VacuFlush help.....desperately neeeded

Rivertender

Member
Nov 7, 2006
123
Tampa Bay
Boat Info
370 aft cabin S Ray 1997
Engines
Twin 454
Inboard
When VFlush works...they are great.

I have one of the 2 in my boat that is, however, making me crazy:

VacuFlush VG 112 - the system with its own vacuum storage tank

Symptoms over the last 8 or so weeks:

= after flushing it would slowly leak off vacuum so that it came on and quickly pumped up enough to shut it off. Every 4 hours or so.

= New duck bills. NO change.

= 4 hours reduced to maybe every 2 hours

= Got so bad that it just came on and would pump until it literally stalled and threw the switch in the panel

= Replaced bellows. Cramped location only allowed me to get 3 of the 4 bolts holding the motor in place secured. Was rock solid nevertheless.

= Here's the weird part...............it got fixed! The new bellows fixed it!

= 8 days later.......it starts leaking vacuum again. Just like originally.....once every 3 or 4 hours it would come on.
How crazy is that? It was working just fine and then slid into this failure mode.

= 2 days ago......will hold vacuum for only 30 mins or so

= We resort to turning the unit on and off at the fuse panel to use the malfunctioning forward head

= Today...it pumps a bunch and doesn't seem to want to shut off at all

I would replace the vacuum limiter switch in a heartbeat if I was sure it was the problem. Hate buying it at VacuFush overpricing retail and then discovering it isn't the problem.

The hose from the commode to the pump haunts me. It is a potential leak spot. Replacing is a bear on both ends due to cramped quarters. Would do it........if I was sure it would make a difference. Having the unit work properly for 8 days suggests the hose it OK....yes?

I am so stumped.

Appreciate any thoughts.
 
The bowl seal may be the issue. Does the water get sucked out of the bowl as well? If so its most definitely the bowl seal.

The other test you can do is go to your local big box home center and get a 1.5" test plug (or whatever size your waste pipes are) and disconnect the waste hose from the bowl, insert plug and see if that holds. If not there is a leak downstream from bowl.
 
Does the bowl hold water? If it doesn't then the bowl seal is leaking and with it the vacuum. If it does then maybe the seal at the base of the toilet has failed. If vacuum builds up and the pump shuts off then the problem is not the switch.
 
The bowl seal may be the issue. Does the water get sucked out of the bowl as well? If so its most definitely the bowl seal.

The other test you can do is go to your local big box home center and get a 1.5" test plug (or whatever size your waste pipes are) and disconnect the waste hose from the bowl, insert plug and see if that holds. If not there is a leak downstream from bowl.
It's also a good idea to do the plug test right at the Vacuflush unit. Take the inlet hose to the unit off, plug the inlet, then turn the pump on. If that holds and the base held then the leak is in the hose.
 
Just got mine repaired recently. Had the same view of replacing the hose as you. Took the toilet apart and took the base off the hose and put the test plug one the hose. It then held the vacuum so the leak had to be in the toilet base itself. Ordered a new base, installed it and no more problems. Do a search on "vacuflush" and you will see my original post that references a youtube video that is very helpful and a source for the part and help.
 
I would start with a flush ball repair kit that includes the flush ball shaft. The shaft has two rubber seals that are quite possibly the source of a leak. Sounds like you have addressed most other causes except the hose. This solved my issue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I would start with a flush ball repair kit that includes the flush ball shaft. The shaft has two rubber seals that are quite possibly the source of a leak. Sounds like you have addressed most other causes except the hose. This solved my issue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE

Flush ball repair kit fixed mine too after changing duckbills and bowl seal to no avail.
 
I could literally talk about this for hours. I have worked on my 4 times, soon to be 5. The short version is you have to find the leak using a plug and then buy the replacement parts. Frankly if I had to do it all over again I would have bought the duckbills, bellows, o rings, diptube, inlet elbow and done it all the first time. Personally, mine is the vacuum tank so I will be replacing that next weekend.


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Water in the bowl does hold. Not even a faint ripple to suggest a leak.

Not a bad idea on the plug. thanks
 
Water holds.

Uncertain as to where the seal at the base is...but I ll look for it.

Good thought on the limiter switch.....thanks
 
Encouraging. Would the water level remain stable if the flush ball shaft is faulty?
 
The plug is common to lots of your replies.
Thanks for the great idea of using the plug to isolate the leak area. I never heard of a test plug, so I am moving forward with that info.

I have an older 360 aft cabin in NJ and it has the separate vacuum tank also.
 
Yes, I went through this last season. The fix ended up being 2 25 cent o-rings from the home depot. Simplest way to confirm this is to turn off all the noise makers on the boat and get your ear close to the base of the bowl. You should hear a slight hiss as the vacuum slowly bleeds down.
Encouraging. Would the water level remain stable if the flush ball shaft is faulty?
 
I agree with the hiss method. I purchased a bottle of leak detector in the plumbing aisle at Home Depot for 4 bucks. It bubbles when you put it on the leak, this is how I found the tank leak in mine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Check that the vacuum generator tank is not full of items that should never be flushed. I am the second owner of my boat and found that female products had been flushed several times. When they expand they cause the bellows to create a small vacuum on the waste pipe but not in the tank where the vacuum switches is located. The toilet will still flush for a period of time but the tank will slowly fill with solids as the bellows also pumps everything in to the holding tank.
Good luck this is a s**tty job.
 
Had this simular issue. Check the rubber ring the in pipe goes into the tank. My tank developed a slight dimple on the top of the tank so the rubber ring would not seat. So I 4200 the ring to the tank and not one leak since.
 
Similar issue in the past. Non hardening Permatex gasket maker on bowl gasket solved the problem. I insist on guys sitting on the toilet to go wee week. Unless they wish to clean the splatter. Big boys can move the toilet when under way......
 
My skilled airline mechanic friend did himself and told me to do the same exact thing.......get the boat quiet, pump up vacuum as best you can, and go down to the pump area and listen. He saidche justvkept snugging stuff up until he found the leak.
 

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