vacuflush pump interval time

vic33004

Active member
Joined
Jul 10, 2007
RO Number
27361
Messages
1,552
i've got a pair of vacuflush systems on board. one is about 12 feet from the pump and the other is about 25 feet away. in a normally operating system, what is the range of intervals you would expect to see on the vacuum pump cycle. naturally it would be perfect if it only cycled when the toilet is flushed but it never works out that way.
 
normally they dont' cycle and hold vacuum, I've had many that never cycle... If they cycle more than once every 30' I start looking into it...
 
how do you find a vaccuum leak if its not the duck bills and you cant hear it leaking?
 
vic33004

I have an 06 4460 and my foward head cycles about once an hour. I've been told it is due the distance from the pump. The supposedly collapses a little and then returns to normal shape thus triggering the pump to cycle again. Maybe someone with more knowledge will know if that could be the case.
 
i dont buy the collapsing hose theory...

yes, if the leak is severe enough to cause frequent cycling, you can hear it if you shut down everything on the boat like air cons, etc... check the bottom of the head first. some have a soft seal which can be damaged by over tightening. next listen around the pump and vac tank.

if the cycling is like every hour or more, it may be too small a leak to hear it.
 
i can't hear a leak. it is the forward head that cycles. there are no breaks in either of the two lines to the vaccuum pumps. in the past i've changed out the duck bills when the cycling was down to every 5-10 mins and it is now more like every 15-30 mins on the forward unit. the aft unit is much longer between cycles.
 
I recently changed the duck bills, toilet ball and seal and ball shaft cartridge on my 2 systems and they still cycle once in 7-8 hours.

I still can't find an answer as to how tight all the fittings for the duck bills should be perhaps if too tight they twist some and leak slightly. I did use dish detergent as a lube as Pascal had suggested on another thread but mine still cycles the same. I've tried different tightness on all fittings and clamps to no avail. I am considering giving up and putting it in sleep mode while I sleep, but I tend to obsess if I can't get things as they should be.

My thought is that if the complete system is sealed, toilet to vacuum generator, the pump should not cycle.

My latest thought is that perhaps the hose itself is slightly porous which would explain both odor permiation down stream to the holding tank and vacuum leak on the suction side. Fortunatly most of my system is rigid PVC with minimal odorsafe hose. Hose change out may be one of next years projects.

All that thought hurts, I need a nap now.....
 
Mine go hours between cycling if at all and I have runs that are a good 12 foot or more. When I hear cycling, its usually the ball seals in mine (which need replacing). Usually find the head without water or the water level dropping.
 
the ball seals on both heads are good as they are not draining water. the hoses themselves are not worn out as they pass the permeation test. my guess is the leak(s) are very small and likely the duck bills themselves. i'll try some vinigar overnight to see if that helps with any build up on the valves as they are a couple seasons old now.
 
the vinigar did not really make much difference. but it did put a death nail in one of the head's bowl seal........lol. my guess is the salt build up was all that were holding it together. when i was at the boat show i spoke with a fellow from raritan and he suggested that i replace the seals at the inlet side of the vacuum generator. which i did along with the now bad seal on the bowl. so far its fixed the problem and was very easy to do.
 
I have two on my boat... 14 year old... never cycle... Unless there is some paper stuck in the bowl.
 
No cycling with mine but I only had it 1.5 seasons. It was new and never used when I purchased the kit which included all the components. I had the all in one pump and vacuum tank. Well if we left the boat for a week it would cycle for about 20-30 seconds when the power for the system was 1st turned on.
Bill
 
quote:

Originally posted by vic33004

how do you find a vaccuum leak if its not the duck bills and you cant hear it leaking?






Use shaving cream. Put it on any fitting you suspect is leaking and see if it gets sucked in.
 
Sealand also sells a purpose-built vacuum gauge that is very helpful pinning down where leaks are. Sells for about 70 bucks.

George
Hatteras 56MY (3 VacuFlush systems)
Boston Whaler 130 Sport (now about that NDZ thread...)
 
Good idea George I had one around here someplece when I had the VacuFlush.
Bill
 
Back
Top