Vacuflush leaking with weight

stevemitchell · May 26, 2019

This is a new one to me and I can’t figure it out. I have one vacuflush head that when a, ahem, larger individual sits on it, it leaks from somewhere and gets all over the head floor.

I can’t tell where it is coming from but wonder if it is some obvious issue that others have had. I’ve not had a lot of experience with vacuflush although the units I have are in really good condition.

It is hard to reproduce this but it has happened 5 times which is 5 too many.

GFC · May 26, 2019

I'd try putting some dark color dye in the bowl then have the larger individual sit on it. Have someone watch to see where the dye shows up.

menzies · May 26, 2019

Take the plastic cover off the toilet stem. You will see a large stainless clamp around the middle of the toilet. That has come loose. Tighten up the clamp screw that is on the clamp at the back of the toilet - REALLY tight, probably using a drill screw bit.

That should solve your issue.

O C Diver · May 26, 2019

Before you go crazy tightening the clamp, buy a new gasket. The gasket set alone is $37. If you're buying a service kit either for the throne or the vacuum pump, the price is significantly cheaper compared to the individual parts.

Ted

hollywood8118 · May 26, 2019

stevemitchell said:
View attachment 89224

This is a new one to me and I can’t figure it out. I have one vacuflush head that when a, ahem, larger individual sits on it, it leaks from somewhere and gets all over the head floor.

I can’t tell where it is coming from but wonder if it is some obvious issue that others have had. I’ve not had a lot of experience with vacuflush although the units I have are in really good condition.

It is hard to reproduce this but it has happened 5 times which is 5 too many.

Are you sure it's the head that is leaking and not the aforementioned person of larger stature??
HOLLYWOOD

stevemitchell · May 28, 2019

hollywood8118 said:
Are you sure it's the head that is leaking and not the aforementioned person of larger stature??
HOLLYWOOD

There have been multiple people, including myself. I am not a small person, and I am most definitely not leaking!

stevemitchell · May 28, 2019

menzies said:
Take the plastic cover off the toilet stem. You will see a large stainless clamp around the middle of the toilet. That has come loose. Tighten up the clamp screw that is on the clamp at the back of the toilet - REALLY tight, probably using a drill screw bit.

That should solve your issue.

Aha, I hadn't even started taking things apart. I will see if that is the case.

O C Diver said:
Before you go crazy tightening the clamp, buy a new gasket. The gasket set alone is $37. If you're buying a service kit either for the throne or the vacuum pump, the price is significantly cheaper compared to the individual parts.

Ted

This is one of the things on my list. The PO left no spares at all for the Vacuflush system, and I feel like I would want some

It was installed only a couple of years ago and is in excellent condition, but I always, always want spares. If you have a suggested list/kit that would be wonderful to know. I have this on my list to order before big trips in June/July/August.

GFC said:
I'd try putting some dark color dye in the bowl then have the larger individual sit on it. Have someone watch to see where the dye shows up.

Good idea if the above does not work!

Comodave · May 28, 2019

Make sure to fill your wallet before you go shopping for Vacuflush parts. I have heard they don’t come cheap.

syjos · May 28, 2019

You need to carry spare Vacu Flush (or any other toilet) parts on board, if you want a trouble free summer. Toilet parts in non metro areas can get very expensive or not available and a non functioning toilet can ruin a summer trip.

Learn to do preventive maintenance at home in the comfort of your home slip. That way when a toilet malfunctions, while cruising, you will be able to assess the problem and fix it yourself. As a matter of routine maintenance, I rebuild the Vacu-Flush toilet every 5 years and the Vacuume Generator every 10 years for a trouble free summer. We have 1 toilet only.

The boat next to us at Port Sidney had a malfunctioning Vacu-flush last summer. It cost him $775 Canadian to have a tech replace 4 duck bill's! It's at the most an 1 hour job and 4 duck bills are less than $75. They charged him $265 for the duck Bill's and the rest labor!

If you are near Seattle, Sonia at Marine Sanitation can put together a spares kit. She is very knowledgeable.

Vacu Flush spare parts:

Duck Bill's- 4

Bowl seal set - 1

Base seal - 1

Water valve - 1

Anti siphon valve - 1

Vacuume generator bellows kit - 1

Vacuume generator pressure switch - 1

Spare pump motor.

The further you go north (in the PNW) the more spares you need. If you have two toilets then less spares are needed.

And carry some Uncloric Acid (available at Marine Sanitation). It can dissolve calcium and other deposits in your sanitation system that may be preventing the duck Bill's from closing tight. It's also something I run through my system periodically to keep everything clean and running smooth. It dissolves everything organic without harming metal or rubber parts.

Full disclosure; I am a Sealand/Dometic dealer.

stevemitchell · May 28, 2019

syjos said:
You need to carry spare Vacu Flush (or any other toilet) parts on board, if you want a trouble free summer. Toilet parts in non metro areas can get very expensive or not available and a non functioning toilet can ruin a summer trip.

Thanks for the parts list. I do all of my own maintenance, which is why I am looking for a list/parts/details and wanted a list to purchase before any longer trips. That list will be perfect, and I will contact Marine Sanitation. Thanks!

The system was serviced right before I purchased the boat about 6 months ago, and it has run flawlessly except for this leak. I have two heads/units and two sets of pumps and everything else, so I have a bit of redundancy built in, but I want both working perfectly when I depart in June.

sunchaser · May 28, 2019

Sylos
I just talked with Marine sanitation. They are the real deal and have a very helpful webste. I'll get one of their recommended kits, without motor. Thanks for the heads up.

syjos · May 28, 2019

I just talked to Sonia at Marine sanitation. She does not want you to call her directly. She said maintenance kits are available on their web site. Prices are web prices and does not include talking to them.

I have these kits and individual parts. PM me.

sunchaser · May 28, 2019

syjos said:
I just talked to Sonia at Marine sanitation. She does not want you to call her directly. She said maintenance kits are available on their web site. Prices are web prices and does not include talking to them.

I have these kits and individual parts. PM me.[/QUOTE

So why did you say call her then? Doesn't matter, I talked with another. A friendly voice helps guide one along. Especially when identification of unit is in doubt. I want to be sure parts are at store for pickup.

Simi 60 · May 28, 2019

GFC said:
I'd try putting some dark color dye in the bowl then have the larger individual sit on it. Have someone watch to see where the dye shows up.

From the op's description I'm guessing the effluent coloured water would do the same job.

syjos · May 28, 2019

sunchaser said:
syjos said:

I just talked to Sonia at Marine sanitation. She does not want you to call her directly. She said maintenance kits are available on their web site. Prices are web prices and does not include talking to them.

I have these kits and individual parts. PM me.[/QUOTE

So why did you say call her then? Doesn't matter, I talked with another. A friendly voice helps guide one along. Especially when identification of unit is in doubt. I want to be sure parts are at store for pickup.

Click to expand...

Sonia at Marine San. said she received too many phone calls today. She is the manager and prefers her employees to handle the routine calls. She gets involved if her people are unable to solve your problem.

stevemitchell · May 28, 2019

Hmm ok well I will not call her then

I agree on this stuff it is a lot easier to talk to someone to ensure you’re getting the right parts. Their website has decent info but it doesn’t show enough detail for me to be confident I have the right parts when I’m arm-deep in crap in the middle of nowhere

syjos · May 28, 2019

stevemitchell said:
Hmm ok well I will not call her then

I agree on this stuff it is a lot easier to talk to someone to ensure you’re getting the right parts. Their website has decent info but it doesn’t show enough detail for me to be confident I have the right parts when I’m arm-deep in crap in the middle of nowhere

You can call Marine Sanitation any time. Just don't ask for anyone specific and talk to the person that answers. Asking for Sonia apparantly cause a bottleneck of holds and delays.

Everyone at Marine Sanitation is equally qualified to answer your questions. Sonia has worked there the longest and is the go to person if you have a question that the others can not answer.

That's why you order the toilet parts in the comfort of your home, refurbish the toilet in your slip and have a carefree summer cruise.

I will try to answer any Sealand - Dometic - Vacu-flush toilet questions on the forum, when I see one.

All other brands, I defer to Peggy.
All other

O C Diver · May 28, 2019

stevemitchell said:
This is one of the things on my list. The PO left no spares at all for the Vacuflush system, and I feel like I would want some It was installed only a couple of years ago and is in excellent condition, but I always, always want spares. If you have a suggested list/kit that would be wonderful to know. I have this on my list to order before big trips in June/July/August.

Looks like you have received some good advice on spares. If I may offer my thoughts on preventive maintenance.

If you wait for the system to fail, well you know what you will be working in.

When I bought my boat, I overhauled all the components and replaced all the sanitation hose. Before I started, I flushed 30 gallons of fresh water with a touch of bleach, through each head. Working on the systems wasn't unpleasant. With that in mind, I have annual maintenance schedule which includes replacing the duck bills every year (I know they can last several). The pump bellows are on the 5 year rotation (I know they can last twice that long). Simply, I want to do maintenance when it's convenient for me after the system is throughly flushed. Others may relish cleaning up the aftermath of a failed bellows. Adopt a preventative maintenance schedule that seems realistic to you, and hopefully you'll never be cleaning up other people's poop.

Ted

Gordon J · May 28, 2019

What he said

menzies said:
Take the plastic cover off the toilet stem. You will see a large stainless clamp around the middle of the toilet. That has come loose. Tighten up the clamp screw that is on the clamp at the back of the toilet - REALLY tight, probably using a drill screw bit.

That should solve your issue.

syjos · May 28, 2019

O C Diver said:
Looks like you have received some good advice on spares. If I may offer my thoughts on preventive maintenance.

If you wait for the system to fail, well you know what you will be working in. When I bought my boat, I overhauled all the components and replaced all the sanitation hose. Before I started, I flushed 30 gallons of fresh water with a touch of bleach, through each head. Working on the systems wasn't unpleasant. With that in mind, I have annual maintenance schedule which includes replacing the duck bills every year (I know they can last several). The pump bellows are on the 5 year rotation (I know they can last twice that long). Simply, I want to do maintenance when it's convenient for me after the system is throughly flushed. Others may relish cleaning up the aftermath of a failed bellows. Adopt a preventative maintenance schedule that seems realistic to you, and hopefully you'll never be cleaning up other people's poop.

Ted

Very good advice.

I use the uncloric acid mentioned earlier to clean a Vacu-flush system prior to taking it apart for any reason. I pour several gallons of mixed uncloric acid down the toilet with the pedal depressed until the acid reaches the top of the bowl. I let the pump run couple clicks to fill the vacuum generator with acid and top up the acid to the top of the bowl and let soak overnight. The acid will dissolve the calcium deposits from the toilet, toilet rim, hoses and vacuum generator without harming metal or rubber. Flush clean water through the system.

The toilet, hoses, pump and generator tank will be sparkling clean after this treatment, making working on the system pleasant. Scraping of the calcium from components is now unnecessary since the acid dissolves the calcium.

If you have not serviced your system in a while, 5 plus years, you might require a second day to dissolve the calcium. In that case, on the second day, run the vacuum pump a few more clicks to move acid through the system and to stir things. Top up the acid to the rim again and let it sit overnight.

stevemitchell · May 29, 2019

O C Diver said:
Looks like you have received some good advice on spares. If I may offer my thoughts on preventive maintenance.

If you wait for the system to fail, well you know what you will be working in. When I bought my boat, I overhauled all the components and replaced all the sanitation hose. Before I started, I flushed 30 gallons of fresh water with a touch of bleach, through each head. Working on the systems wasn't unpleasant. With that in mind, I have annual maintenance schedule which includes replacing the duck bills every year (I know they can last several). The pump bellows are on the 5 year rotation (I know they can last twice that long). Simply, I want to do maintenance when it's convenient for me after the system is throughly flushed. Others may relish cleaning up the aftermath of a failed bellows. Adopt a preventative maintenance schedule that seems realistic to you, and hopefully you'll never be cleaning up other people's poop.

Ted

Yup, I regularly service every part of my boats, and have done so my entire life. This system was serviced by the previous owner (and he had a completed work order with date) about 6 months ago. I also had it on my list to get spare parts before my longer trips this year. I had been working through the various systems, of which there were almost no spare parts, although they were regularly maintained by various firms. This one was further down the list since some of the systems were in need of immediate attention.

I am of the same mind as you in terms of maintenance. I don't wait until something is broken to swap things out, I perform it on regular schedules regardless, and always more frequently than the manual or other source indicates. I learned that my from my dad and growing up on a farm and running businesses that depended on machines and complicated electronics. You don't have the luxury of waiting for parts in many cases, so having spares, and changing things ahead of recommendations reduces the risk considerably.

Things still break, just not as frequently.

ghost · May 30, 2019

Ahhhh, yes! You have not lived until sitting there minding your own business when all of a sudden, “what the heck is on my foot?”...gaaaaaak, “it’s wet!”. “Eeew”.

My clamp had split. I replaced it, but got the experience a second time. Make sure you take the time to replace the bowl seal too. It’s just the last rubber piece that goes between the base and the bowl.

Oh yeah, that’s a fun one.

Vactech · Jun 18, 2019

Hi there large buddy

I'm a vacuflush dealer technician. I posted a article on large people with vacuflush toilets when I first joined this forum and kind of got ridiculed about what I had said . It's now come to Light I see. You can replace the half round fittings and tighten the clamp with a ratchet, so the toilet does not have any play at all by pushing down on the front of it, or trying to twist it side to side .if that does not solve the problem, I'm afraid to say that you're going to need to get a one piece ceramic designer toilet to solve the problem. as I have gone through a few times with customers and it's very hard to say to someone that they're too large for the toilet ,unfortunately it's a fact .hopefully that helps. there is no other reason that it will leak due to wait. As you get off the toilet and all the weight is put on the front of the toilet the back of the seal lifts and allows leakage .to put a small step under the front of the toilet so the weight is not bearing on the front of the toilet it would help.
Trust me on this one I've been there a few times

Vactech · Jun 18, 2019

And just so you know .I work on vacuflush everyday ,all day ,all week long,
I just do not have the time to get online all that much, when I am here. I just try to help if I can. If it's an emergency you may be able to get a response if you politely ask the headmistress ,as she sends me the odd email

menzies · Jun 19, 2019

Can we get an update on the resolution if resolved?

catalinajack · Jun 20, 2019

Vactech said:
And just so you know .I work on vacuflush everyday ,all day ,all week long,
I just do not have the time to get online all that much, when I am here. I just try to help if I can. If it's an emergency you may be able to get a response if you politely ask the headmistress ,as she sends me the odd email

This fellow works on Vacuflush all day, every day. I wonder, do Marine Elegance electric heads engender this much repair work?

FF · Jun 20, 2019

"I wonder, do Marine Elegance electric heads engender this much repair work?"

RV units require almost zero work to operate for multiple decades.

syjos · Jun 20, 2019

A RV head is a simpler system. The toilet is mounted above the holding tank. Open valve and dump. A simple water valve for rinsing.

Tough to install a RV toilet in a boat.

All marine toilets require periodic maintenance to keep them functioning.

Vacu-flush does not require any more care than other toilet brands.

HeadMistress · Jun 20, 2019

catalinajack said:
This fellow works on Vacuflush all day, every day. I wonder, do Marine Elegance electric heads engender this much repair work?

No. I've been solving sanitation system problems online since 1997...I estimate that at least 75% of the toilet problem threads I see are VacuFlush problems, most of which were preventable (which is why I wrote my "VacuFlush 101" piece, available to anyone who'd like to send me a PM that includes your email address...no way to attach anything to a PM). I can't say that no one ever has any problems with the Raritan Marine Elegance, but they're so rare I can't remember the last time I saw one. Problems with manual toilets are far more common than problems with any macerating electric toilets.

--Peggie

Comodave · Jun 20, 2019

HeadMistress said:
No. I've been solving sanitation system problems online since 1997...I estimate that at least 75% of the toilet problem threads I see are VacuFlush problems, most of which were preventable (which is why I wrote my "VacuFlush 101" piece, available to anyone who'd like to send me a PM that includes your email address...no way to attach anything to a PM). I can't say that no one ever has any problems with the Raritan Marine Elegance, but they're so rare I can't remember the last time I saw one. Problems with manual toilets are far more common than problems with any macerating electric toilets.

--Peggie

+1. We put a Marine Elegance in a previous boat and had zero issues with it. A freind of mine who takes really good care of his boat is dealing with problems with his vacuflush heads regularly.

Vacuflush leaking with weight

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Moderator Emeritus

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Guru

Moderator Emeritus

Similar threads