2002 fiesta vee toilet understanding?

maxwell

Hey All...

I am trying to get a handle on the operation of this toilet.
Does it grab water to flush , from outside  of the main fill water(Fresh sink water) for flushing?( does is use lake water to flush)?
I know it all goes into the poop tank..but I pump it  until the new urine level is gone and sludgy water then  flows into the bowl.?
Where does that water come from...?is it from the same sink water,if I fill the fill cap marked water?



I have not added fresh water to the boat yet..just added some chem stuff for the  toilet holding tanks  future smells.
The toilet is a pump model...not electric or anything...I dont think..
Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks

Liberty44140

Will help to know what model/size boat, but most rinkers pull toilet water from overboard to flush.

YYZRC

It pulls in outside water as @Liberty44140 says. 

Cableguy Greg

If it is a manual flush toilet, it pulls water from the lake/river/ocean/bay that you are boating in. 

PickleRick

Dumb question but is your boat in sludgy water?  

The blue chem stuff usually doesn't sit in the tank long enough to mask smells.  Google the head mistress on marine heads.  She's great on the do's donts and how to find/fix issues like smells.  



Unless your boat is from salt water it mostly likely pulls from the lake.  Salty waste tanks smell worse than fresh water waste tanks plus is much more likely to give calcium build up issues that give messy smelly clogs 

Have you made sure your seacock is open and cleaned the sediment bowl?  That may be where your sludge is coming from.

maxwell

Sorry,its a 270 fiesta vee 2002
where is the seacock,and sediment bowl located?
Is it possible it has both options?

maxwell

To pull from the lake AND supply from the fresh water?

YYZRC

I have never seen a manual pump head that was connected to fresh water. Would be odd since the fresh water system is pressurized. 

@Willhound did your boat have a manual head?

Willhound

Had an electric conversion when I got it but converted back to manual. Typical Jabsco. Pulled lake water in from a seacock located in the mid bilge.

Grahamu

A manual toilet would pull water from whatever the boat is floating in. Unusual to have a strainer but possible. You do need to locate the thru-hull valve and any other under water valve for safety reasons.

maxwell

thanks

I am  on it....

PickleRick

YYZRC said:

I have never seen a manual pump head that was connected to fresh water. Would be odd since the fresh water system is pressurized. 

@Willhound did your boat have a manual head?

You can T it off before the pressue pump.  

The calcium scale from salt water can clog your toilets discharge hose over time. The smell you get when opening the boat for the first time in a week, especially when it's over 80 degrees is enough to make any admiral swear away boats.  The only thing worse than the smell of a holding tank is decaying marine life in a holding tank.  I don't know of many power boaters who have this issue as we are usually tied to marinas/docks with easy access pump outs but there are many ocean crossing vessels (sailboats) with manual pump marine heads that flush with potable water vs sea water. The manual pump heads are popular for their simplicity and reliability.

YYZRC

@PickleRick that is smart regarding the T before the pump. My first boat had a manual head and it always stank even tho I boat in pristine fresh water. 

maxwell

It pulls from the lake Thank God..

But the holding tank does stink despite me adding the "orange stuff"

crappy part though,(no pun intended.).is its only an eigth full!

No # 2's in it ...either..

Suggestions?
I shut off the levers on the intakes for the week today..


Thanks for that advice.
you guys are great!

Willhound

Check that your vent hose isn't blocked. Spiders and stuff can block it with webs etc. A bit of tank smell is almost unavoidable on a smaller boat in hot weather. Check out Big Orange filter or charcoal holding tank filter for some possible relief.

PickleRick

My vent was clogged but not by bugs.  The 90 fitting for the breather hose out of the tank was clogged with what appeared to be concrete made out of several year old toilet paper and waste water. 

Getting head issues sorted out makes one wonder if switching over to a composting head is a good idea.

I do not run and inline filter on my vent as it can prevent oxygen from getting to the tank and my bio treatment needs pop water and oxygen to do its thing.

As for the stinky tank, if you have a new joker valve(I will replace mine every season but you might get 2 or 3 out of them)  them your smell is likely from the hoses.  All your toilet hoses that hold waste as the tank fills, well most brands permiate.  That means a poo poo pee pee smell.

Even some high dollar west marine stuff will smell in a year or two.  There is a test.  Get a paper towel, wet it down, then put it on the toilet discharge hose below the usual holding tank full line. Let it dry. Once dry give that nasty thing a sniff.  Stink? You're permiated.  Fuel hoses pre I think 2012 also permiate but gas smells better than your girlfriends poop.

2 fixes.

One: there are only 2 or 3 waste hose manufactures that make hoses that won't permiate smell and they are not cheap.  It's also a pain to change them. This is really a winter, everything pumped out and cleaned kinda job


Two: get a roll of all purpose foil tape from you're favourite local hardware store. You'll find it in the HVAC section.

Tape the hoses to past the fill line including under the hose clamps. Smell is gone with both.

If your paper towel passes smell test clean your bilges.  Lots of smells harbor there.

maxwell

Thanks guys!
good to know ...
will give these suggestions a try.
report back next week.

PickleRick

Good luck!  

maxwell

Hey guys...smell is minimal now.....even though weather is Hot...I believe there was some crap left from previous owners group..orange and blue stuff may have finally broken it down... .Thank God!..
plus I threw an odor bully into the room..


With operation...I open the  valve each weekend and leave it opened ,until we go home for the week..
Problem is..lake water just keeps filling bowl???....without going down , into holding tank..???

The only way to get the (full) bowl of new lake water and (nasty).stuff...to go into holding tank..is to manually shut valve again..and pump until bowl is empty.????

Is this normal operation...?

kinda gross...if it is...
What are we doing wrong?any help appreciated.

aero3113

@maxwell , sounds like the joker valve needs to be replaced.

maxwell

what the heck is a joker valve??

aero3113

LoL! This video will explain.

https://youtu.be/uqYkXa5AWe8

maxwell

thanks..good video..explains a lot..