Macerator check valve

Greetings all,

So my latest issue has to do with my Raritan smart flush macerator style toilet in our below deck cabin.

We have two of these toilets on board for which I'm totally happy with and can't say a bad thing about them. The below deck toilet lifts the waste about six feet, then has a 20' run to the holding tank. The transport line is 1.5" SCH. 80 hard pipe which has a constant grade with no bellies as it routes to the holding tank.

The problem I'm having is there must be (I'm guessing as I've yet to look at the parts book) a check valve in the toilet that is letting effluent leak back into the bowl over a few days of sitting idle. I guess the good news is that there is not enough volume in the lift portion of the transport line to over fill the bowl.

I'm going to have to do some research to look at the best remedy. I can't believe there's not an internal check valve so possible to repair or replace. If that assumed check valve has an iffy history then a check valve followed by a full port ball valve might have to get installed in the transport line.

When I installed the transport line years ago during the build, I do recall thinking I should install a ball valve to hold back the lift portion of the transport line for when I'd have to open the line or service the toilet. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm getting too old to keep learning lessons the hard way.

Conall

Failed/failing joker valve???

(I'm guessing as I've yet to look at the parts book) a check valve in the toilet that is letting effluent leak back into the bowl over a few days of sitting idle.

Yes there is...it's called a joker valve. It's in the discharge fitting that connects the hose to the toilet. They don't last forever, and because water (and waste) run downhill, as the joker valve becomes worn it begin to allow whatever is left sitting in a discharge line that runs uphill-which yours does--to seep into the bowl. It's time to replace it, 'cuz as it becomes more worn, seeping will gradually increase to flowing. However, because ONLY what's left in the uphill run from your toilet will run downhill, it's not likely to be enough to overflow the bowl.

I could give you the part number and tell you where it is in the drawing your manual if I knew which Raritan toilet you actually have. But "Smart flush" isn't a toilet model, it's one of the optional flush button/panels that Raritan offers for use with several of their fresh water flush macerating toilets.

However, every toilet has a joker valve...you have the owners manual that does include a parts list and exploded drawing...I've told you what part of the toilet it's in...so I think you can find it and order one.

I don't know Bruce. Does a joker valve do the same thing as a check valve?

Conall63 said:

I don't know Bruce. Does a joker valve do the same thing as a check valve?

Click to expand...

You have your answer one post above your last!
Bruce

Peggie, as an aside should all new joker valves be completely closed? I have a Jabsco Quiet Flush with the small joker valves. I bought 2 new ones and when you look through them you can see light.

Does a joker valve do the same thing as a check valve?

A joker valve is a one-way valve. So yes, it is a type of check valve. In an electric toilet it has only one function: to prevent backflow from the toilet discharge line. (It has another much more important function in manual toilets.)

Only a brand new one can block even slow SEEPAGE. Bowl contents passing through it stretches it a miniscule bit with each flush...it doesn't take long for the slit to begin to part enough to begin to allow seepage to occur. With more and more use the slit turns into a hole that couldn't even block a flood any more. How long that takes depends on how much use the toilet gets. It would get enough use on a live-aboard to replace it annually.

To answer your question, Terry...you should not be able to see any daylight through the "lips" of a brand new one. How long before you should beging to see any daylight...again, it depends on how much the toilet is used.

Thanks Peggy,

The toilet has low hours so I'm going to call this an premature early failure.

I'm most familiar with pumped force mains in the ground and we always install ball/check valves in the transport line. Unless a good reason not to install a ball/check in this application, I think I'm going to do so since I'll have the line open. The least I think I'll do is install a ball valve to hold the material in the line for the next time we have to service the toilet.

Conall

If a ball/check valve were a good idea, don't you think at least ONE of the toilet mfrs somewhere in the world would already be doing it??? Yet you won't find a ball valve in a single one, not even in megayacht toilets. You're ready to reinvent marine toilet technology and you don't even know the model name of your own toilet and can't even be bothered to get out the owners manual for it!

And whoever designed a system (I suspect it was the builder...builders are the worst sanitation system designers on the planet!) that requires a 26' run to the tank starting with 6' lift was even more clueless...'cuz if your toilets are SeaEras as I suspect, they can only lift bowl contents 4' or move it about 6 linear feet in a single max flush without a LOT of help from gravity. Your problem isn't that you need something that you consider better than a joker valve....both toilets should never have been connected to the same tank! The only improvement you should be considering is a second tank just for that toilet that's a LOT closer to it with a plumbing run that can let bowl contents actually get there!

And that is all I have to contribute to this thread.

Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein

Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "The NEW Get Rid of Boat Odors -
A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
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