Electric Head

Our shakedown cruise was a small disaster. No AC, Davit went down once - no more, dinghy motor won't start, Jabsco electric freshwater head won't stop filling flush water.
The last one is my first, most important need. I haven't started tearing it apart yet as I wanted to get some feedback on where to look first. Is there a check valve in these systems, or maybe a worn-out impeller allowing water to pass, etc?
At least the engines run...


Paul

Greetings,
Mr. PC. Believe me. I'm laughing with you NOT at you. I mean, ya gotta laugh...Nobody got hurt and you got to where you were headed. The experience will be the stuff of legends in a few years.

Identify the model you have, then go to the Jabsco site for the manual.

Sounds like a faulty vacuum break.

I may have a solution

In my search elsewhere I found that there is a solenoid that opens the rinse water line while flushing and disengages when the button is released. I'll check tomorrow to see if it's just stuck or needs replacement.

It's all part of the inauguration rites required to join SOFA.

This is by nature a secret society, whose tenets must not be revealed to non members for fear of destroying the society by revealing the awful universal truth.(type of like damp masons)

Greetings,
Mr. A. SOFA? You mean like my dog is lying on now?

Remember...
Cruising means boat repairs in exotic places...
Oh.. sorry your from Baltimore... nevermind..

In short order you will get all the gremlins fixed and all will be right in the world.. then something else will break... it's a boat.. but that perfect sundowner makes it all worthwhile.
Good Luck
HOLLYWOOD

PCoch said:

In my search elsewhere I found that there is a solenoid that opens the rinse water line while flushing and disengages when the button is released. I'll check tomorrow to see if it's just stuck or needs replacement.

Click to expand...

The solenoid sounds probable to me. It's an easy replacement if you have decent access to it.

-Chris

I have a fresh-water tank dedicated to a Jabsco Lite Flush. After leaving it overnite, I find that it will fill with the fresh water. This is what the folks at Jabsco-Xylem tell me:

"If it's fresh water you may need to fit a shut off valve but I don't know how this would happen unless the water is leaking through the rinse pump. If it's water coming back from the discharge side you need to ensure the discharge head to the holding tank is no more than 1.5m high, as any more than this may cause water to leak back through the Joker valve and into the bowl. You'll need to watch where the water is actually coming in from to check, if it's coming in from the top of the bowl it's an inlet issue, if the level rises in the bowl itself it will be a discharge side issue."

So it looks like I have to install a shutoff valve. Wasn't expecting that.

If you decide to ever replace the head I would highly recommend the Raritan Marine Elegance fresh water head. They make many versions one the will do either fresh and or raw water as the source for the flush water. It'll grind up a wooden stump if needed. It's by far the best head I have ever used or tried in a boat. It uses very little fresh water for the standard flush about a pint, more can be used for logs...
Bill

Solved - as it turns out there is a diaphram with check valve in-line on the fresh water supply side that was allowing water to get by. Found replacement and installed.

Pcoch. OK you got the head fixed now for the outboard.
An old mechanics trick is to take it shore side, drain out all the old fuel, then turn it up side down and give it a good shake, refill with fresh fuel and hopefully it will start, If not, it's probably electrical and will need test kit to determine the problem.
Now the explanation. if fuel is left in the outboard it dries out and leaves a sticky lacquer residue in the fuel chamber and the float sticks in the carburettor, shaking it frees the float in the chamber.
A sniff of Easy start will help to dissolve the lacquer BUT use it very sparingly
Good Luck.

I'm using the Jabsco combination vacuum break/fresh water solenoid valve with our Raritan heads. Every once in a while the water solenoid valve starts bypassing (leaking) a very small amount of water and the bowl fills up in a couple hours. On every occasion I found a speck of dirt on the sealing surface for the solenoid operated water shutoff plunger inside the valve. If yours is the same combination unit, the fix is to remove the solenoid (four screws), clean the seal surface, reinstall the solenoid. Other than that little glitch, those Jabsco valves have been bullet proof for the six years they've been installed.

By the way, I converted old Raritan Queen heads from raw to fresh water flush. With the raw water intake impeller removed, they are very quiet, pump like the new Sea Era heads and use virtually the same amount of amps as a new unit. Of course, the vaccum break must be installed well above the bowl, so that takes a little fiddling to find a place for it. The Jabsco combination valve is compact and simple to install...a godsend.