vacuflush questions.....

CliffA said:
thanks Mike....i did not think to check Tractor Supply....i did buy buy a plastic one off the internet....it has a cover for the 'business end' of the adapter when not in use ...

is there any advantage to using the adapter even when the marina pump out hose does not have a clamp?....would the pump out hose make a better connection with the rubber adapter vs. the stainless steel fitting on the boat?

cliff
Click to expand...

The only advantage to using the fittings is not having to hold the hose. The only marina I found on the lake that uses the fitting is Westport. I'd really rather not use the fitting. It's more trouble than its worth really.
 
CliffA said:
good point about the distance from the vacuum generator to the head affecting the cycle time...once i do the repairs/maintenance maybe this cycle time will come down but maybe not....i really don't care if the cycle time is 30 seconds or not as long as the vacuum and water in the bowl holds between flushes....if we leave the boat and turn off the breakers to the head system and return a day or so later the vacuum has to rebuild when we turn on the breaker and there will not be any water in the bowl....both the fresh water pump and the vacuum generator pump have to run until things are pressurized...hopefully i can get the toilet system and the HWH changed out before warm weather returns....i don't mind the work and expected to find stuff like this on a 14 yr. old boat....i do like the confidence in knowing as much as possible about all the systems on the boat and that is usually best gained by 'rolling up the sleeves' and digging into issues as they arise....

cliff
Click to expand...
I have two heads. Just timed them. Stateroom head takes 42 seconds after flushing to pressurize. Companionway head takes 31 seconds. Also, the toilet ball makes an obvious popping sound when you break the seal when flushing. That sound tells me all is good.
 
To close this thread, I think I have my VacuFlush system in good order now....I had the holding tank pumped out and flushed 3 times a couple weeks ago....I installed a new filter in the holding tank vent line...I removed the vacuum generator assembly and the wooden mounting board between the vacuum assembly and the hot water heater.....then I replaced the 4 duck bill valves in the vacuum generator after I cleaned things up....then I reinstalled the vacuum assembly directly on top of the HWH....I did not use the wooden mounting board between the HWH and the vacuum assembly because when I replaced the HWH last week I raised the new HWH off the floor 1" by putting a couple pieces of 1" aluminum square tubing under the HWH....this will allow any water to drain away or dry up from under the HWH and not corrode the bottom of the heater....with the raised height of the HWH there was not enough head room to use the wooden mounting board between the HWH and the vacuum assembly.....I insured there was water in the toilet bowl and turned on the breaker for the head system and the fresh water pump....it took a while for the vacuum to build up and shut the vacuum generator down....I flushed the toilet a few times after that to test the system.....the vacuum generator would run for a minute or more between the first few flushes but eventually the cycle time for the vacuum generator came down to around 30 seconds or so between flushes..I let the system sit for over an hour while observing things...the water stayed in the bowl and the vacuum generator did not cycle on its on....I also noticed the fresh water pump is not cycling on its on any longer....so either the work on the VacuFlush system or the replacement of the HWH seems to have fixed that problem.....the old duck bill valves were in pretty bad shape....a couple of them were deformed pretty badly...I don't see how they were holding vacuum at all....right now I am not going to replace the bowl seal and the flush ball in the head.....I will keep watch on things and if the water does not stay in the bowl for a prolong period of time i will replace the seal and flush ball....I also noticed the level indicator for the holding tank seems to be working again after the pump out and flushing of the tank....the level indicator now shows 'empty' where before the level was not shown at all...

Thanks to to all that contributed to the thread....the Admiral is happy again to have hot water and a working toilet...:smt038....

Cliff
 
Good deal Cliff, sounds like you should be in pretty good shape on the plumbing side of things. I figured flushing the tank out would get the level indicator working again. I know this is a "load" off your mind!
 
Hello, My macerator T12 pump appears to be going out. It's making noises and causing the voltmeter to pulse. It comes on whenever we flush the toilet. we are on a lake in Texas and cannot discharge overboard. We have a separate suction S12 pump. My question is--can I just disconnect the electrical wires to the T12 pump without causing any problems? Thanks! Scott
 
ScottBarron said:
Hello, My macerator T12 pump appears to be going out. It's making noises and causing the voltmeter to pulse. It comes on whenever we flush the toilet. we are on a lake in Texas and cannot discharge overboard. We have a separate suction S12 pump. My question is--can I just disconnect the electrical wires to the T12 pump without causing any problems? Thanks! Scott
Click to expand...

Should have really started a new thread for a new problem but, anyway.....

Your T12 discharge pump has no auto function and should not be running unless it's turned on. While turned on, it will run continuously. On mine you have to hold the spring loaded switch to on (but, I don't pump blackwater overboard in my area).

Sounds to me like your S series vac pump is laboring, usually due to a build up of crud and T-P that gets all around the bellows.
Its time to remove the bellows and clean everything out....it's an easy but, stinky job.
You'll want to replace the (4) duckbills now too because you already there.

I've had this exact problem with my system and convinced me to only use the correct marine T-P. After cleaning out the vac pump the volt meter will still bounce a little but, not much and he pump was much quieter.

To answer your question ... Yes, disconnecting your overboard pump will have no affect on the rest of the system but, shouldn't be necessary.
 
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ScottBarron said:
Hello, My macerator T12 pump appears to be going out. It's making noises and causing the voltmeter to pulse. It comes on whenever we flush the toilet. we are on a lake in Texas and cannot discharge overboard. We have a separate suction S12 pump. My question is--can I just disconnect the electrical wires to the T12 pump without causing any problems? Thanks! Scott
Click to expand...

Scott,
most likely what you are hearing is the vacuum pump cycling to create a vacuum in the system for the next flush....while the vacuum pump is cycling you will see the volt meter pulsating.....the pump should run anywhere fom 30 seconds to a minute to create a vacuum in the system after a flush then shut down and the volt meter will stop pulsating....

as long as the breaker in the electrical control panel for the macerator is 'Off' the macerator pump should not get activated....

cliff
 
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