Vacuflush expert question

[jrcinnh]

Over the years, I've become too familiar with vacuflush. But now I'm stuck.

My 2008 boat has a vacuflush head with the JW vacuum generator and a holding tank. Once each season the system will stop working, because the vacuum generator is filled will toilet paper. This isn't a normal clog or wad of paper, the whole chamber is full. I've become very good at removing the unit from the boat, removing two dozen screws, scooping and dumping a big pile of damp paper and then reassembling.

Other have said, use more water, and use only sealand paper, tried both no luck. Others have said just don't flush paper, I going to do that for now but it seems like a cop out.

Anyone have a clue what's wrong? My old boat never had this problem.

 

[ImpulseIII]

Your old boat was a Searay............

 

[jrcinnh]

Ha..ha..ha..I was kind of waiting for that. But a vacuflush is a vacuflush and the Four Winns board is a lot less active. So please be kind to a wayward former Searayer.

I still get the free Searay magazine, three years after I sold the Sundancer.

 

[Four Suns]

I'm not sure what design Four Winns puts in their boat...

but...

Here's a diagram of the vacuum tank on my 480DB (note poop juice on fitting):

If the duckbills are not removing the toilet paper (or other solids) from the vacuum tank, I would look at the drip tube that goes to the bottom of the tank (left side of the picture). It may have a blockage or it just may be mounted too low in the tank so the paper can't get underneath it to get sucked up. If the tube is clear, then I would raise it up from the bottom a little and see if that fixes the problem.

This is the problem when people think using a plunger can fix a toilet clog. It just "kicks the can down the road" and the item that caused blockage up by the toilet then ends up in the vacuum tank or holding tank to screw those systems up....

 

[jrcinnh]

Maybe a vacuflush is not a vacuflush. Mine looks like this drawing. The inlet duckbills are inside the vacuum tank, in a chamber under the pump. The paper builds up from the duckbill chamber all the way to the inlet. Once it get to the inlet the unit can't draw a vacuum and it's cleaning time.

 

[Southpaw II]

In this design, the first set of duckbills are at the top of the tank....when the tank nears full, the duckbill valves will pick up whatever is floating....in your case, paper. I suspect this doesn't happen unless your tank is very full.

Don

 

[Four Suns]

well... maybe it's a bad design done to save money...

;-)

 

[tbirdvet]

Over the years, I've become too familiar with vacuflush. But now I'm stuck.

My 2008 boat has a vacuflush head with the JW vacuum generator and a holding tank. Once each season the system will stop working, because the vacuum generator is filled will toilet paper. This isn't a normal clog or wad of paper, the whole chamber is full. I've become very good at removing the unit from the boat, removing two dozen screws, scooping and dumping a big pile of damp paper and then reassembling.

Other have said, use more water, and use only sealand paper, tried both no luck. Others have said just don't flush paper, I going to do that for now but it seems like a cop out.

Anyone have a clue what's wrong? My old boat never had this problem.

My new boat has the same system as yours with one set of duck bills below the pump. My tank is now 1/2 full and still OK. I hope when it is full I do not have the same issue you have (I suspect not or they would not design this way). I believe you may have some other issue but not sure what.

 

[jrcinnh]

Yes I may have another problem, but I don't know what it is. On my last boat, I had clogged duckbills, leaky bowl seal and a broken spring cartridge, so I've been all around these systems.

This problem does not immediately stop the system. I've only had to do the disassemble and clean three times, once a season. Normally I flush it sucks everything away, the pump moves it to the waste tank, it fills, I pump out, repeat dozens of times. Then one day flush and everything stays. Take apart the vacuum tank, three or four rolls of damp toilet paper. We don't flush many solids because we are steps from the clubhouse, and now I don't want to have to clean that out.

I wrote Sealand, see what they say.

 

[alnav]

You might want to follow this procedure from one of the Dometic manuals:

"Sanitation hoses should be cleared if toilet will not be needed for an extended period of time (more than two weeks).
1. Fill toilet bowl with water and add 4 oz. (120 ml) of biodegradable laundry detergent (should NOT contain bleach).
2. Flush toilet, holding pedal down for about two minutes. Close flush ball.
3. Turn off water supply to toilet.
4. Flush the toilet without water, allowing the vacuum pump to shut off after the flush. Repeat three times. (This procedure will minimize any remaining water in the sanitation hoses.)
5. Turn off power to the vacuum pump.
6. Completely pump out holding tank."

We routinely do steps 1-4 of this procedure if we are going to be absent for a while and don't necessarily pump the tank until needed; it may serve to clear out your system before it clogs up.