Jabsco Lite Flush bypass switch

[irwinengineering]

Hi,

We have been pretty lucky in the two years that we've had our 2011 R27. However, this year we had a clog of the electric head while anchored out at Santa Cruz Island, Ca. I'll spare the gory details, but the joker valve was very crusted with salty deposits and the opening was reduced to maybe half what it should have been.

After putting this all back together, I hit the flush button to test and nothing happened. As others on Tugnuts have found, the electrical connector for the control panel is positioned just below the floor at the access hole behind the head. The salt water that was released from the joker valve job flooded the connector and shorted it out. I flushed this with fresh water and the head worked again, success! But, I was now a bit paranoid about the future reliability of the head.

When we got back home, a quick search of Tugnuts showed that there was an upgrade to the early model drive gears. I contacted Jabsco and got the upgrade kit. While waiting for the kit to arrive, I pondered the control system failure. Since the toilet would be apart anyway, I would install a bypass button so that I could directly control the evacuation pump without need for the electronics involved with the control panel.

The gear/belt upgrade kit was not a bad job, other than needing a very small bearing puller. If I did this again, I would take it to an alternator shop to have them pull the bearing and pulley. I ended up having to cut the plastic gear off in order to get my not-so-small bearing puller into position. This was also a good opportunity to take the pump housing apart to remove the salt build up in there.

With the pump back together and reinstalled, it was very simple to install a momentary switch for the pump. The switch was wired from the +12V input lead to the red wire on the pump motor (see photo in gallery). Now, if the control unit ever 'craps out' again, I can just reach for the eject button.

Brendan

 

[Trisailor]

Hi Brendan,
I went through the same pain on my 2011 R27 after a clog while moored in Avalon. Not only did I have to replace the broken belt and change the gears, I had to "unfreeze" the bearing on the shaft the gears drive. I also discovered that some time in the past someone had changed out the control module so I only have two functions, fill and flush. Several of the buttons on the old control panel no longer work. So far the repairs have been holding for the last 5 or 6 months. My plan is just to replace the toilet with a fresh water flush model when the next failure happens. It's still better than some of those old hand pump toilets...

 

[irwinengineering]

Trisailor,

This was a job way better done at the dock, before anything else failed. The joker valve is now on my annual preventative maintenance list.

Funny you mention Avalon, I did all this work two weeks ago in preparation for a trip to Catalina. We just got back from 8 days aboard and visited 4 of the Channel Islands. We spent a couple of days at Santa Cruz Island, motored past Anacapa on our way to Santa Barbara Island and then spent the rest of the week circumnavigating Catalina. We spent a couple of days at Cat Harbor and then moored in Avalon for a couple of days of diving at the Casino dive park. Then we went to the Isthmus and Emerald Bay before heading back home to Ventura.

The Jabsco worked perfectly.

Brendan

 

[Trisailor]

I agree. I actually took the toilet off the boat, rinsed it off on the dock and took it home to the garage for disassembly/repair. I discovered, if it does clog/fail again, a toilet pump (Home Depot) that looks sort of like a big grey super soaker, works well to force waste out of the bowl.
Your trip sounds great, I;m envious. We are discussing a Catalina trip again, since to dat we have only had time for a few days in Avalon then back home for work, etc. It's a 9.5 hour run from our dock to Avalon, cruising at 10-12 knots. Of course, that was in optimal conditions. Next time we will break it up by hopping up the coast - Oceanside or Dana Pt maybe, then across early morning. It would be nice to top off the fuel tank at mainland prices before pulling into Avalon.
If you're ever down in San Diego, PM me and we can meet for a beverage and tell sea stories about our tug adventures.