I have a manual ( i believe jabsco)head on my 26' chaparral that sits up on a lift in S. Florida. The boat sits for up to a month without being in the water. When I get the boat back in the water and try to use the head it does not draw raw water. One of the last times that this happened I remove the plunger chamber, cleaned the flappers, and filled the raw water tube. It then worked fine. I am sure that the boat being out of the water causes the water in the system to slowly drain out and I lose prime. I am thinking of putting a T fitting on the line with a screw cap fitting so that when I put the boat in the water I can fill the raw water through the fitting in the draw line an create a prime in the line..Any thoughts?
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Losing Prime on a Manual Head
- Thread starter Gberg
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2001
- RO Number
- 3655
- Messages
- 1,800
Another way to do it would be to get a 3/4” selectable “Y” valve. Tap into the supply water line for the head and mount the “Y” valve, with the “common” port of the valve pointing toward the intake of the toilet. The raw water line from the through hull fitting connects to one of the remaining other ports.
Then go to your vanity sink’s drain line and cut into it and install a tee. Run from the “branch” of the tee to the remaining port on the “Y” valve. You can then set the “Y” valve to allow the water from the sink to go to the head, priming it; and then switch the “Y” valve to the other position and continue pumping and draw in raw outside water to flush the head.
This will also allow you to run waste water (gray water) from the sink to the head, and help to keep the inside of the bowl rim clean, etc., reducing chances for odor. This water would only drain overboard anyway, so why not “recycle” it from time to time, and get some benefit from it?
Then go to your vanity sink’s drain line and cut into it and install a tee. Run from the “branch” of the tee to the remaining port on the “Y” valve. You can then set the “Y” valve to allow the water from the sink to go to the head, priming it; and then switch the “Y” valve to the other position and continue pumping and draw in raw outside water to flush the head.
This will also allow you to run waste water (gray water) from the sink to the head, and help to keep the inside of the bowl rim clean, etc., reducing chances for odor. This water would only drain overboard anyway, so why not “recycle” it from time to time, and get some benefit from it?
quote:
Originally posted by Gberg
I have a manual ( i believe jabsco)head on my 26' chaparral that sits up on a lift in S. Florida. The boat sits for up to a month without being in the water. When I get the boat back in the water and try to use the head it does not draw raw water. One of the last times that this happened I remove the plunger chamber, cleaned the flappers, and filled the raw water tube. It then worked fine. I am sure that the boat being out of the water causes the water in the system to slowly drain out and I lose prime. I am thinking of putting a T fitting on the line with a screw cap fitting so that when I put the boat in the water I can fill the raw water through the fitting in the draw line an create a prime in the line..Any thoughts?
You shouldn't have to do all that. Understand that you will need to rebuild the head using the factory rebuild kit every couple of years. The rubber parts wear out and/or rot. If you haven't rebuilt it, get the kit and do it.
Hint: In some cases it's easier to remove the entire head and rebuild it outside the boat and then reinstall it.