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Galley Maid Toilet Water Issue

Discussion in 'Ocean Yacht' started by Matt Clark, Aug 4, 2020.

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  1. Matt Clark

    Matt Clark Member

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    So I had two brand new Galley Maid toilets installed last year for a cleaner look and hopefully less smell and one toilet works great and the other has a problem with keeping water in the bowl after a flush as the water just keeps going down the tube and when I take my finger off the green automatic flush button the water typically levels off at the bottom of the tube at the bottom of the bowl so no water remains in the bowl and hence the reason I don't use to for #2's. The company that installed the toilets came back after I discovered the issue and said that the macerator and fill pumps needed to be rebuilt so I spent a bunch of money to do so ($1600) and the problem still exists. The company came back to troubleshoot and disconnected a couple waste hoses and sent me a video of some very small particles coming out of the tube into a cup and basically said that all my tubes had to be replaced due to some “blockage due to these particles/scaling etc. and to do that I would have rip out my entire kitchen (that I just had redone BTW with a reconfigured cabinet and new countertops and sink). The company charged me another $525 or so for their time of diagnosis this issue!

    I was not going to pay them since the problem is not fixed but didn’t want it to get ugly so I just paid him. (He is pretty much a know it all, and an ass but a bunch of people know him at the marina that I know and he generally has a good reputation so I decided just to pay him) and now thinking about hiring someone else to diagnose the problem. So….anyone have any ideas of why the bowl wont maintain water after a flush? If I pour water in the bowl it will stay in the bowl, however, but when I use the flush button the water does not stay in the bowl. BTW there is no timer on my flush button, it basically flushes as long as you hold the button. Thoughts? Thanks
  2. praetorian47

    praetorian47 Senior Member

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    Have you looked to see if the anti-siphon plumbing is setup correctly? Maybe compare them to each other. The GM pumps fresh water with the macerator so they both work at exactly the same time. standing water should be part of the plumbing (in my non-expert opinion).

    As to rebuilding new GM macerators in a year, that sounds fishy to me unless you flushed a lot of wrong stuff down it. I flushed an electric toothbrush head down once by accident and the macerator chewed it right up. GM told me the things to worry about are condoms (rubber and the stretch and can get caught) and dental floss. Tampons were a distant third and only because the string could wrap and jam things. Uric acid build up or toilet paper drying before the macerator were the biggest concerns he mentioned. I use a solution of Muriatic acid every couple years just to be sure.
  3. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Can’t believe some guys get away with this.

    While your hoses maybe have some build up in them there is no way this would prevent water from staying in the bowl. Whoever sold you new heads should have replaced the hoses at the time as that s usually the source of smell...

    I have never had to deal with with GM heads as my Hatteras had been converted to VF before I bought it. But GM is a frequent issue that comes up on the Hatteras owner forum and as Praetorian47 suggested there is a syphon / vent hose that s pretty critical

    whatever you do... don’t let that clown near your boat.
  4. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Sounds like he did a very good job....of making his incompetence your problem. NEVER pay until everything is checked and working properly. I'm sure this will eat at you for a long time.
    I used to manage a marina where everyone used the same mechanic. Fortunately these people rarely used their boats, cause whatever he worked on never worked again. Still they kept calling him despite my warnings. He talked a good game. Eventually when pulling boats for winter storage he first pulled a boat out without disconnecting the shore power, and then towed one boat with another, running the first one aground and the towed boat crashing into the first. That was the last anyone saw of him or their winter storage deposits. Don't be afraid to follow your instincts and not the crowd.
  5. Matt Clark

    Matt Clark Member

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    Thanks for the responses. I will look into the anti siphon plumbing. A little more info as I ramble a bit here... is that the macorator was an original 90's I would think and I never used that toilet for any waste except #1's so I know I didn't trash it but hopefully it needed to be rebuilt anyway.. or at least that is what I am telling myself... Interesting that the other toilet really sends a lot of water when you flush and the bad toilet does not flush that much water as if some of the holes under the rim were clogged or there were not enough. Because there was not water ever in the bowl prior to swapping out the toilets I assumed maybe that is how these toilet's worked as I only had a porti-potti on my last boat so I never thought to immediately question the installer. Just checked both of the toilets again this morning and noticed that even the good toilet over time will still lose the water in the bowl so it levels out in the tube at the bottom but when you flush it you get enough water to send down waste whereas the bad toilet just doesn't give you enough water. Anyway that's it for now and hopefully I will find a way to get this resolved.
  6. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    If I remember correctly these pumps are double ended. One side drains the waste and the other side pulls water. IIRC again they use stators, a rubber boot like thingy that slides on a shaped shaft. That s a maintenance item so your may need to be replaced. That would explain the low flow
  7. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    That toilet could have the holes around the rim blocked. Happened to one of my home toilets not long ago. That's time to replace the bowl. And the water settling low in the toilet sounds right to me (depending how low). If it held as much water in the bowl as your home toilet it'd be sloshing out in rough seas. On most you can add water when using. Trying to remember the Galley Maids but can't. I know with the Vacu-flush you lift the foot lever to fill.
  8. Matt Clark

    Matt Clark Member

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    The toilet bowl is only a year old so I would be shocked it the holes were already clogged but maybe it was a faulty toilet out of the factory where they didn't put enough hols in there..who knows... I am going to have to stick my head in the bowl with a light this weekend to check. Good point on the water settling down into the tube over time as you don't want it sloshing around in rough seas. I just checked the last bill from the contractor and it looks like they did replace the stators as well.
    No more Buns likes this.
  9. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    While you have your head and flashlight in there also have a small cable tie or such to ream the holes, and when you clean your bowl remember the little brush on the backside of your toilet brush. That's for getting up under the rim. Today's toilets are made to create more force from less water. That means smaller holes and smaller holes will clog easier.
  10. Oscarvan

    Oscarvan Senior Member

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  11. chesapeake46

    chesapeake46 Senior Member

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  12. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    I was going to suggest that but how could I not let a guy shove his own head in a toilet?:rolleyes::)
  13. Matt Clark

    Matt Clark Member

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    Thanks. Will get that ordered ASAP. Do you also have a good brand of camera scope you would recommend that can attached to an I Phone?
  14. Oscarvan

    Oscarvan Senior Member

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    DEPSTECH. Amazon. I got the one with the screen. Less risk of phone damage or worse.
    tbaxl likes this.
  15. chesapeake46

    chesapeake46 Senior Member

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    + 1 .... $ 49.99