question about head

[chris41483]

I may be retarded, but I can't find the answer to this question anywhere. I have the vacuflush system with holding tank, but no macerator pump. There is a switch with a key in it next to the toilet that activates the vacuum pump, do i leave that on when I am on the boat, or do I have to turn it on every time the toilet is flushed. When I leave it on, I thought that the once the vacuum was pulled, the pump would shut off, but it doesn't seem to operate that way. I did not know if maybe a sensor was broken, or if you just have to turn the pump on with every flush. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Turtlesboat]

The pump should produce a vacuum that will trigger a switch to turn it off. If the pump isn't turning off, it could be clogged, need new duck bill valves, ball valve is leaking, pump is bad or sensor is bad. Is water staying in the bowl? when was the last time you changed the duck bill valves? Do a search and Gary has the answers.

 

[Groucho]

My previous boat (270 DA) started doing that too. I just made sure the key was off after use...and before use had it turned on...It worked for us.

 

[chris41483]

I have never had a vacuflush system, all of my previous boats have had pump out heads. To be honest, I have no idea what a duck bill valve is, where are they located? In the pump or in the line?

 

[Stray Cat]

I have never had a vacuflush system, all of my previous boats have had pump out heads. To be honest, I have no idea what a duck bill valve is, where are they located? In the pump or in the line?

Here is a link to an animation of how the system works.

http://www.sealandtechnology.com/vfdemo.asp

Here is a link that will show you what a duckbill valve looks like. I suspect you have a vacuum switch or wire connections that needs attention. I believe your system has the SW vacuum generator.

http://www.dometicsanitation.com/prod.asp

 

[Four Suns]

Can you take a picture of that key switch? Are you sure you are not turning on an overboard discharge pump with that thing? I know you said you don't have a macarator... but I'm just wondering....

The vacuflush systems are pretty simple. You have a two-stage holding tank basically. The first holding tank is small and has a bellows pump on it with some duckbill valves and should maintain a vacuum inside this small tank. The bellows pump is basically a piston that goes up and down and the duckbill valves are rubber one-way check valves that only allow the "stuff" to flow one direction out of the small holding tank and into the bigger holding tank (the one you pump out). It keeps pumping out the "stuff" and air into the bigger holding tank until there is a vacuum in the smaller holding tank. As soon as the vacuum reaches a certain level as dictated by a vacuum switch in the small holding tank, the pump will turn off.

If the pump keeps running more than about 20-30 seconds, the vacuum switch is not telling the system to turn off. It either means the vacuum switch is bad (less likely) or the system can not create a vacuum in the small holding tank (more likely). If the system is not holding a vacuum then the most likely culprit is usually the one-way check valves (the duckbills) have something stuck in them (like dental floss, tampons, oatmeal, corn, tomato peelings, toilet paper, etc) or the duckbills are just getting old and not sealing up properly as the bellows/piston goes up and down. Bad duckbills allow air and "stuff" to come back from the main holding tank. I note your boat is 9 years old... if they are original valves, that's where I would start.

There are other places to lose vacuum as well including the rubber toilet seal around the ball valve and the hose connections. That rubber toilet seal going bad is usually accompanied by the toilet not holding water and if it's bad enough, you can hear air screaming by the thing.

Any one of these half dozen components can go bad (vacuum switch, duckbills, bellows, seal, etc) at any time. I carry a spares kit with me as you never know when last night's mexican may get stuck in the system.

PS: Tell everyone to chew their food better, only use RV/Marine rapid dissolving toilet paper, lecture the little girls that they don't need a half a roll to wipe their ass, don't let anyone use the system who has had corn in the past 2 days, put a trash can in the bathroom so people will not flush pens and other hard things down the toilet, and read the manual.

 

[Turtlesboat]

The valves are in the pump, In other words... Get ready for some near puke moments. Technically they aren't hard to change. Mentally very difficult.

 

[Four Suns]

The valves are in the pump, In other words... Get ready for some near puke moments. Technically they aren't hard to change. Mentally very difficult.

That's why I like to change mine before they go bad... Some detergent down the system and a lot of water makes the job much cleaner.. Otherwise you'll have a bunch of bad stuff in the system to deal with.

 

[Vince_nj1]

PS: Tell everyone to chew their food better, only use RV/Marine rapid dissolving toilet paper, lecture the little girls that they don't need a half a roll to wipe their ass, don't let anyone use the system who has had corn in the past 2 days, put a trash can in the bathroom so people will not flush pens and other hard things down the toilet, and read the manual.

And tell the women on the boat, not to flush tampons down the toilet.

 

[Turtlesboat]

That's why I like to change mine before they go bad... Some detergent down the system and a lot of water makes the job much cleaner.. Otherwise you'll have a bunch of bad stuff in the system to deal with.

Agreed, this is not one of those things where you "wait til it breaks". Also, take a few moments to think about how the system works before you start pulling hoses off. I mistakenly started pulling this hose off, that hose off. Well I pulled the wrong end of the hose off and dumped about a gallon of nicely aged waste down the front of me. After I screamed like a little girl, puked in my mouth, and then jumped into the water. I thought, wow, that was really stupid.

 

[osd9]

....... Well I pulled the wrong end of the hose off and dumped about a gallon of nicely aged waste down the front of me. After I screamed like a little girl, puked in my mouth, and then jumped into the water. I thought, wow, that was really stupid.

That's why you should always have the video camera running when changing these things out....you never know when that pricesless moment will strike!!!!

 

[Stray Cat]

Gary - Where is the vacuum switch hidden? Is it part of the vacuum generator control circuit and is hidden there? I couldn't find it listed on the parts list pages.

 

[Four Suns]

This is the unit on my boat... your mileage may vary:

It is part 15.

http://www.northeastsanitation.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=NS&Product_Code=310540

Duckbills are part 12.

Someone posted that the vacuum switch was a SquareD part and was much cheaper if you got through an electrical supplier... you may want to search CSR for that.

 

[Turtlesboat]

mine is under the plastic cover. two screws to remove the cover and it's on the wall of the tank.

 

[skolbe]

I bought the vacuum switch from Square D. You don't have to buy the whole assembly. It was around $20. The part number was on the switch.

 

[chris41483]

Mine looks exactly like the picture turtlehead posted above, even the fact that you can see the threads in the holding tank where my macerator would go. I have a three position switch in the head; off, on, discharge. Because I have no discharge pump, this position does nothing. The bowl still holds water, the pump just never stops. I have designed a system outside my shop to dump the waste into my sewer line using a 55gal drum and a shop vac, believe it or not, it works great, and is not messy. I do let a marina pump it out when I am in the bay or the lake, but there is no solution but mine when on the river. Anyway, the system still works, so i believe i will be putting plenty of cleaner through it before disconnecting a damn thing. Thank you all for the help, it is much appreciated!

 

[Bridog]

Mine looks exactly like the picture turtlehead posted above, even the fact that you can see the threads in the holding tank where my macerator would go. I have a three position switch in the head; off, on, discharge. Because I have no discharge pump, this position does nothing. The bowl still holds water, the pump just never stops. I have designed a system outside my shop to dump the waste into my sewer line using a 55gal drum and a shop vac, believe it or not, it works great, and is not messy. I do let a marina pump it out when I am in the bay or the lake, but there is no solution but mine when on the river. Anyway, the system still works, so i believe i will be putting plenty of cleaner through it before disconnecting a damn thing. Thank you all for the help, it is much appreciated!

Pssst...Don't call him Turtlehead...he hates that!:grin:

 

[CJ Martin]

I'm with Dom - WTF?

Is this what CSR is going to decend to? Might have to rethink running my CSR burgee this year. I don't want anyone to think I have anything to do with idiots like wingless.

-CJ

 

[StressAweigh]

Chris I am not sure what is wrong with your head I will tell you that one my 1997 290DA that key you discribed is for the overboard discharge.

 

[bahamabreisus]

The key you are turning is for the discharge pump. You should have a power swith on your breaker panel to turn the head system on. When you turn the key all the way to the start position you should be discharging overboard, unless the thru hull is closed, which it supposed to be.