In the Toilet

[Bob Ohler]

I was at Groco's factory yesterday. I saw first hand that they have plenty of the cast bronze bases for the HF toilets in stock. This was finished stock - machined and painted. If you need one, order one. West Marine will be happy to order one for you.

[Bob Ohler]

You know, when a wholesaler says they can't ship, sometimes there is more to the story. The manufacturer has them and the wholesaler says they can't get them. Draw your own conclusions, but I know Groco has them on the shelf.

"Never let someone pee in your face and tell you it's raining."

[Russell]

Bill, Rollo, Russell,

Groco has them in stock! They are American made... cast in Lancaster, PA and finished at the Groco factory in MD. They are not made in China.

I will be at Groco tomorrow. I'll be sure to look for the bases!

Simply call them they will sell direct and avoid the b/s that the middle men are giving you.

Groco's customer service is second to none!

Unfortunately, american made is probably why I had so much trouble getting parts for them. I spend a lot of time with my boat outside of the US, and nobody ever stocks Groco stuff and it costs a mint to ship it in. Switching to Rairtan I can find parts everywhere, and even inside the US its easier. And chinese made or not, the Rairtain as proved far more reliable, I was rebuilding my Groco HF at least once (sometimes twice) each year, the Rartain is now on its 3rd year installed, with zero rebuilds with daily full time use.

[barfwinkle]

Thanks for all the input folks

I am leaning toward the Rairtan PH-II manual head for Rhapsody. The price is right (Jamestown Distributors) and it looks as if fitting would be no problemo.

Does anyone else have this head aboard their 25D? Or comments on this head?

Fair Winds

[Jim Cornwell]

Another plug for Groco! After consulting this board and learning that a rebuild kit was needed to restore seawater intake to Yankee's aging Groco HF head, I resorted to calling the company for help with the kit's printed instructions. Sanitation Department chief Patrick was patient and thorough over the phone and the rebuild was completed easily within 15 minutes. But with just a wee bit of over-tightening during reinstallation, I managed to crack the cylinder. Quite a bit of unsavory language ensued, seldom heard aboard. But Groco HQ is nearby, so I stopped in to get a replacement and was introduced to Patrick, the headmaster himself. An hour and about $60 later, I walked out with a completely refurbished pump and a pocketful of spare parts, having gotten a hands-on lesson in maintenance plus a tour of the factory, where "made in America" is a reassuring reality, I'm pleased to report! Easy does it next time with that socket wrench, skipper.

[Jim Walsh]

My HF developed a cracked cylinder a few years ago. I bought a rebuild kit and was still loosing pressure so I completely removed the cylinder and that's when I saw the small crack on the backside. At the time a replacement with all the guts was way over half the price of a new head so I just bought a new HF head and kept the parts I had just put into rebuilding the cylinder as spares. The bolt holes on the new bronze base didn't quite line up with the old base so I had to shift the unit on the platform slightly and drill a couple new holes. I filled the old holes with MarineTex. Last fall I finally used those spares after three years. This year I had to replace the gasket at the base of the bowl. I've had good service from my HF and I'm happy with it.