The joker valve’s on me

[bsangs]

The thought of head maintenance makes me queasy. Sure I’m not alone. So I approached my first job like I was walking into a hazmat facility. Well, despite its name, which I was certain would mean hours spent toiling while laughing maniacally, replacing the joker valve on my Jabsco electric toilet might have been the simplest boat “project” I’ve ever done. I don’t know why it’s called a joker valve, and it does make me laugh, but it couldn’t have been much easier. Something tells me clearing the vent hose might be a bit more detailed though, and I shouldn’t get overconfident.

 

[Loren Beach]

1985 is a long time ago. Best to replace that vent hose with a new reinforced one.
And, it's great that luck was with you in dealing with the Joker. Last year I had to replace one of those... twice. Not horrible, but as you point out it's a system I would rather not have to open up.

 

[bsangs]

1985 is a long time ago. Best to replace that vent hose with a new reinforced one.
And, it's great that luck was with you in dealing with the Joker. Last year I had to replace one of those... twice. Not horrible, but as you point out it's a system I would rather not have to open up.

Oh no, don’t worry about that. Previous owner changed out all the hoses when he replaced the manual with an electric. God willing, I won’t be touching most of those anytime soon. I just want to clear out the vent, just in case.

 

[G Kiba]

Bad smelling head had me dreading replacing the tangle of hoses on my boat. I thought that I would do a few hoses at a time. I replace the hose between the joker valve and the waste tank first. Wow. no more smell. The hose was full of salt and minerals and looked new from the outside but was clearly the offender. Now I only flush with fresh water. What a difference.

 

[bsangs]

Bad smelling head had me dreading replacing the tangle of hoses on my boat. I thought that I would do a few hoses at a time. I replace the hose between the joker valve and the waste tank first. Wow. no more smell. The hose was full of salt and minerals and looked new from the outside but was clearly the offender. Now I only flush with fresh water. What a difference.

I actually thought there was something wrong when I first purchased this boat, because the head setup did not smell - at all. Then, after becoming more familiar with different systems, I chalked it up to the fact it uses pressurized fresh water, not sea water. Apparently that makes a world of difference. It's also probably the reason the previous owner(s) had three water tanks installed (22, 28 and 35 gallons).

 

[dxulander]

Is it the Jabsco 37010 electric toilet? I bought a new 37101 toilet and the 3 flimsy screws holding the discharge port kept leaking on a brand new toilet. Xylem support mentioned lateral force applied by the discharge hose, but it's pretty parallel to the discharge port. Zero confidence it'll hold through numerous joker valve replacements. Do you have the same setup and the discharge port has been holding strong?

 

[bsangs]

Is it the Jabsco 37010 electric toilet? I bought a new 37101 toilet and the 3 flimsy screws holding the discharge port kept leaking on a brand new toilet. Xylem support mentioned lateral force applied by the discharge hose, but it's pretty parallel to the discharge port. Zero confidence it'll hold through numerous joker valve replacements. Do you have the same setup and the discharge port has been holding strong?

It's a Jabsco electric toilet, but I don't know the exact model number of it. It came with the boat when we purchased it. There are three screws that secure the discharge port. It's been a couple years, but I do recall it leaked when I first reinstalled it. So I did it a second time and it's been fine since. (Knock wood). Not sure if I fiddled with the angle of the discharge hose, but it's possible.

 

[Captain Pete]

Having done a few Joker valves in my day I call them Choker valves since it can be unpleasant. But it is easy and straightforward. They can make a big difference, especially if you are finding backflow of fluids or even gases back into the toilet.

I learned two things: 1. Best to buy a name brand as any cheaper "amazon" version is less robust and you are back replacing it sooner than you would like (which is never). 2. Make sure the flapper/slit is oriented vertically.

Actually 3 things: one of the most important ways to keep a first mate happy on a boat is to have a clean, reliable head without any odors. A fully functioning Joker/Choker is a key part of achieving that happiness.

 

[Christian Williams]

One more joker factor: On my toilet, the joker must be installed so the lips are vertical. A random orientation of the rubber allows backflow. Often this takes a few tries to get right. This applies (perhaps only) to the Groco All-Bronze Model K toilet, and the information about orientation comes from Groco--whom I called in frustration.

 

[windblown]

I had no idea that the orientation of the joker lips might be important! Intuitively, I might have gone with horizontal, and I suspect that's how my current joker is installed. Apparently my intuition, in this matter, isn't worth. . .anything.

 

[Christian Williams]

Not sure it applies to us all, may be a K model eccentricity.