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).