Leaking toilet

The marine toilet can be a leaky affair after a while.  The problem is confined to manual toilets where the plunger that is used to pump ‘stuff’ into a holding tank for disposal later.  Salt water will bubble out just under the pump handle and leak onto your floor.

Years ago I fitted a homemade affair which stopped the leak. It was a cobbling together of brass hose fittings that entrapped a pile of gland stuffing and grease around the pump plunger shaft.  It worked a dream but took up a little room on the shaft so the plunger travel was restricted, but we never had a drop of water leak out, and if one did, it was just a matter of screwing down the cap to tighten the packing.

After fitting a new Jabsco toilet in Nelson before we headed north, we enjoyed a dry compartment.  However, once after a couple of weeks of not being used, the new seal must have stuck to the shaft and the little rubber seal was ruined.

Chandlers sell the whole caboose which costs a bit.  Simple solution to just purchase it and screw it in.  However, that is not my philosophy to replace more than needed.   I wanted just the seal and nobody sells it.  Seal Imports in Auckland sell the little blighters for a couple of dollars each and will post it to you.  I ordered five and they are 7 X 19 X 8  low pressure oil seals, with stainless spring rings.   I coat everything with Vaseline before installing.

On the new twist and lock Jabsco toilets the handle and gland assembly unscrews.  The old gland needed to be destroyed when pulling out, but it does come out with long nosed pliers.  The new one is simply pushed in hard where it does the job. Lots of Vaseline on the o rings and pump shaft will keep the pump working well.

lowecolinlowe

About Colin Lowe

Hi I not living aboard our boat. I started this blog when cruising the upper North Is. In Sept 2012 my wife and I started work as caretakers in the Bay of Islands. You could say it is a dream job for us, and our boat is moored just off our worksite. My family (wife and two daughters) circumnavigated the globe several years back. Back in Nelson, while the girls went to uni and my wife drove tour buses I odd jobbed and maintained our boat. Now it is maintain properties and the boat during time off. This blog gives me practice in keeping up writing skills.
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