Another Vacuflush problem
Our trawler has 3 vacuflush heads. All three keep running.
Yesterday we pumped out. The heads worked fine all day after the pumpout.
Last evening all three just kept running after flushing.
The only way to stop them is to pop the breakers. The heads use a standard
vacuum generator. Each generator connects into a Y that ends with a common
hose to the holding tank.
Tonight I replaced the vent filter. No change.
I then disconnected the "guest" vacuum generator hose, and ran a plumber snake
down the hose, through both Ys. Put it all back together...No change.
Suggestions? Before i am divorced!
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Henry
Does the water stay in the bowl or drain when they keep cycling? If they do
not hold water you can start with cleaning the seal in the bowl.
Troy
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:47:40 -0400> Subject: T&T: Another Vacuflush
problem> > Our trawler has 3 vacuflush heads. All three keep running.> >
Yesterday we pumped out. The heads worked fine all day after the pumpout.>
Last evening all three just kept running after flushing.> > The only way to
stop them is to pop the breakers. The heads use a standard> vacuum generator.
Each generator connects into a Y that ends with a common> hose to the holding
tank.> > Tonight I replaced the vent filter. No change.> > I then disconnected
the "guest" vacuum generator hose, and ran a plumber snake> down the hose,
through both Ys. Put it all back together...No change.> > Suggestions? Before
i am divorced!>
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Henry Dennig hjdennig@hotmail.com writes:
Our trawler has 3 vacuflush heads. All three keep running.
Hey Henry,
The good news is that Vacuflush technology is very simple, and you can have
this tracked down in a few minutes. There are three possible causes:
First, the seal:
The best troubleshooting advice is to see whether the bowl is dry. If it's
dry, the leak is in the ball valve at the bottom of the toilet. In almost
every case where my pumps have cycled, this has been the culprit. If the bowl
still has water, the leak is downstream of the ball valve.
Notwithstanding the cleaning tool from Sealand, the best results I have had
cleaning a leaky ball valve are when I hold the ball valve open with my foot,
and then clean carefully all the way around the inside of the rubber gasket.
I just use paper towel and Sunlight. YOU DO NOT WANT A NICK IN THE SEAL!
Second, the switch:
Sometimes the pump will not start when it was supposed to, and sometimes it
would run on. After watching the tank carefully I realized that there was a
shaft which connected to the vacuum switch bellows and operated a
microswitch. The shaft has gotten a bit dirty and dusty, and was binding
against the sleeve. This is very easy to test -- just gently nudge the shaft.
Anyhow, a quick spray of WD-40 had it running perfectly.
Third, a leak somewhere else:
You may have a leak somewhere else. This is extremely unlikely, but possible.
You will know if this is the case because the pump will be cycling but there
will still be water in the bowl. You best tools are your ears. Let the vacuum
build up and then listen carefully for where the hissing sound comes from.
Finally, my own advice:
I read once long ago that vinegar was good for cleaning heads. And I used to
work in a lab and we had a oily sort of lubricant that we used for O-rings
and other rubber seals. So, I got to thinking that a nice emulsion of vinegar
and vegetable oil would be good to clean and lubricate the rubber parts in my
heads. Fortunately Kraft makes a product that contains exactly these
ingredients and best of all bottle costs about $1.29 in the salad dressing
aisle at your local supermarket. So after cleaning the ball valve I go to the
fridge, find the oldest bottle of salad dressing I have, and pour about a
cupful into the head. Work the ball valve open and closed about 10 times. So
far (5 years) the results have been perfect.
Scott Welch
FirstClass Product Manager
www.firstclass.com
Those who make no mistakes rarely make anything.
Had to resort to the pros...had the marina's "sanitation engineer" visit the
boat. He first thought we must have a clog right at the 90 going into the
holding tank. The hose prior had liquid in it. Disconnected and no clog.
So he started at the closest vacuum generator and found the duckbills held
open with hard, crystals, maybe calcium but it was dark brown. SO...he
replaced the 4 duckbills and that head is now working.
Tomorrow he is going to take the other two vacuum generators out of the boat
and clean them inside/out and replace all duckbills.
I would have never guessed that all 3 would fail on the same evening but he
thinks the pumpout loosened up some of the build-up. Seems odd and I would
not be surprised to find a clog yet but he is fast and bends like gumby!
At least i will know all duckbills will have been changed.
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Had to resort to the pros...had the marina's "sanitation engineer" visit the
boat. He first thought we must have a clog right at the 90 going into the
holding tank. The hose prior had liquid in it. Disconnected and no clog.
So he started at the closest vacuum generator and found the duckbills held
open with hard, crystals, maybe calcium but it was dark brown. SO...he
replaced the 4 duckbills and that head is now working.
Tomorrow he is going to take the other two vacuum generators out of the boat
and clean them inside/out and replace all duckbills.
I would have never guessed that all 3 would fail on the same evening but he
thinks the pumpout loosened up some of the build-up. Seems odd and I would
not be surprised to find a clog yet but he is fast and bends like gumby!
At least i will know all duckbills will have been changed.
Get more from your digital life. Find out how.
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odd that they all failed at the same time.... DBs are maintenance items,
only take a few minutes to replace. 3 to 5 years is about it usually...
I replaced these last month... believe it or not, that head was working just
fine with occasional cycling every 15 minutes... i had to remove a tampon
so when i saw what they looked like, i figured i may as well replace them...
they were at least 5 years old since i've had the boat for that long...
www.sandbarhopper.com/pg/badduck.jpg
pascal
Miami, fl
hatteras 53MY
live cell helmcam @ www.sandabarhopper.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Henry Dennig" hjdennig@hotmail.com
To: hjdennig@hotmail.com
Cc: trawlers-and-trawlering@lists.samurai.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 10:27 PM
Subject: Re: T&T: Another Vacuflush problem
Had to resort to the pros...had the marina's "sanitation engineer" visit
the
boat. He first thought we must have a clog right at the 90 going into the
holding tank. The hose prior had liquid in it. Disconnected and no clog.
So he started at the closest vacuum generator and found the duckbills held
open with hard, crystals, maybe calcium but it was dark brown. SO...he
replaced the 4 duckbills and that head is now working.
Tomorrow he is going to take the other two vacuum generators out of the
boat
and clean them inside/out and replace all duckbills.
I would have never guessed that all 3 would fail on the same evening but
he
thinks the pumpout loosened up some of the build-up. Seems odd and I
would
not be surprised to find a clog yet but he is fast and bends like gumby!
At least i will know all duckbills will have been changed.
Get more from your digital life. Find out how.
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As expected.we had not gotten to the bottom of the problem.this weekend, all
three heads again stopped working. I called the mechanic back and he
arrived Monday to replace the hose between the holding tank and the first Y
in the system. He removed about a 10' piece of hose which after it was
removed, we found that the hose had "concrete" in it, about 2 feet from one
end.
And then today, the master head seems to have a clog of it's own. The head
was working fine until someone who shall remain unnamed, used the head and
flushed too much for it to handle. The vaccum generator will run for one or
two strokes and then pop the breaker. I hope I do not need to take
everything apart.we are getting very tired of unloading the bilges.
Plunger? Drano?
The vaccum generator will run for one or
two strokes and then pop the breaker. (endsnip)
That symptom is usually a sign of a clog downstream of the pump. (so, this
is not really a "Vacuflush" problem, but a plumbing problem). I've had the
same problem a couple of times before I redid the hose plumbing and got rid
of the sharp corners.
Brent Hodges
It's 80 degrees at 10:30pm and a holiday weekend is coming - so the air
conditioner pump died!. Last night we awoke to the A/C units displaying
"HPF". The pump is a Cal Marine MS1200-BB and it supplies water to two
16,000btu and one 12,000btu air conditioning units. Since I found two dead
Cal Marine pumps onboard, I am wondering if I should find another pump -
perhaps a March AC-5A-MD or ???
Recommendations?
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You want a large March or Oberdorfer pump. If you are going to have to get
it by Friday, you can either get it from Defender, DEPCO, or a local vendor.
You're A/C manufacturer can recommend the appropriate size and horsepower
pump. If you have access, Grainger carries these pumps,
Ron Rogers
-----Original Message-----
From: Henry Dennig
It's 80 degrees at 10:30pm and a holiday weekend is coming - so the air
conditioner pump died!. Last night we awoke to the A/C units displaying
"HPF". The pump is a Cal Marine MS1200-BB and it supplies water to two
16,000btu and one 12,000btu air conditioning units. Since I found two dead
Cal Marine pumps onboard, I am wondering if I should find another pump -
perhaps a March AC-5A-MD or ???
Recommendations?