All, I got a call from my wife Marilyn yesterday telling me that after a week aboard in the isthmus at Catalina Island with everything working perfectly on the boat, the Wilcox Crittenden Skipper II head up and stopped pulling sea water into the bowl for no good reason. We went through a bunch of diagnostics that I won't bore you with but what got it working again was "priming" the pump. It was made easier for her by means of the 3/4" bronze Groco vented loop I have mounted at chest height in the head. I had her remove the reinforced clear hose from the head side of the loop and fill it with water. She plugged it all back together again and now the head merrily pulls water since installing it several years ago. In case anyone is wondering what the vented loop does, it assures that the head will never siphon water into the boat and sink her. I have it mounted on the forward bulkhead, pretty darn close to the centerline of the boat over the keel and high enough that even on the most radical of heels, the loop never dips below the static waterline. In order to flush the head, the vent hole has to be covered with a finger tip before the pump will pull water. Beyond that, the head operates in the conventional manner and when uncovering the vent hole, the water in the intake hose side, returns to the static waterline. Crisis solved and all over the phone. Cheers, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey CA
Oh my aching head.
- Thread starter Glyn Judson
- Start date
Rick R.
Contributing Partner
Glyn, do you have to put a finger over the hole in the hose to flush every time?
Tom Metzger
Sustaining Partner
Glyn - You didn't tell us what was wrong with Marilyn's finger tip.
Oh, my aching head.
Tom, Oh, that's easy, she told me she got a flush wound. Glyn
Tom, Oh, that's easy, she told me she got a flush wound. Glyn
Oh, my aching head.
Rick, You have to cover the small (1/4"??) hole with your finger in the top of the vented loop each time. Here's what I'm talking about, http://www.groco.net/SVC-MAN-07/Sec1/pdfs/Vented-Loops.pdf Note the small hole on the removable cap, that's what you cover every time the toilet is flushed. Water is drawn from the sea in the direction of the arrow but cannot be "pulled" up the hose without the vent hole being sealed with a finger tip. Scroll down that Groco page and notice how they suggest placing the loop above the waterline. The only difference between the intended use of the loop and my installation is that by installing it backward, I'm forced to create the vacuum (cover the hole) in order to pull water up through the loop and into the bowl. When finished flushing and with the finger removed, the water level in the hose returns to a safe level. Cheers, Glyn
Rick, You have to cover the small (1/4"??) hole with your finger in the top of the vented loop each time. Here's what I'm talking about, http://www.groco.net/SVC-MAN-07/Sec1/pdfs/Vented-Loops.pdf Note the small hole on the removable cap, that's what you cover every time the toilet is flushed. Water is drawn from the sea in the direction of the arrow but cannot be "pulled" up the hose without the vent hole being sealed with a finger tip. Scroll down that Groco page and notice how they suggest placing the loop above the waterline. The only difference between the intended use of the loop and my installation is that by installing it backward, I'm forced to create the vacuum (cover the hole) in order to pull water up through the loop and into the bowl. When finished flushing and with the finger removed, the water level in the hose returns to a safe level. Cheers, Glyn
Flapper?
Isn't there a flapper in that particular vented loop to function as your finger during normal use? If there is pressure in the pump side, the flapper closes and the water flows past, if there is a suction, the flapper opens and allows air into the hose to break the siphon. It seems like putting a finger on the vent each time is not a good design?
I'm mostly curious because I currently have a large open space where my head should be :dunce
in the boat, not on my shoulders) and I'd like to design and install a kick-butt system.:unsure:
-Dean
Isn't there a flapper in that particular vented loop to function as your finger during normal use? If there is pressure in the pump side, the flapper closes and the water flows past, if there is a suction, the flapper opens and allows air into the hose to break the siphon. It seems like putting a finger on the vent each time is not a good design?
I'm mostly curious because I currently have a large open space where my head should be :dunce
in the boat, not on my shoulders) and I'd like to design and install a kick-butt system.:unsure:-Dean
Oh, my aching head.
Dean, Good point, well taken but I am deliberately using my vented loop in the opposite fashion is was designed for. Remember, I', "pulling" water past the vent. If I were "pushing" it past then the vent valve would close. The way I have mine installed is by design, the user is forced to seal the vent hole in order to pull water past and as soon as the procedure is complete and the finger removed, water on the intake side returns to the safe, static waterline level. The closest to any kick-butt system I can think of off the top of my head might be one involving cold water splashing up when sitting on the throne. You could rig up a pump and hose method with the hose leading into the bowl, details to follow when when I've had a chance to sit down and think about it. Glyn
Dean, Good point, well taken but I am deliberately using my vented loop in the opposite fashion is was designed for. Remember, I', "pulling" water past the vent. If I were "pushing" it past then the vent valve would close. The way I have mine installed is by design, the user is forced to seal the vent hole in order to pull water past and as soon as the procedure is complete and the finger removed, water on the intake side returns to the safe, static waterline level. The closest to any kick-butt system I can think of off the top of my head might be one involving cold water splashing up when sitting on the throne. You could rig up a pump and hose method with the hose leading into the bowl, details to follow when when I've had a chance to sit down and think about it. Glyn