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beaufortnc April 25th 05 09:22 PM

Head intake clogged?
 
The intake for my head appears to be clogged, or at least partially
clogged.

I'm having a diver clean the bottom soon, and I'll have him be extra
sure to check the thru-hull,

but, if that fails, what is my next move?

Not sure how to clear the hose/thruhull without letting plenty of water
in the boat.

also, I'd prefer to avoid being sprayed with "head juice"

Peggy? Anyone?

Thanks,

Mike.


renewontime dot com April 25th 05 09:43 PM

beaufortnc wrote:
The intake for my head appears to be clogged, or at least partially
clogged.

I'm having a diver clean the bottom soon, and I'll have him be extra
sure to check the thru-hull,

but, if that fails, what is my next move?

Not sure how to clear the hose/thruhull without letting plenty of water
in the boat.

also, I'd prefer to avoid being sprayed with "head juice"

Peggy? Anyone?

Thanks,

Mike.


Hi Mike,

If it's the head -intake- it shouldn't be too bad. The intake is salt
water only, so if it can't be cleared at the through hull by the diver,
then close it and pull the hose. Usually head intakes are a fairly
small diameter, so you shouldn't have too much water to deal with.

If you find that it's the discharge side that's clogged, well... that's
a whole different story ;-)

--

=-------------------------------------------------=
Renewontime
A FREE email reminder service for licensed mariners
http://www.renewontime.com
=-------------------------------------------------=

Peggie Hall April 25th 05 09:51 PM

beaufortnc wrote:

The intake for my head appears to be clogged, or at least partially
clogged.


Other than failing to bring in any flush water, what are the other
symptoms (backpressure? or the opposite--pump feels really loose?
Anything else?)? What's the toilet make/model/age?


--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1

beaufortnc April 26th 05 06:19 AM

Hi Peggie,

The problem is that it's not bringing in flush water. It will pump dry
without a problem.

Thanks,

Mike.


renewontime dot com April 26th 05 07:30 AM

The problem is that it's not bringing in flush water. It will pump dry
without a problem.


Hi Mike,

Peggy's the expert, and I'm sure she'll have more specific info to add,
but I've had similar problems happen frequently in the past, and
coincidentaly, always at anchor or in port. When it happened to me, I'd
switch the pump to "wet" and it seemed plugged, but if I turned the
switch to "dry" it would empty the bowl no problem. In my situation the
problem was a tiny bit of seaweed (usually or some other debris) that
would plug the intake valve on the pump. A quick (well sort of quick)
disassembly of the pump would fix the problem.

I suppose a strainer of sorts on the intake side would probably prevent
this from happening, but to be honest with you, I've never seen one fitted.

I'm sure Peggy will have a more professional response for you, but I'd
bet even money this is the cause.

--

=-------------------------------------------------=
Renewontime
A FREE email reminder service for licensed mariners
http://www.renewontime.com
=-------------------------------------------------=

Dry April 26th 05 01:48 PM

Big straw Fool Call Gantz to suck it out, or Cpt. Neial to blow.

beaufortnc wrote:

The intake for my head appears to be clogged, or at least partially
clogged.

I'm having a diver clean the bottom soon, and I'll have him be extra
sure to check the thru-hull,

but, if that fails, what is my next move?

Not sure how to clear the hose/thruhull without letting plenty of water
in the boat.

also, I'd prefer to avoid being sprayed with "head juice"

Peggy? Anyone?

Thanks,

Mike.


Peggie Hall April 26th 05 02:18 PM



beaufortnc wrote:
The problem is that it's not bringing in flush water. It will pump dry
without a problem.


I got that from your first post. But a blockage in the intake isn't the
only thing that can cause various makes/models of manual toilet to stop
bringing in flush water..which is why I asked you more information. So
one more time: what's the make/model/age of your toilet? Does the pump
feel any different--looser, just can't prime...or backpressure--than it
did when it worked? And one more question: Do you layup for winter and
did this just start happening when you used the boat again this spring?
Or do you use the boat year-round?

If I have enough info, I can prob'ly point you toward the cause of the
problem without having to type every possible reason that can cause
every make/model manual toilet to stop bringing in flush water.

--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1

Gogarty April 26th 05 02:28 PM

In article , says...


beaufortnc wrote:
The intake for my head appears to be clogged, or at least partially
clogged.

I'm having a diver clean the bottom soon, and I'll have him be extra
sure to check the thru-hull,

but, if that fails, what is my next move?

Not sure how to clear the hose/thruhull without letting plenty of water
in the boat.

also, I'd prefer to avoid being sprayed with "head juice"

Peggy? Anyone?

Thanks,

Mike.


Hi Mike,

If it's the head -intake- it shouldn't be too bad. The intake is salt
water only, so if it can't be cleared at the through hull by the diver,
then close it and pull the hose. Usually head intakes are a fairly
small diameter, so you shouldn't have too much water to deal with.

If you find that it's the discharge side that's clogged, well... that's
a whole different story ;-)


Not necessarily. In either case it's probably marine growth. Set the
seacocks to full open, remove the hose, ram a rod of suitable diameter
through the seacock and reattach the hose. Not much water will enter.


Jere Lull May 1st 05 10:23 PM

In article ,
Gogarty wrote:

If it's the head -intake- it shouldn't be too bad. The intake is salt
water only, so if it can't be cleared at the through hull by the diver,
then close it and pull the hose. Usually head intakes are a fairly
small diameter, so you shouldn't have too much water to deal with.

If you find that it's the discharge side that's clogged, well... that's
a whole different story ;-)


Not necessarily. In either case it's probably marine growth. Set the
seacocks to full open, remove the hose, ram a rod of suitable diameter
through the seacock and reattach the hose. Not much water will enter.


I'd correct slightly: close the seacock, pull the hose, then open the
seacock. If that's not the problem, then he could have a whole lot of
water coming in otherwise.

If it IS the problem, shove a screwdriver or something down from the
top, ready to close the cock quickly. Fix it more permanently the next
time you haul.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

Peggie Hall May 1st 05 11:00 PM

Jere Lull wrote:

In article ,
Gogarty wrote:


If it's the head -intake- it shouldn't be too bad.


I don't think the problem IS a clogged intake...if it's a Jabsco toilet
I'd bet real money that it isn't. But I can't get enough information
from him about the make/model/age of his toilet to tell him what is
prob'ly is and how to fix it.


--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1

Jeff May 1st 05 11:16 PM

Jere Lull wrote:
In article ,
Gogarty wrote:


If it's the head -intake- it shouldn't be too bad. The intake is salt
water only, so if it can't be cleared at the through hull by the diver,
then close it and pull the hose. Usually head intakes are a fairly
small diameter, so you shouldn't have too much water to deal with.

If you find that it's the discharge side that's clogged, well... that's
a whole different story ;-)


Not necessarily. In either case it's probably marine growth. Set the
seacocks to full open, remove the hose, ram a rod of suitable diameter
through the seacock and reattach the hose. Not much water will enter.



I'd correct slightly: close the seacock, pull the hose, then open the
seacock. If that's not the problem, then he could have a whole lot of
water coming in otherwise.


If you're concerned about the potential for a lot of water, close the
seacock, remove the normal hose, then put on a few feet of cheap
flexible hose, enough to be above the waterline. Open the seacock and
use a stick to clear any clog.




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