This is how I fixed a problem I had for a while..read here my case.
_______/)_____/)__/)/)________________
Every year I have trouble with my boat's electric heads. My wife requested the electric heads, against my advice and idea..but it's her boat too. I was sooo happy with the manual ones I have had in all my previous boats, but she (and I in a way) thought that these,being better and cleaner, and included a macerator, would be better when they go crappy on us when cruising...anyway...twice now I have had problems with them, and twice the manufacturer has given me new
pumps and motor assemblies..bravo Plastimo. (they never failed when we cruised, it's allways before)...
Anyway, got a new
pump today and disassembled it before installing to see how it is when new....
It's a pain in the neck to change the
pumps and the heads, due to the small spaces I have the heads installed (inside small bulkheads that are higher than the water
line as I allways fear leaks and sinking from the heads, so they have their own compartment, and its pretty handy and aestethic)...
So what are the symptoms? They start blowing the fuses left and right..when this happens I know what waiting for me...a whole day disassembling and assmembling crappers...the motors start drawing over 30 amps when it happens. So I know what to do and get the tool box...
These are of the brand Plastimo, a popular brand in Europe, much cheaper than Jabsco and parts are easy to get..Jabsco not so easy, specially far away..
see here, look under marine toilet, and it's model 10744.
So today I disassembled a new one and compared with the old one...this is what I found..inside the
pump that lifts water to the ceramic seat (not the macerator section), there is a rubber impeller that has 8 legs with a round cylinder in the end.
See bellow
SIDE VIEW
3/4 angle VIEW
It roatates in the
pump as shown bellow
pumping water to inside the head...
What I saw is that the used impeller's legs, are really stiff and as you can see from the drawing above, they use the back tilt caused by the reduced chamber to
pump the water...
Because these legs are stiff and the impeller must suffer from the cleaning products the cleaning lady uses, it binds the
pump...or from heat use and salt water..
So having a new in hand I decided to experiment..
This is what I did..
I cut the cylinders of 3 of the legs. It's true, the
pump now pushed less water, but its still enough to flush, and I see not much diference in flow..just a little
This is what I did, cut the round things of the 3 legs see bellow
and not it rotates like this, see bellow
It works fine and all problems stopped. The heads rated at 12 amps are now doing their work at less than 10 amps, and all is fine...no more blown fuses.
Only need to do some "doing" there to see how it dissolves the dung, but since I did not modify the macerator
pump out part of the
pump, I believe it should be OK.
Off course I keep an extra
pump in the boat, just in case I am with the wife and the kids, or guests and the 2 heads go....
I also experimented with palstimo's consent...they are also expecting to see how long it will take, maybe a modification to design??
I know most of you guys have manual heads, I would love to have them too...I lack the space, but I can install manual ones with some modification as they are shorter in height and don't clear the bulkheads...
Right now I made this experiment and will see what gives..
I decided to post, in case someone may have a similar problem.
In my country we say , that he that doesn't have a dog, hunts with a cat...this to say, necessity creates solutions.
Alex