Help! Toilet backing up

[Ark Right]

You're right, but as it's already overflowing backflushing is going to add to the problem before it clears it. See above re wellies. The piss taking comes as part of the package on this forum. (The issue here of course being piss not being taken).

 

Of course I'm right, that's why I posted THE solution to the problem, BTW you are wrong, wellies or no wellies sorry

 

A

[Grace and Favour]

Black Price had this arrangement

 

Was he Vincent Price's evil brother?

[Jay Clements]

Hi, I've posted an article on Scribd about this sort of problem that will hopefully be of use to you.

 

Find it here

 

Jay

[camboater]

My flabber is truly gasted by the knowledge here and the speed with which it has been supplied. Going to get him to check the various details and see if Ark Right's permanent solution is possible. They're all using the back up (but not backing up) cassette toilet at the moment. Thanks everyone.

[twbm]

Worryingly I woke at 0600 today (0830 is more typical) with the following thought:

 

You say the system has pump out access on either side of the boat, and that the loo is plumbed into one of the pipes connected between tank and deck fitting.

 

Could it be that the pipe with the loo attached is in fact for filling, either through use of the loo or water for flushing / initial charging of the tank, and the fitting on the other side is actually for the pump-out?

 

If both pipes end just above the tank bottom, as per Ark Right's post, you would perhaps get a partial pump out via the one with the loo, given that it would proabably suck air via the bowl, but a full one by using the other pipe.

[by'eck]

All very humorous you lot, unless you are of course the OP's friend in need of some constructive advice.

 

The problem without a doubt is that the toilet is connected incorrectly. The OP suggests it is connected to the pump out line via a tee. This is wrong. It should have its own connection to the top of the tank.

The pump out connection on a waste tank has a dip pipe that goes almost to the bottom of the tank. The way the toilet is connected the waste has to pass through the small gap between the dip pipe and the bottom of the tank and this can easily become blocked.

 

A pump out with lots of reverse flushing down the pump out fitting will hopefully clear the problem. the only way to prevent re-occurrence will be to modify the toiletr discharge pipework.

 

A

 

Not as daft as it sounds. I became the third owner of a six year old yacht. The forward Jabsco loo had an associated holding tank. The toilet waste was connected via anti-siphon loop to an L port ball valve, to allow poop overboard or to holding tank. When I selected the latter the loo wouldn't pump at all. The L port valve had been installed upside down so in the labelled holding tank position it completely shut off the waste. Amazing that in six years no one had noticed. At least I knew the holding tank had never been used

 

Incidentally such an arrangement required a "T" connection to the overboard outlet to allow the tank to be pumped out at sea. If the tank became full it just overflowed overboard through the manual pump.

 

This failsafe feature came to light after living aboard on the hard for a week during an annual haul-out. A nasty stain appeared all down the recently applied anti-fouling

[George94]

 

Incidentally such an arrangement required a "T" connection to the overboard outlet to allow the tank to be pumped out at sea. If the tank became full it just overflowed overboard through the manual pump.

 

This failsafe feature came to light after living aboard on the hard for a week during an annual haul-out. A nasty stain appeared all down the recently applied anti-fouling

 

Good way to test the efficacy of the anti-"fouling".

[camboater]

On further investigation it turned out that, attempting to defy the laws of physics, the tank really didn't have a vent! So as soon as the waste had built up to the level of top the pipes on either side, it started backing up. Some of the resulting pressure had been released initially around the flange of a gauge that had been fitted, but over time that clogged up so the pressure didn't get released. There was a considerable release of pressure when the guage was removed this time!

 

A vent has now been fitted into the top of the tank now, so fingers crossed the problem won't recur. If it does, he'll have to try refitting the toilet direct into the tank as suggested. The two pipes are identical, so I think they are both intended for emptying or flushing as convenient.

 

It's been enough to make me avoid any boat that's a pump-out!

 

Thanks again for all suggestions.

Edited June 1, 2012 by camboater

[Grace and Favour]

On further investigation it turned out that, attempting to defy the laws of physics, the tank really didn't have a vent! So as soon as the waste had built up to the level of top the pipes on either side, it started backing up. Some of the resulting pressure had been released initially around the flange of a gauge that had been fitted, but over time that clogged up so the pressure didn't get released. There was a considerable release of pressure when the guage was removed this time!

 

A vent has now been fitted into the top of the tank now, so fingers crossed the problem won't recur. If it does, he'll have to try refitting the toilet direct into the tank as suggested. The two pipes are identical, so I think they are both intended for emptying or flushing as convenient.

 

It's been enough to make me avoid any boat that's a pump-out!

 

Thanks again for all suggestions.

 

Phew! - That's a relief (sic)