American Standard 3517.B101.020 Toilet Bowl, White

Do it yourself - Repair water toilets

Repair water toilets

The problem

In pleasure boats there are three types of toilets: manual, electric 12 and 24 volts, and chemical toilets. There are hand operated lever-operated clock-type toilets made of chromed bronze, manufactured in Argentina since the beginning of the 20th century and there are more modern ones, built in plastic with a vertical-drive inflator-type pump.



American Standard 3517.B101.020 Toilet Bowl, White

All of them can stop working or do it in an inadequate way and, in most cases, with a little skill and knowledge, they can be repaired without resorting to a specialist in the subject. Only chemical toilets, also called pouches, are disposable and have no repair.

The materials

Corresponding spare parts, in each case. If it is possible, remove the spare part that is no longer working and take it to the spare parts store to avoid buying the wrong one.

The procedure

Repair of manual toilets

These toilets require manual skill and availability of special spare parts for their repair. These are composed of three parts:

•     The lower one, which serves to fix with stainless steel screws the base to the floor of the bathroom where it is installed. It has inside the water inlet and outlet valves that will do the job of propelling the water, so that it reaches the rear entrance of the white porcelain sink to wet and produce the drag of substances overturned inside.
•     The second part, looking from bottom to top, is chromed or painted bronze, which houses the two suction and discharge valves that produce the output of the water served to the outside.
•     These two valves are commercially called "gon" and "castañuela" (due to their external shape). Between the first part or lower and the second or middle is installed a rubber and cloth diaphragm, pressed between the two surfaces, using 9 bronze or stainless steel screws. Both the diaphragm, the gon and the castanet are available in specialized nautical stores.
•     The third part or higher is a toilet bowl of white china, commonly of round shape that manufactured the firm Ferrum until 1992. To give tightness to this piece, which is mounted on the second part, a piece of soft rubber is used Thick washer type.
•     We note that of this type of toilet there are two models, one to operate under water level and another on water level. This means that the water level of the river may be lower or higher than the level of the toilet bowl.
•     Regarding the imported manual toilets of last generation, arrived in Argentina in the last part of the XX century, its exterior conformation was built in plastic or metal with the three parts that define its appearance:
•     At the base in a horizontal position, on one of the ends, the white porcelain bacha is mounted on a thick joint of soft rubber.
•     At the other end, a vertical pipe is installed, which is an impelling suction pump that produces the pumping of river or sea water to be carried to the bacha through the upper rear part.
•     At the bottom of this pump there are two rubber valves commercially called "duck mouth and gon" with different shapes according to the manufacturer's brand.

The most common faults that are detected are hardness or stiffness of the rod when trying to operate, decrease of water suction that is pumped from the outside of the boat producing an insufficient operation of the toilet, increase of the water level inside the sink when the toilet does not It's in use.

•     The locking of the shank is caused by the deformation of the rubber ring that is housed in the plastic piston. This defect occurs because the "O" ring on the piston was designed as a static seal and does not coincide with this application that is dynamic. To solve the problem replace the plastic piston and the type of packing.
•     The deficient suction and discharge of the equipment is produced by the deficiency of the material of the double rubber clapper in the upper part of the pump. You also have to rectify the flat parts where the double clapper supports. In the lower part of the base there is a special rubber gasket that is vulcanized with a piece of metal inside for counterbalance, because iron is oxidized and dilates, deforming the flatness of the support, preventing the operation of the valve. There are old toilets whose pump is mounted on the horizontal base with only three vertical screws. This inadequate assembly deforms the flatness of the two plastic bodies and produces the loss there when the pump is operated. This is solved by rectifying each of these plans before installing the new board.
•     The duck mouth or exit elbow valve rarely deteriorates; If so, and there is light between the lips of the outlet mouth, it should be replaced.

Repair of electric toilets

There are different brands of electric toilets in the Argentine market for naval use. We will deal with, in this case, the most commonly used. There are originals from the United States and China, with two different brands but from the same manufacturer. There are also kits in Argentina for manual to electric conversion.

Made in the USA are of high quality and long durability. These toilets are repaired in the following way, according to their fault:

•     If the problem is the lack of cutting edge on the shredding blade at the tip of the motor shaft, sharpen the two planes of attack of the existing blade.
•     If there is a lack of flatness on the support face where the assembly is mounted, lay flat to the area where the rubber ring of square section rests and replace the original rubber ring with a rubber gasket whose shape matches that of the plastic base of the toilet.
•     If the fracture occurs in the center of the body of the plastic impeller, replace it with a bronze one.
•     If the rubber impeller installed inside the bakelite body was deformed, replace it.
•     If you notice deterioration of the paper gasket that is installed between the lid and the body - both of Bakelite - where the impeller is, replace the paper gasket.
•     If the rubber seal of the electric motor shaft is tight, replace the seal with a new one but with a stainless steel spring.

Toilets of Chinese origin can present several defects, for which there is a solution.

•     The first toilets of this type, more than fifteen years old, bring in the tip of the shaft a piece of plastic that should break and destroy the toilet paper and solid components, which does not happen with this implement. If you have this component, you must replace it with a stainless blade with a sharp edge on the edges of the attack.
•     The latest generation, which bring a stainless steel blade, are not infallible either. If the plastic impeller is cracked at the center where the shaft enters, replace the plastic impeller with a bronze impeller.
•     If there is deformation and wear of the square bronze plate with nine holes, rectify the bronze plate on both sides and change the central rubber ring.
•     If the existing paper gasket between the bronze plate and the bakelite body is damaged, install a new gasket and rectify the bakelite body plane.
•     If the rubber rotor is swollen and the blades are curved, replace it with a new one.
•     If there is a loss of water between the electric motor and the bakelite body, replace the rubber seal on the bakelite body. The retainer spring must be of stainless steel.