VacuFlush doesn't start pump immediately after I flush.

[jboats]

My Vacu-flush doesn't start pump immediately after I flush. It can take over an hour sometimes before the pump kicks in after a flush. If I flush it again after the pump finally runs and builds pressure, the pump will start immediately as it should, but if there is time between the pump running and the next flush it takes hours for the pump to run again.

Any ideas why this is happening?

[sabray]

There is a sensor for the vacuum pressure. Sounds like yours is shot , hanging in the closed position or way out of adjustment.

[peghall]

If, when the pump does run, it creates plenty of vacuum and only runs about 45-60 seconds, I'm inclined to agree with sabray: faulty vacuum switch on the vacuum tank. The other possibilities are a loose or broken wire, or a faulty electrical connection...or problem in the motor.

However, the vacuum switch is a PRICY part! So before spending money that may not solve your problem, I suggest you have a chat with SeaLand tech support: 800-321-9886

[sabray]

I like the wire fault or loose wire idea that peg suggests. My install has a switch in the head as well as a breaker on the panel. Could be if you have a switch that there is a intermittent short there/ switch failure.

[peghall]

It's really helpful to have the owners manual, 'cuz it includes just about every symptom, probable causes and cures that a VFlush toilet can develop. And the VFlush has changed so little since it was first introduced by Mansfield in the late '70s, that the same troubleshooting guide works equally well for any model year. So I'd just tell people to download the manual from the SeaLand site. But when I went to the online versiona couple of weeks ago, it seems that Dometic has decided that owners don't need that much information any more and has really truncated it.

However, I have an old hard copy and I've scanned the trouble-shooting guide...I'll be glad to email it to anyone who needs it.

[jboats]

Thanks Peg, I'll PM you with my email. I downloaded the manual and found some troubleshooting ideas but not much about the sensor switch and the diagrams didn't include it. When it does run it achieves vacuum in under 60 seconds so I think the pump is strong. I just want to confirm the switch is the problem before ordering parts. I'm also going to try your shaving cream test for the aft head because I have the opposite problem with that one. boats....

Great Forum, thanks for the ideas people!

Originally Posted by peghall

It's really helpful to have the owners manual, 'cuz it includes just about every symptom, probable causes and cures that a VFlush toilet can develop. And the VFlush has changed so little since it was first introduced by Mansfield in the late '70s, that the same troubleshooting guide works equally well for any model year. So I'd just tell people to download the manual from the SeaLand site. But when I went to the online versiona couple of weeks ago, it seems that Dometic has decided that owners don't need that much information any more and has really truncated it.

However, I have an old hard copy and I've scanned the trouble-shooting guide...I'll be glad to email it to anyone who needs it.

[jboats]

Turned out there was a kink in the inflow hose. I put an elbow in it and that solved the delayed pump problem. Now it got a slow leak and pumps to frequently like the aft head. I'll order some service kits, but that's not a job I want to tackle right away especially after wrestling with it today. Probably a good idea to be in the habit of switching the head off after use anyway....

Thanks for the advice!

[peghall]

You don't need any service kits....all you need are 8 duckbill valves...at least to start with. If changing 'em doesn't solve the problem, we find out where the air leak is and seal it.

[SV Demeter]

I have a vacuflush that seems to not hold its vacuum but I have not been able to source a leak. I replaced the duckbills and have checked all the hose clamps. Im wondering if it is just because of the length of the run from the head to the pump? The head in question is my fwd head. Both fwd and aft heads share a single holding tank but have their own pumps and the hose run from the fwd head is quite long. I have checked the ball seal in the bowl and dont this its leaking too. The aft head will hold vacuum for weeks unattended but the fwd one only for a few hours. I turn it off at night to avoid hearing the nuisance of the pump. Its not a really big deal to me I jsut figured the duckbills would do the trick. Like I said the run from the fwd head to the pump is long maybe 20' or more. The run from the aft head to its pump is maybe 8' at best.

[peghall]

The overly long run is causing your system to lose vacuum. However, SeaLand will tell you that a VacuFlush shouldn't cycle between flushes more frequently than every 3 hours...so if the forward head is holding vacuum at least that long, according to them you don't have a problem. And actually you don't have one that can be cure by anything except a shorter plumbing run.

[SV Demeter]

That's what I figured. I definitely not putting another holding tank in and I can live with the fwd head cycling the way it does. It's probably 3+ hours so other than the long run of hose nothing's wrong. I have considered converting the fwd head to storage or just a shower anyway. 2 heads on a 43' boat seems silly anyway. Thanks Peg

[peghall]

2 heads on a 43' boat seems silly anyway.

Not really... Over the age of 30, it's no longer about how many a boat can sleep (allegedly), but how many people have to share the same bathroom. IMO, that number is 2.

I'd install a Type I treatment device instead of a tank on the most used toilet...keep a tank on the other one to use only when you have to...'Cuz except for a couple of misguided marinas who've bought into the propaganda that holding waste in a tank is "doing the right thing," there's only one small NDZ (Herring Bay) on the whole Bay...the discharge of treated waste from a USCG certified Type I or II is legal everywhere else...and the discharge from a PuraSan or ElectraScan is cleaner than the water in the bay!