T&T: re Vacuflush Cyclin

[Peggie Hall]

> My new vacuflush system's vacuum pump recycles every 90 minutes, service gut
> says this meets factory specs.

Service guy is wrong...he either isn't a "certified VacuFlush tech," or 
he didn't pay much attention in class...'cuz a VacuFlush should not 
cycle between flushes at all, even for weeks.

First step: consult your owners manual...it includes every possible 
symptom, probablea causes and cure that a V/Flush can develop. That 
said, however, I suspect that you haven't been putting anywhere near 
enough water through it, resulting in a bit of waste or TP caught in a 
duckbill valve that's preventing it from closing completely...and 
therefore creating a slight air leak. If I'm right, the fix is simple: 
fill the bowl with water and flush it. Or, there may be a bit of waste 
stuck to the seal in the hole in the bowl that's preventing the dome 
from sealing it completely (you can rule that one out if the bowl holds 
water). If that doesn't cure the problem, or cleaning the hole in the 
bowl doesn't work, you have a warranty claim...call SeaLand.

However, for future reference you need to know that SeaLand's claim that 
the V/Flush can use "as little as" 1 pint of flush water is VERY 
carefully worded. If only urine is flushed...no water added to the bowl 
first, no TP either...then yes, you CAN get away with that little, at 
least for a few flushes. But if you do much of that, unless you want 
odor, at least once a day you need to run at least half a bowl of clean 
water through it to rinse out the system. It's also advisable to add at 
least half a bowl of water ahead of solids or any TP (iow, every time a 
female uses the toilet)...that's a quart or more. It's also essential to 
leave the pedal down for at least 7-10 seconds after the bowl is empty 
to rinse out the pump and duckbills--to prevent a buildup in the pump or 
bits of waste or TP from becoming stuck in a duckbill, creating one of 
those pesky air leaks that causes the pump to cycle for no reason...at 
least another quart. And if you don't want permeated hoses, it's a very 
good idea--last thing before the boat will sit (or at least once a week 
if you're living aboard)--to fill the bowl to the rim with clean water 
and flush it through to thoroughly rinse out the vacuum tank, hoses and 
pump...'cuz suction splatters waste all over 'em and the flush water 
flow isn't sufficient to completely fill the hoses. So if you're not 
using enough water to keep the system rinsed out, you're just asking for 
problems.

The other common error that many V/Flush owners make is easing the pedal 
up instead of just letting it go. It's spring loaded for a reason--to 
allow the dome to snap back into place with enough force to seat and 
seal the hold in the bowl...easing the pedal up can prevent it from 
sealing...and over time will prevent it from doing so permanently. So 
just let it go...that's how it was designed to work.

Btw...I had V/Flush toilets on my last two boats and was also a dealer 
for nearly 10 years...so I'm INTIMATELY acquainted with 'em...what keeps 
'em working trouble-free and what doesn't.



-- 
Peggie
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Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and 
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/boat_odors/