Quick Head Question(s)

We've got an electric head, should it hold water in the bowl between flushes? I think there is an open pathway to the waste tank and it's smelling up the boat some.

The mantra of plumbers is that poop doesn't go uphill, yet, there is certainly a place or two where I know it's uphill in route to the tank. Is this normal?

Tom-

Gonzo, I think having water in the bowl at least some is a good idea, sort traps any odors from coming back.

Pumping waste uphill is not the best situation, but it is often unavoidable.

If waste sits in the hoses it can permeate the hose and make things smelly.

Some hoses are better than others.* Sometimes flushing more to clear the waste from the lines helps.

JohnP

Tom: Who's the manufacturer of the head?

I suspect you have an issue with the hoses; my electric toilets both pump uphill and never leave and residue

When I leave water in the head it still seems to find its way down. At least I think it does. I've taken a little more to flushing a bit longer now to try and get it all down (pee only... pooping on the boat is for emergencies only ) The hoses are all just a couple of years old and the PO did a top-notch job. So I don't think cheap hoses were used.

Larry, Jabsco, I presume.

My question is really if there is SUPPOSED to be water in there after a flush because that would, IMHO, solve the problem.

Tom0-

If your head is flushing with raw water (sea water) you could be smelling the decaying sea life in the water,* The newer fresh water heads have eliminated this problem.

My head is the Raritan Marine Elegance fresh water model.* It has a multifunction control so adding water is as simple as pushing a button.

It is quiet and has a vortex flushing action,*It is a pretty nice*head, well made.

Are both your heads the same?

JohnP*

Does your system have a vented loop? Does the bowl refill after being flushed dry? If so you probably have a bad joker valve.

Tom, with some up hill run on the exit hose, you must be getting some sort of siphoning action.* If the bowl is emptying by itself, it seems the joker valve is OK.* It sounds as if you have a salt water flush toilet.* As has been said, if so converting to freshwater flush will solve allot of problems.

In a restaurant waiting line, do you know the way to tell a person's hobby?* The golfers are showing their latest grip and swing, the tennis players are showing there latest grip and swing and the boaters are lalking about joker and duck bill valves.* Ain't "yachting" great!

-- Edited by Moonstruck on Monday 21st of March 2011 08:04:18 AM

GonzoF1 wrote:

We've got an electric head, should it hold water in the bowl between flushes? I think there is an open pathway to the waste tank and it's smelling up the boat some.

The mantra of plumbers is that poop doesn't go uphill, yet, there is certainly a place or two where I know it's uphill in route to the tank. Is this normal?

Tom-

Click to expand...

Except for the high end all china "thrones," marine toilets--both manual and electric--are not designed to hold water in the bowl because water in the bowl would end up all over the head in heavy seas.* That does make it advisable to use a cup to add water from the sink to the bowl ahead of solids, though...something that somehow never seems to occur to most people. However, doing so leaves the bowl a lot cleaner and also requires less flush water.

Nor does a marine toilet and a household toilet have anything in common except for their purpose...so anything a "landlubber" plumber tells you doesn't apply to marine toilet. Household toilets drain by starting a siphon in the bowl that PULLS the flush out...the gravity gets it to the sewer. Marine toilet pumps PUSH the bowl contents all the way to their destination and CAN push a flush uphill (how would it get over the top of the vented loop otherwise?).* Household toilets only have a flapper valve in the discharge...so a trap is needed in the discharge line to block sewer gasses. Marine toilets have a joker valve that blocks gasses from the tank or hoses....at least it will if it's replaced every year.

So as long as your toilet is bringing in flush water and sending bowl contents to the tank, it's working the way it's supposed to.


-- Edited by HeadMistress on Monday 21st of March 2011 08:27:33 AM

It's a fresh water head. Not completely sure about a vented loop though. I'll check on that next trip.

Thanks y'all... I guess it's working as designed.

GonzoF1 wrote:It's a fresh water head. Not completely sure about a vented loop though. I'll check on that next trip.

Click to expand...

My reference to vented loops was generic. If your toilet isn't connected to any below-waterline thru-hulls there prob'ly aren't any in your system.

Do you have the manual for your toilet?* If you know the model, you can download and print one from the Jabsco site (I can give you the link to it if I know which model)...and I recommend that you do that.

If you want to leave some water in the toilet, raise part of the hose up to the desired water level so it has too slightly pump up hill.* I had the opposite problem where the hose went up hill to much and was back draining to much water into the toilet so I built a box/foundation to raise the head to reduce the water level in the toilet. Actually it makes it easier to sit and for boys/males to get it into the toilet as it up high, so now it truly is a throne.

I also removed the choker valve as that was where all the clogs as the hose goes from 1 to 1 ½ just passed the chocker valve.* Most of the plugs are still at/in the toilet but not as many.**Also with water in the hose if left to sit for 1/2 hour the stuff usually dissolves and flushes through.*I like to be able to hear the noise so I can tell if the dirt people are having trouble.* Most fill to full before flushing and/or do not use enough water to*flush through.**Wednesday night and*if we leave the boat for a couple of days I flush the hoses clear so stuff does not sit in them as*we get*pumped every Thrusday.

I have a Jabsco electric, page 1 of the manual says that to keep water in the bowl you need to have a hump in the discharge hose that rises 8 inches above the base of the toilet. I put in said hump and now I have about 3 inches of water in the bowl and no more stink!!

Mappy, You answered my unasked question. Thanks