Toilet trouble

[Cowgurscarver]

We have a 1984 32 aft. The other day, one of the toilets filled up with black water after flushing it. It was so full we had to scoop it out to keep it from overflowing. The gage for the toiletbsaid that it wasn't full- we had it pumped about a month ago.

I went ahead and had the marina come and pump it or anyway just to be sure. They said it was only about 1/4 full. Anyone experienced this before? Any ideas what the issue might beV we haven't flushed it since it was pumped. I am a little scared that I might have to scoop again.

Also- we are new to owning a cruiser. So any other maintenance tips would also be appreciated.

[Viper]

Welcome aboard. The type of toilet you have would help but in general they have duckbill valves (check valve) that prevent waste from coming back. They are a regular maintenance item so if they haven't been done in a while it may be time. The only other thing wold be if there was something stuck in the valve keeping it open.

As for other maintenance tips, we can write a whole book set on that! Anything in particular you're thinking about that needs clarification?...Oil changes, impellers, anodes, tune-ups, electrical, Air Conditioning, steering, running gear, electronics, plumbing, polishing, anti-fouling paint, navigation, on and on.... Go to the appropriate section and ask away. It'll be no time before someone chimes in.

[km1125]

You might also need to check the tank vent. If the vent is blocked, when you pump the head it pressurizes the tank and forces "stuff" back to the head. With a good duckbill it may not fill but with an older one that doesn't seal well it will all come back.

[Cowgurscarver]

Thanks for the reply! After hours of reading last night i did figure out the vent can cause this type of issue. Does anyone know where it's located?


As far as maintainance, we are not new to boating. So oil homages, engine tune ups, impellers, etc we have that covered. Any guidance around filters we might not be aware of that need to be changed etc (a/c?, toilet?). I have been reading on the toilet stuff so much the last few days I know to look for a filter in the vent line so I have that one covered. I read about people pouring cooking oil down the toilet to keep it lubed.. I will be doing that. I don't think it's has been done. There was some chemicals for the black water tank in the boat when we bought it but I ordered the no flex digestor last night. That seems to be popular on here.

I read about people filling the black water tank with fresh washer and driving so it sloshes to clean tank. How often does everyone do that? I do not want to continue to have toilet trouble so any suggestions about what maintainance needs to be done would be great!

Any suggestions for getting fog off the port windows?

Thanks everyone!!

[bud37]

Howdy.....I think to answer your questions about this it would help everyone to know what kind of toilet you have, is it manual ( handle that you pump), vacu flush which is much like at home ( pedal) or electric flush ( noisy macerator pump, button on wall to operate).......

[km1125]

Source of the post
After hours of reading last night i did figure out the vent can cause this type of issue. Does anyone know where it's located?
Any guidance around filters we might not be aware of that need to be changed etc (a/c?, toilet?). I have been reading on the toilet stuff so much the last few days I know to look for a filter in the vent line so I have that one covered.

Your boat may or may not have a charcoal filter on the vent line. You can always add one if you don't have one, but make sure it flows enough so that when you get a pumpout it doesn't restrict air from getting in the tank (which can cause a tank collapse)

I don't know on your boat where the vent and/or filter are but if you have difficulty locating it, I can call a friend who has a 32 AFT and ask. You can do it by the process of elimination though, by identifying all the vents on the outside of the hull. You should have one for each gas tank, one for your potable water and one for each waste tank.

[Belmont]

Where is the duckbill valves located on the aft head of a carver yacht?

[Viper]

Welcome aboard. It depends on the type of head you have. If it's a Vacuflush, the valves will be on both sides of the vacuum pump. Electric pumps typically have a valve in the discharge fitting of the toilet.

[The Dash]

Viper, we have a 1987 Carver 42Aft, our head is a Raritan Crown head, original. We too are having issues with backflush not a very pleasant experience. We are interested in checking out the duckbill valve and impeller any other maintenance issue we may have missed. Where do we start.

[Viper]

Source of the post Viper, we have a 1987 Carver 42Aft, our head is a Raritan Crown head, original. We too are having issues with backflush not a very pleasant experience. We are interested in checking out the duckbill valve and impeller any other maintenance issue we may have missed. Where do we start.

Nice boat. The impeller is in the little pump on the side of the toilet. It'll have the small raw water hose going to it. Remove the round cover plate and you'll see the impeller. Check the inside of the pump housing, if it's scored, the pump won't work as well. You may also need to replace the cover gasket once you remove the cover. Any air leak will be problematic. You also want to check the housing for cracks. The duckbill valve is right behind the large fitting that the big discharge hose hooks up to. Before you remove that, you want to flush a lot of water through the toilet so that there is no waste in the line that will spill out when you remove the hose.