Where to start . . . .

[George]

Got a new to me '76 Catalina 27 with a Par marine toilet. Doesn't seem to want to work right - as efficiently as I would expect. After reading your recommended list, I suspect a lack of lubrication (squeaks and does not allow handle for pump to move easily up and down, a lack of priming, a lack of who knows what else. The holding tank looks to have about 2-3 inches of stuff in it, and thus far I have nothing to indicate that a dangerous back pressure has built up. Similarly it is not clogged, etc. In essence the almost ideal time to do whatever needs to be done to get the system working right. Last owner could not tell me which position was for dry and and which position was for wet bowl ( one is straight up, the other is about 20 degrees toward the front of the MSD if one is seated on it. Any advice on getting it properly working in the first instance and what the settings are? Prior owner says he recently rebuilt system.Thanks in advance for your help.George

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

Weeellll...first...

Check to see whether the intake seacock is open. If it is, then move the lever to see which position lets the toilet bring in flush water...that's the "flush" setting...the other way is "dry." If it doesn't on either setting, we have a different problem... the toilet prob'ly needs a new flapper valve...one of the parts that's in a rebuild kit.Obviously, the toilet needs lubrication. Although normally I'd recommend doing it right (take the pump apart and slather it liberally with teflon grease), until we know whether it's worth the effort to do that or whether it's time to replace it, put about a tablespoon of vergetable oil in the bowl and flush that through. If it loosens up and pumps freely, without sqeaks after a few pumps, and if you're satisfied with its efficiency at moving bowl contents, THEN take it apart and lubricate it properly.Check your tank vent for a blockage (99% of the time, it'll be in thru-hull...and if you're in any doubt about whether any backpressure is occuring, all you need to do is loosen the pumpout deck fitting. If there's pressure, you'll hear it release...that means the vent is definitely blocked.There's no wa the toilet should still be original on a 1976 boat...if it is, the previous owner wasted money on a rebuild kit. How old is it?

 

[john]

in the beginning

i recently bought an 89 26.5 hunter with a hand pump head with self priming jabsco macerator pump and holding tank. without instructions i'm not aware of how the system works. i understand flushing but how does the pump out work. how can i empty the holding tank and when does the macerator need to be activated. the head also has a small handle near where the hoses connect to the head. what does this handle do.

 

[George]

Antique Head

Thanks for the help. Ends up it is the original Par head that Catalina installed when it was built. Catalina Direct has a seal and gasket kit for about $40 for it, listed as the Kit for "Obsolete Head". It still does not want to bring any water into the bowl, which makes me think that either the through hull is plugged, the gate valve stuck, or one of the valves in the head is not working correctly. The fresh water line appears to be slightly collapsed as if from vacumn, and water spits out from the top of the pump. My thinking is to shut the gate valve for the through hull and dissassemble the head and do the rebuild, reopen the gate valve and see if it works then. As a practical matter, the boat will be hauled out for the winter in a couple of weeks, and if the problem is on the otherside of the gate valve, (ie - its stuck or the through hull is plugged) I'll deal with it then. As a practical matter, since I have been told that I really should replace the original Catalina "to-hulls" with genuine through hulls/seacocks, I won't be terribly upset if I end up having to do that.Ultimately I recognize that even if I get the antique original head working fine, we will probably want to replace it in a couple of years. But in the mean time, if I can get it working reasonably well, its not on the top of the list of repairs, restorations or equipment that the boat needs. Its a '76 C27 that is in basically great shape but needs a bunch of retrofits and upgrades.George