Raritan Crown Head Not Flushing

S

Shel

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Jun 14, 2004
RO Number
13987
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421
Hi Folks,

Head is a Raritan Crown Centrifugal Discharge. The head could be original to the boat, so maybe 20 years old.

We are at the boat now for the weekend. Head worked fine last weekend, Marina did a pump out for me yesterday(I was not here). The head will pull water from the inlet and fill up the head and not flush it through. If I turn off the seacock on the water inlet, it will flush very very slowly. I didn't try that too long as I didn't want to burn up the inlet impeller. So what could have happened between last week and now that could cause this? Could the pump out have caused something? Note we do not use the head for solids...

Looking for some quick answers here... Wives are not happy when the head is not working... :-)

Thanks,
Shel
 
I would open the seacock just a little and try to flush the line out, hopefully that's the problem. I take it you made sure that it is pumped out by checking the tank not taking someones word for the pump out.
Otherwise, I'd have to say that it's the discharge impeller. You could take the front off the unit and see that there in no clog there, if not take the discharge fitting off and check the impeller, you might have to take the adapter fitting off too. It has 4 screws holding it to the housing. I just went thru this with mine, ended up ordering a new Crown Head, mine was 22 years old.
 
Water coming in but not flowing out sounds like the duck bill. If it's 20 years old it may just be crusted up and stuck.

quote:
Originally posted by Shel

Click to expand...
 
Duck bull causes water to return once discharges.
 
Thanks guys. I didn't have to take anything apart. A plunger and doing what Jim said, putting the sea cock open just a little, set it free.

Wife is now happy again. :-)

Shel
 
It might be right, make sure. open the seacock all the way. I ran my seacock opened half way all the time. Make sure.
 
Replace the Discharge Pump Wall, part # CH120; the CH120 is also included in Reapir Kit # CSRK. The Discharge Pump Wall is a consumable part that is used in all Raritan Crown Heads manufactured after 1987. It is a disc with a hole in the center, about the size of a flattened-out donut. It goes immediately behind the slots that are cast into the inside perimeter of the macerator chamber, and directly in front of the discharge impeller. Being a centrifugal impeller, the discharge impeller will only draw from its center. As mentioned earlier, the CH120 is a consumable part, and must be periodically replaced - every 3 years or so. When the Pump Wall is no longer there, the whole face of the impeller is exposed and it can't draw, because the center portion of it isn't isolated. Replacing the discharge pump wall takes about 1/2 hour if you're reasonably mechanically adept, and have good access to large round cover on the front end of the motor unit.

http://www.boatfix.com/elec/raracc.asp?parttype=phc (about 10th item down)

http://www.raritaneng.com/tech_support/crown_head_discharge_1.html
 
Vic, thanks for your thorough reply. Now that it is working again, do you think I should still replace it? When you say it periodically needs replacing is that preventative maintenance or do I wait for it to fail? Sounds like it wouldn't hurt to have the part or kit on hand anyway.

Thanks,
Shel
 
I'd keep one on hand, just in case... You ain't likely to find one at 6 AM on a Sunday morning, should the head choose then to stop flushing. As it only takes a short while to change it out, and no special tools being required (straight screw driver and a pair of needle nose pliers) I'd wait until I had to, before I replaced it - although it isn't a bad idea to replace it every 3 years, and stay ahead of things.
 
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