View Single Post
Old 04-05-2016, 03:46 PM   #44
HeadMistress
Guru
 
HeadMistress's Avatar


 
City: AR
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,514
Quote:
Originally Posted by RT Firefly View Post
Greetings,
Ms. HM. Well, isn't that what the joker valve does in a properly functioning system? Block the door to the bowl? If not, what is it supposed to do then? Vent is free and clear.
In a manual toilet, blocking backflow is the LEAST important joker valve function...In an electric toilet, its real function is only to block a catastrophic eruption in the bowl due to back pressure. A new one will only block slow seepage until enough flushes have passed through it that the "lips" can no longer close tightly. So while replacing the joker is keeping backflow out of the bowl, at least for a while, it hasn't eliminated the backflow..it can't.

That may be due only to a head discharge hose that runs even slightly uphill...not a big deal as long you don't leave anything but clean flush water in the hose TO run back downhill. Or, there could be mineral buildup that's reduced the inner diameter of the toilet hose enough to restrict flow...flushes aren't making it to the tank in amount of time you're leaving your finger on the flush button, so because water runs downhill, that's what it's doing.

So you really should figure out why there's any backflow to block and determine whether it's something that needs to be corrected or just something you need to live with and just just replace the joker valve a lot more often.

Or, if it's just clean water running back downhill, you could consider doing what people who think the bowl on the boat needs to hold water "like the one at home" (mostly houseboat owners on inland lakes): they purposely create an uphill run from the toilet long enough to provide half a bowl of water and remove the joker valve altogether. Since the joker valve in basic electric toilets doesn't have any impact on the toilet's performance, there's nothing wrong with that.
__________________
© 2024 Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since '87.
Author "The NEW Get Rid of Boat Odors"
HeadMistress is offline   Reply With Quote