What's your favorite GROCO head repair?

[M. R. Bober]

Yeah, mine too.

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster, (Home of Captain Sore Head) VA

[tjr818]

Switch out to an Air-Head composting toilet
NO plumbing at all.

[Neil Gordon]

Switch out to an Air-Head composting toilet
NO plumbing at all.

Wasn't there an issue of the Air-Head not working well in a heeled-over environment?

[bottomscraper]

Raritan PHC or PHII

[tjr818]

Switch out to an Air-Head composting toilet
NO plumbing at all.

Wasn't there an issue of the Air-Head not working well in a heeled-over environment?

The Air-Head is not the only part of the equation that does not work well heeled over
The problem when heeled over is that the urine might not get completely diverted into the liquids container, some ending up in the solids composting bin. In small amounts that will not be a problem.

[Jim Walsh]

I still have a Groco HF. I service it annually (sure hope I spelled that correctly) and it is trouble free all season.

[M. R. Bober]

A vexing problem with an simple solution. STARVIEW has a three year old GROCO HF head. I replaced the previous non-functioning HF with a new one to simplify the installation. Of course the bolt pattern of the base didn't exactly match, it could have been "bronze creep." None of this matters except to serve as proof that I know my way around the GROCO head. I think TIA MARI (1979 CD27) started with an HC, but June at GROCO suggested the HF for its improved pump base, so I upgraded. That doesn't matter either. In short, I have lived with, maintained, and repaired Cape Dory's head of choice for nearly forty years.

While cruising last week, the head would not intake seawater. Knowing that failing to return the selector to "pump dry" can result in a sunken boat, I was curious as to why vigorous (Hey John, I named a head activity after you) pumping failed to fill the bowl. This was a minor nuisance as I resorted to using fresh water to flush.

After anchoring I disassembled the intake side of the pump (for what would prove to be the first of several times) and though it looked fine I replaced the flap valve (and later the choker valve). Put everything back together and still no intake. I removed the hose from the seacock and found a clogged passage, which I cleared, upon reassembly there was very little intake. So I removed the intake hose from the seacock and head, and then blew through it. Air flow was fine, and again I reassembled and found not much intake.

Well when you have eliminated everything that it wasn't, you are left with what it must be. I had a length of fire alarm electrical cable (twin 12 gauge solid conductors in a teflon sheath) which I used as a snake. Remember air and some water did flow through the hose so snaking seemed useless. Never-the-less, it did the trick. I'm keeping that length of wire aboard.

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster, (Home of Captain Sore Head no longer) VA

[mashenden]

Not Groco but I replaced the hand pump on my Jabsco with the Electric Flush Pump (#29200-0120). It is more of a macerateor pump, or at least sounds that way.

It was an easy swap out and much more 1st Mate friendly. The switch rotates one way to pump water in, the other way to pump water/etc out, and then automatically springs back to the center position. Its that feature that I like since that is what prevents the boat from sinking.

[Bob Ohler]

One of my favorite stories...

The First Mate comes to me on the second morning of a week-long cruise. "Honey, the potty isn't flushing right." "Is it stopped up?" "No. It just won't flush right." "Lemme look at it. Gimme 20 minutes please." 30 minutes later - "Babe, the potty will now flush golf balls, but please don't test this."

Moral to the story: Carry spares for the head and know how to install them.

I carry a complete Groco repair kit + joker valve. This practice has not failed me yet.

[Jim Walsh]

I carry a repair kit also, foolish not to. I also have a refurbished complete replacement HF in my garage. (No it's not FOR the garage)