Clogged Head Vacuflush

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Newbie509

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30359
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I have a serious clog somewhere that is preventing the vacuum from flushing. I took the toilet off to gain access to the main hose. I tried sucking it out with a shop vac but no luck. I tried boiling hot water before taking off the the toilet but luck. The holding tank was pumped out with no problem so I think it is in the hose that leads to the vacuum bottle. I am leery about snaking the hose. Any suggestions?
 
Duckbill valves will ( attempt to ) prevent anything from "backing up" so sucking out the line from the head end would be difficult, at best ( and if successful, might damage those valves ). Waste motion should be in head --> holding tank only.

No suggestions ( other than replacing the hose ). But I am no vacuflush expert. Wait for further responses.
 
Does the system build up vacuum but just not flush?

Or does it never build up vacuum and the pump just runs and runs?
 
Its an old system where I have to pull a switch on the wall to activate the pump. I give it a minute of pumping, then stop the pump and flush. The pump runs but there is no vacuum (whoosh) to vacate the waste or water in the toilet.
 
Never recall seeing one where you had to pull a switch to get the system to run.

Did the pump normally run till it built vacuum then shut itself off?

Or did you always switch it on then switch it off after you let it build up vacuum?

Is there any way to tell if the pump has built vacuum?

There is no vacuum switch to shut the pump off on the vacuum tank?

If you can't tell if it's building vacuum it's hard to say whether it's clogged or the duck bills are bad.
If you have never replaced the duck bills and you have had the system for a long time I'd start there.
 
it's possible that the vacuum switch failed at some point and someone installed a manual switch... i've never heard of one without the vac switch either.

there was no need to take the head out, once "Stuff" passes thru the venturi (narrower opening) at the bottom of the head, it's already reduced enough to go thru the hose. on a VF it is the venturi action that breaks down solids. after that, the only possible spot where you can get something clogged is at the duckbills on the pump inlet. that's easy to check, pull the hose (use a pan or rags to catch spillage), undo the fitting and pull/clear the two duckbills. if they're more than 3 or 4 years old, it's worth replacing them while you're in there since they're cheap. there are 2 more on the outlet side.

obviously that's assuming the pump is running. one other thing to check before pulling the DB is that the cam on the motor/gear shaft didnt' get loose (set screw). when that happens the motor turns the the bellow doens't move.. rare and pretty obvious since the sound is different.

a snake is of no use since the hose itself cant' clog, unless it is VERY old and full of mineral deposit.
 
Where are the Duck Bills? Are they in the vacuum tank? Sorry for the dumb question but I am new to boating and marine sanitation. I have the feeling I'm about to get an education in marine sanitation. I think the whole system is jury rigged since the original sanitation system came with TDX treatment and hold/discharge. There is no mascerator or discharge seacock that I am aware of. There is a DC breaker on the dash to power the treatment/discharge operation. The pump for the vac is on next to the holding tank.
 
i dont' think they made the all in one vac pump/vac tank back then. you probably have a cylindrical vac tank between the head and the pump. teh duckbills are rubber valves shaped like a duckbill. you have 2 on the pump inlet and 2 on the pump outlet. unclamp the hose on each side of the pump, pull them off, then unscrew the fittings and pull the DBs.

one the newer "vacuuum generators" you have a rectangular vac tank with the pump mounted on top of the tank.

go to the sealand website, they have diagrams of the systems and of the pumps and DBs
 
Imagine that, yet another problem with Vacuflush. I would not have one.
 
Thanks Jim, what a great contribution to the thread, really helps me figure out whats going on.
 
I have a simular problem Head won't flush
I turn on the hEad Systme on my breaker panel, I can hear my pump running and see that the amp draw increase as it pumps then it trips the breaker but No Vacum.

Any Ideas?
 
The "breaker tripping" started last season.
The head worked fine but the pump would run, shut off, then run, shut off, run... until the amp draw increased then trips.
I took the pump out over the winter and replaced all of the duck bills, seals and ran the put on 12V and the motor ran without any problems so I do not think the motor is bad.

I reinstalled it this spring but it did the same thing so I would just shut off the system at the panel when not in use. Now No vacum at all... and the breaker trips within 5 or 6 cycles.
 
Newbie: Dont worry, when used and maintained properly they are great systems. here is a link to an explanation how they work.
http://www.sealandtechnology.com/vfdemo.asp
After that look for the assembly drawings on the same web site and you will see where the duck bills etc are located. Lot of help here but they aren’t difficult to repair .
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sweetness

The "breaker tripping" started last season.
The head worked fine but the pump would run, shut off, then run, shut off, run... until the amp draw increased then trips.
I took the pump out over the winter and replaced all of the duck bills, seals and ran the put on 12V and the motor ran without any problems so I do not think the motor is bad.

I reinstalled it this spring but it did the same thing so I would just shut off the system at the panel when not in use. Now No vacum at all... and the breaker trips within 5 or 6 cycles.

Click to expand...


You might have a weak breaker.

Did you just run the pump with no load on it?

With out trying to pull a vacuum it is not working very hard so that does not tell you if the motor is bad.

As to the lack of vacuum, if the pump runs and shuts off, then repeats that, you have a vacuum leak somewhere.

Do you have standing water in the bowl? Or does the water disappear over time?

You can use shaving cream to find leaks at hose/pipe joints and such if you can get the system to pull a vacuum.
 
Capt. Bill1 - When I tested the motor over the winter it was with no load.

I removed the entire Pump/Vacum tank last night & am getting ready to get my hands dirty (no pun intended)...

Can I just plug the input side of the system and them run it with 12V to simulate the operation.
Will create it create vacum?
Then remove the pug to simulate a flush?
 
All I'll say is count the number of VacuFlush help threads under Marine Sanitation.
Vic what routine maintenance is needed on the Marine Elegance?
The VacuFlush worked fine for me but if you have a better half that has lets just say a medical condition you just might have problems.
This thread reminds me of the age old debate AGM vs. the Wet Cell battery.
To me VacuFlush like wet cell battery had their hayday, now move on to nexer technology or stay in the past.
George, CalTexFla or Pascal how many times have you had to clear clogs with your VF's?
In 2 years I only had a minor noise issue which turned out to be a guest flushing a "white mouse" which cleared itself after 6 flushes.
Bill
 
Bill, the only routine maintenance that I know of at the present time, is to change out the joker valves (it has two) every few years. Beyond that, I really don't know of anything. It hasn't been on the market long enough for any problem areas to show up, and indicate any possible trends. (The Marine "Elegance" came out in October, 2008, not quite 2 years ago. We had been doing field testing on them for two years before that - so we have roughly 4 years of the product being in use, with no consistent failures of any kind.)

For the pressurized fresh water models, we are using a solenoid valve from a different company than we've been using through the years, so I haven't had any feedback on what their failure rate is. In fact, I'm not aware of any of them having failed as of yet. It probably wouldn't hurt to keep a spare on on hand as they aren't all that expensive, part # 221351 for 12 volt, factory price $24.00 - BoatFix price probably a little less.

For the raw water versions, the intake pump is remotely-mounted, and the diaphragm and internal wear parts of the pump should be replaced at about 5 year intervals. (Repair kit # DIAPUMPRK) The pumps are pretty much bulletproof, albeit a little noisy, and we haven't had any problems with them at all. The same raw water pump is also used for the SeaEra, Crown Head II, and Atlantes toilets, that flush with raw water.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sweetness

Capt. Bill1 - When I tested the motor over the winter it was with no load.

I removed the entire Pump/Vacum tank last night & am getting ready to get my hands dirty (no pun intended)...

Can I just plug the input side of the system and them run it with 12V to simulate the operation.
Will create it create vacum?
Then remove the pug to simulate a flush?

Click to expand...


You should be able to.

You could make a simple valve setup with a PVC ball valve, some hose fittings and a piece of hose to fit over the incoming pump fitting. You could then open and close the valve simulating the head flushing.

I'd replace the duck bills before testing the unit.

You need to hook the power up to the pump through the proper size fuse or breaker. If it pops that fuse or breaker as it is trying to build vacuum, I'd say something is wrong with the motor.
 
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