-10 years.
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