Help requested - Jabsco toilet pump lubricant

[ckreitlein]

My toilet pump starts squeaking, then eventually screeching and becomes hard to pump. I add some vegetable oil and all that suddenly disappears and the pump works great.... for a couple days, then the squeaking starts again. Does anyone have a recommended toilet pump lubricant better than vegetable oil or does this process mean something is wrong with my pump mechanism? Ideas? Suggestions?

[Brian2]

I use Head Lube from West MArine.

[moctrams]

Boat US has a good article on this.

http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/ma ... enance.asp

[Joe CD MS 300]

I have used both the WM head lube and vegtable oil (canolla oil). The vegitable oil seems to last considerably longer than the WM head lueb. I'll put about half a cup in a dry bowl, pump a couple strokes with the water intake. Then pump dry, add a litle more oil then pump dry again.

[ckreitlein]

Thanks for the helpful comments.... I will try the WM head lube....along with the veggie oil.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Chris:

The "headmistress" Peggy Hall recommends the following:

"...just open up the top of the pump and put a healthy squirt of [thick Teflon grease] into it ...pump the toilet a few times to get it all through the pump and you're 'good to go' for the entire season."

She says every toilet leaves the factory slathered with thick Teflon grease. She recommends against mineral oil or vegetable oil - except in an emergency. Yikes

This is from her book Get Rid of Boat Odor. Good book; recommended.

[Paul D.]

I put a couple of tablespoons of vege oil in and pump dry. In fact I never flip the lever for water intake. The head, though 30 years old, irks well for a week. Sometimes in stead of vege oil I use a bit of liquid soap which doesn't seem to last as long as oil.

We're likely getting on to a rebuild and a teflon greasing though, it has worked for ten years this way - always oiling at lay up for the winter.

It may behoove both of us to get in there and see the condition of the pump.

[Joe CD MS 300]

Chris:

The "headmistress" Peggy Hall recommends the following:

"...just open up the top of the pump and put a healthy squirt of [thick Teflon grease] into it ...pump the toilet a few times to get it all through the pump and you're 'good to go' for the entire season."

She says every toilet leaves the factory slathered with thick Teflon grease. She recommends against mineral oil or vegetable oil - except in an emergency. Yikes

This is from her book Get Rid of Boat Odor. Good book; recommended.

Does she explain why she recommends against vegetable oil? I would not think that it could degrade any soft parts. Even if you get some emulsification it's not like it will turn into a wad of crisco.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Does she explain why she recommends against vegetable oil? I would not think that it could degrade any soft parts. Even if you get some emulsification it's not like it will turn into a wad of crisco.

Joe:

From her book at page 38:

"Pouring oil down the toilet also creates a surface inside the discharge hose that's sticky - a trap for bits of paper and solid waste to build up inside. It creates an oil slick on the surface of the holding tank which . . . increases odor problems. It can damage a Type I or II treatment device."

[Jim Davis]

Personally I use "plumber's grease" bought from a hardware store. I just smear some on the shaft for the pump handle.

Another consideration on using vegetable oil is that it will put an oil slick on the liquid surface inside the tank and prevent oxygen from assisting in breaking down the stuff in there.

[ckreitlein]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I just bought and applied a rubber-safe teflon/graphite grease to the rubber o-ring on the pump shaft... will see how well it works. I went to West Marine and started to buy the head lube, but saw that the primary ingredient was "canola oil" so decided to just buy some canola oil and save some money. But after the comments on veg oil, will not use that either. I figured out my original problem, or at least a contributing factor.... I was using an RV orange oil toilet tank cleaner in the toilet after each use. The "orange" agent was immediately cleaning off any veg oil I had put in previously and making the pump shaft o-ring and shaft wall too clean, creating the squeaking and squealing. .. The orange agent was actually doing its job too well. Now I will not use that any more and see how the teflon/graphite grease works. I will give an update in a month or two on how things are. Thanks again for the suggestions.

[Gary M]

The best thing I ever did with my prior boat was install a fresh water intake for the head.

I never pumped salt water into the head only fresh.

When not in use I would pump a little canolla oil through it and let it sit until the next time.

I had no problems with the head for 15 years.

[wsonntag]

Poop is the best lubricant, use the head frequently! Barring that, try mineral oil, sometimes used as a laxative btw. For this application, just use a tiny amount, a cc or two, lasts for a weekend or week, again depending on use.

Bill Sonntag

[Neil Gordon]

The best thing I ever did with my prior boat was install a fresh water intake for the head.

Yup... seawater is full of little critters that die in the holding tank. Unfortunately, some of us rely on a limited supply of fresh water for drinking.

[joemerchant]

If you have ever taken apart all your hoses after a clog and found what looks like rock encrusted on the pipes. This is a reaction between salt water and pee. That is the benefit of flushing with fresh water, you don't get the ammonia calcification in the pipes like the salt water. Since switching to fresh water, have not had this problem in years and much less smell. You will use a lot of fresh water using this method, but worth it to us. And still better than the stupid composting thing we tried a couple years ago on our other boat.