Of Sea Monsters and Seacocks

[Warren S]

We spent our first night aboard while anchored away from the slip this weekend, and I wanted to seek clarification on something that happened with the head. It looks like the PO installed a new head (Jabsco). While figuring out how to operate it, 2 things happened: we appearently sucked in a marine animal of some kind that lodged itself in one of those holes under the rim of the bowl. It presented itself in the form of a single "tentacle" emerging from one of those holes unde the rim (we think it might have been a "worm eel". Needless to say, this created much apprehension among those on board regarding use of the head.

While determining how to operate the valves, we appearantly put it in a configuration that allowed sea water to fill the bowl without stopping, creating an overflow situation with the valve left in the 'flush' position. This also was alarming, and now the head seacock is CLOSED.

My questions are:

1) Is it normal to have an ingress of water (no pumping, mind you) to the point where the vessel would certainly have taken on water if gone un-noticed? I thought I saw the proper vertical trap installed in the plumbing meant to prevent this even on a heeled vessel, but I guess I'll have to check.

2) could our hitch-hicking sea-monster have jammed open some sort of check valve?

[Russell]

My questions are:

1) Is it normal to have an ingress of water (no pumping, mind you) to the point where the vessel would certainly have taken on water if gone un-noticed? I thought I saw the proper vertical trap installed in the plumbing meant to prevent this even on a heeled vessel, but I guess I'll have to check.

2) could our hitch-hicking sea-monster have jammed open some sort of check valve?

Yes, if your seacock is open and the toilet lever is left in the wet flush position then it will indeed slowly fill the toilet then overflow. Head failures are one of the most common ways for boats to sink in their slips. Even when aboard I always close my head intake seacock after each use.

If you do have a loop that goes above the waterline, it does no good as a siphon gets created. Unless its got one of those special vented loops. If you do have a vented loop though it could well be only on the discharge but not on the intake, follow the plumbing and see what goes were.

As for jamming open a check valve, its possible if you have a check valve in the system, but I doubt you do, too much junk in the water, check valves would not be practical..

If your going to leave the seacock open, always return the toilet to the dry flush mode when finished.

When you do suck in some sort of sea creature (I have done it before) the only thing to do is disconnect plumbing and fish it out best you can. Something like a squid or octipus can get sucked to the point where bits of it are stuck in the tiny holes that come into the toilet, as you described. In such a case close the seacock, disconnect the hose and get what you can out, then reattach it and just a spray bottle with a water/bleach mixture and spray under the lip of the bowl, it will basicly disolve whats left of the creature, leave it overnight and flush the bowl in the morning. Its not going to smell nice in there for that night though.

[Bob Owens]

Warren:
On the basis of experience with our Jabsco head in my CD27 I second everything Russell said. I always close the head seacock after each use. Just last week I forgot to do that after a flush, went sailing for two hours, and by fortunate accident down from the cockpit to see a totally full head bowl that had already overflowed over a gallon of sea water onto the sole and into the bilge.
Best, Bob Owens

[Warren S]

Reading the responses here, it seems this is not unusual - I'm relieved that the plumbing configuration seems to be correct. Now, if the operator can just get up to speed!

[bottomscraper]

Our Jabsco head came with a sticker warning you to shut all seacocks, it has a little image of a boat sinking! I have the sticker located so that it is visible to anyone seated. Actually on Mahalo we have a ball valve on the supply line in addition to the seacock. The ball valve is located just behind the head. We use the ball valve rather than the seacock when we are onboard. We shut the actual seacock when we leave the boat. The actual seacock is a bit hard to reach since it is in a cabinet under the sink. I believe the ball valve was added by a previous owner. And yes I forgot to close it once but we found it before any damage was done.

[Russell]

Our Jabsco head came with a sticker warning you to shut all seacocks, it has a little image of a boat sinking! I have the sticker located so that it is visible to anyone seated. Actually on Mahalo we have a ball valve on the supply line in addition to the seacock. The ball valve is located just behind the head. We use the ball valve rather than the seacock when we are onboard. We shut the actual seacock when we leave the boat. The actual seacock is a bit hard to reach since it is in a cabinet under the sink. I believe the ball valve was added by a previous owner. And yes I forgot to close it once but we found it before any damage was done.

A valve behind the head is a great idea! I think I will add one myself, it never even occured to me.

[Steve Laume]

I always keep our head seacock closed unless in immediate use. I also try to keep it adjusted lose enough so it is self closing. I think it is a bit tight for that after it's last greasing. I figure if someone on board doesn't operate the head properly we still can't get into too much trouble if they don't open the seacock.
Worm eels poking there slimy little heads into the head is a problem! We get some cute little shrimp swimming around the bowl sometimes. I think if I noticed the presence of worm eels in that area I would either start hovering or switch to a cedar bucket, Steve.

[Boyd]

Hi All:

Fortunately the lip of my head sits above the waterline. So when someone fails to put the lever down to the dry flush position it only floods to just below the rim. A nice safety feature. If you can remount your head higher I suggest doing so. Mine is ok even on a mild heel.

I have had quite a number in instances where particles get lodged in the valves and hold them open so your little friend could be part of the malfunction. My intake line has a screen filter on it. Doesnt cure all problems but it gets the big stuff.

As far as entertainment in the head, I really like the light show at night when the plankton get excited in the swirling water and flash. With no light on in the head its spectacular. The situation is always a good opening for jokes at the expense of the uninitiated when one of the guests asks "what causes the little lights in the toilet water".

Boyd
s/v Tern
CD30 MkII
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

[Kurt]

Warren,
I leave the water intake seacock permanently closed with the hose disconnected. Instead, I use a container containing a quart of fresh water to initially wet the bowl and then the rest is used to flush the bowl. That way, the holding tank is never needlessly pumped full of seawater from execessive flushing. I also always add a bit of holding tank deodorant liquid to the flush water. Seems to work for me.
Kurt

[Dean Abramson]

Both marine toilets I have owned allowed in water even in the "dry bowl" position. On Mariah it was a slight trickle; on this boat it is inditinguishable from the "flush" mode, comes in fast. So we have to use the seacock, period. But I would never trust even a brand new on-toilet valve. Since my seacock is also in a cabinet, I had been contemplating the type of arrangement Rich describes. More user-friendly, especially for visitors; and ultimately safer when you are off the boat, because you would actually then have three closed valves. I am going to do it. On the 25D, the seacock was right there, and that was nice.

Dean

[Oswego John]

My brother had a problem with the head on his boat. I'm not certain if all of the readers know what jellyfish are. He did something like Boyd did. He put a screen in line with the water inlet. This helped the situation somewhat but during the height of the jellyfish season, the filter would clog up real quickly.

His wife wasn't a boatperson, plain and simple. Her idea of roughing it was a weekend at Holiday Inn Express with a good book, her personal flush toilet and a swimming pool. The few times that she would venture onto his boat, if she ever looked down into the head and saw one or two of those cute little eel worms or jellyfish paddling around and winking at her, well, you know what the final chapter of the story would be.

To each, his own.
O J