Vacuflush Toilets

Good morning
New to me 1997 Mainship 350 Trawler.
Going through all the systems and crawling thru all the hatches on the boat to see what's what. This boat has a Vacu flush freshwater toilet installed by a previous owner in her past. Works fine. My question is the discharge hose from toilet to holding tank is plumbed with 1 inch sanitary hose to the holding tank. Shouldn't this be 1 1/2 inch? Its a fairly long run with several turns to the holding tank.
Have some odors in the boat and I was going to change the discharge hose in the process of elimination.
Thanks
Jim

Mine had 1.5" A quick internet search shows every model of Vacuflush that came up spec'd with 1.5".

Each model also specifies the maximum vertical and horizontal run for the discharge.

Just completed a rebuild top to bottom of a vacuflush systems (1990 Californian MY) because of odor and plugged vent lines. Everything was an is 1.5 inches. I'm guessing a reducer is in your connections/lines somewhere.

The Brockerts

jclays said:

Good morning
New to me 1997 Mainship 350 Trawler.
Going through all the systems and crawling thru all the hatches on the boat to see what's what. This boat has a Vacu flush freshwater toilet installed by a previous owner in her past. Works fine. My question is the discharge hose from toilet to holding tank is plumbed with 1 inch sanitary hose to the holding tank. Shouldn't this be 1 1/2 inch? Its a fairly long run with several turns to the holding tank.
Have some odors in the boat and I was going to change the discharge hose in the process of elimination.
Thanks
Jim

Click to expand...

Just a thought, before you get too far into this and since you have a long run, you might evaluate whether there was a structural reason for the reduction in diameter of the discharge hose (small opening, tight turn etc).

~A

On some heads you have the option of using 1”. My Marine Elegance has this option and I went with 1” so it doesn’t take as much water to completely flush the stuff into the tank. Maybe Vacuflush has this option, I don’t know. But I do know that if you are going to replace the hose, the only hose I would use is Raritan SaniFlex. I get it at Defender, they had the best price at the time I was buying mine. Also I would only use AWAB or ABA hose clamps. They are 316 S/S and don’t have the open slots for the screw threads so they don’t cut the hose. They also have rolled edges so the hose doesn’t get cut there. Good luck and have fun. When I replace holding tank hose I sorta screw paper towels into the end of the hose as soon as I take the hose off and then tape over the end with duct tape. Then the stuff in the hose won’t leak out while you are pulling the old hose out.

It should be 1.5" hose.

1.5" hose is used for the following:

Manual Flush heads: Main Line from head
Vacu-flush Head: Main line from head
Holding tank -> Pump-out deck plate
Holding tank -> Macerator

1" Line is used for the following:

Electric Head with onboard Macerator: Main line from head
Discharge Macerator -> Through hull

I wouldn't want to run a 1" line from head to holding tank without a macerator involved.
That model came stock with an Electric head and a 1" main discharge line. I would bet a previous owner upgraded to a vacu-flush and kept the stock sanitation lines.

If it's a long run and you can get straight lengths into the space, pipe it in PVC-DWV. You can bend PVC if you heat it, it's cheap, it will NEVER permeate, don't be concerned about using it on board re: rigidity, it will flex enough, not a problem. It will offer less resistance to flow. Even if you need to couple it to get the lengths, it's way better than hose. Transitions to hose can be made with a barbless hose cuff that gives a smooth ID to minimize potential blockage.



And, YES, it should be 1-1/2".

Or, you could get rid of the Vacuflush now and go back to an electric head with a macerator. Replace the discharge hose with new 1" hose and call it a day. Save yourself the future headaches that your vacuflush has planned for you. Put it in the dumpster where it belongs.


I'm only half kidding. If it means a bunch of work just to save the vacuflush, don't do it. It's a terrible system, the worst system on my Mainship, by far.

Dougcole said:

Or, you could get rid of the Vacuflush now and go back to an electric head with a macerator. Replace the discharge hose with new 1" hose and call it a day. Save yourself the future headaches that your vacuflush has planned for you. Put it in the dumpster where it belongs.


I'm only half kidding. If it means a bunch of work just to save the vacuflush, don't do it. It's a terrible system, the worst system on my Mainship, by far.

Click to expand...

Is/was your Mainship stock with electric toilet and 1" hose?
What pleasures await me with a vacuflush head? Please do tell all.

Dougcole said:

Or, you could get rid of the Vacuflush now and go back to an electric head with a macerator. Replace the discharge hose with new 1" hose and call it a day. Save yourself the future headaches that your vacuflush has planned for you. Put it in the dumpster where it belongs.


I'm only half kidding. If it means a bunch of work just to save the vacuflush, don't do it. It's a terrible system, the worst system on my Mainship, by far.

Click to expand...

Glad you said it so I didn’t have to. I agree 100%.

jclays said:

Is/was your Mainship stock with electric toilet and 1" hose?
What pleasures await me with a vacuflush head? Please do tell all.

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Search the forum. You will find a multitude of threads on VF problems and how to fix them. I am a huge fan of Ratitan Marine Elegance heads. They are a fairly simple macerating electric head. No vacuum generators, no tough to find vacuum leaks, and a lot less real estate dedicated to the head system. Just the head and holding tank. And we have not even mentioned prices of parts...

jclays said:

Is/was your Mainship stock with electric toilet and 1" hose?
What pleasures await me with a vacuflush head? Please do tell all.

Click to expand...

Yes, our 2005 400 came from the factory with a Vacuflush system, which it still has, regrettably. The hoses are 1.5". At this point the only original parts left are the toilet itself (just the porcelain part, none of the guts) and the hose. Everything else has been replaced in the seven years we have owned the boat, at a cost of well over $1,000. It's been sort of a boiled toad process, as it was less trouble and slightly less cost each failure to repair it rather than replace it.


That said, I still have vacuum leak issues. You throw money and time at them, they get a little better and then come back. Currently, my head cycles every 15 minutes, so I don't leave it on all the time. I turn it on when I need it and off when I'm done. I spent two full days and about $400 in parts a couple of months ago to get it to that level, it was cycling every 45 seconds.



There's a Raritan Sea Era in my near future.

Dougcole said:

Yes, our 2005 400 came from the factory with a Vacuflush system, which it still has, regrettably. The hoses are 1.5". At this point the only original parts left are the toilet itself (just the porcelain part, none of the guts) and the hose. Everything else has been replaced in the seven years we have owned the boat, at a cost of well over $1,000. It's been sort of a boiled toad process, as it was less trouble and slightly less cost each failure to repair it rather than replace it.


That said, I still have vacuum leak issues. You throw money and time at them, they get a little better and then come back. Currently, my head cycles every 15 minutes, so I don't leave it on all the time. I turn it on when I need it and off when I'm done. I spent two full days and about $400 in parts a couple of months ago to get it to that level, it was cycling every 45 seconds.



There's a Raritan Sea Era in my near future.

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Maybe that is why so many stay with VF over time, they get locked in. Maybe if they go to a ME at the first failure there would be less VF issues.

We've had two complete Vacuflush systems on Blue Sky for 7 years with almost no issues. The occasional clog is easy to fix, and they are reasonably quiet. I don't know how quiet the Elegance is, but I know ours are very tolerable.
A happy customer.

The ME is very quiet.

Conrad said:

We've had two complete Vacuflush systems on Blue Sky for 7 years with almost no issues. The occasional clog is easy to fix, and they are reasonably quiet. I don't know how quiet the Elegance is, but I know ours are very tolerable.
A happy customer.

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Had our for 30 years, only one problem when someone flushed something the didn't eat first.......a little simple maitence every three or four years......happy camper.

I’m a live aboard and I have had vacuflush toilets for 30 years. I have had very few issues with them and far fewer issues than any other toilet that has been around for 30 years. Most issues are caused by poor operation practices. Count to five while flushing and your system will live a long time. I have seen some very poor installations with twists, turns and up hill runs, of course those systems had troubles. A vacuum leak is due to poor plumbing, just think what that leak would look like on the pressure end of a macerater toilet. Sure there are lots of complaints about vacflush toilets because there are huge numbers of old systems out there, many operated incorrectly and others installed poorly, not vacuflush’ s fault. Now if you are limited to 1” on the vacuum side then it’s the wrong system. Between the vacuum generator and the holding tank it’s much less of an issue but not ideal. My vacuum generators are all located next to my holding tank in the engine room. This means I have very quiet toilets and my hoses never get permeated with stink.

Here we go again! So many Vacu-flush haters.

Ignore the haters. The VF is a great toilet.

Most problems with VF are due to poor installation, user error, lack of maintenance and lack of knowledge or repair skill.

For most informed and capable VF owners, the VF is the cats meow.

I've seen 15 to 20 year old VF operating fine with 0 maintenance.

I expect to be attacked by the VF hate gang.

Thanks to the VF owners who express satisfaction with VF.

Full disclosure, I am a VF dealer.

syjos said:

Here we go again! So many Vacu-flush haters.

Ignore the haters. The VF is a great toilet.

Most problems with VF are due to poor installation, user error, lack of maintenance and lack of knowledge or repair skill.

For most informed and capable VF owners, the VF is the cats meow.

I've seen 15 to 20 year old VF operating fine with 0 maintenance.

I expect to be attacked by the VF hate gang.

Thanks to the VF owners who express satisfaction with VF.

Full disclosure, I am a VF dealer.

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Ok, here you go again. Apparently you feel you must defend the products you sell. That’s ok. However, I am not part of any hate gang. I am pretty upset that you feel the need to call names and include me in the name calling. We have gone down this road before, but I have never called you or anyone names. You feel free to express your opinion of the VF systems, but you have to get personal doing it. Others have stood up for the VF system but they didn’t get personal doing it, why do you? I also should be free to express my opinion without being attacked. The OP essentially asked what people thought of the VF system. So I guess only good opinions are allowed. When I like a product I give it good to excellent reviews, when I don’t like a product I give it poor to bad reviews. I think that is what most people do on this forum. But it seems that you cannot tolerate any negative opinions on the product you sell. If we only give good opinions then the forum will become useless. But please leave the personal attacks and name calling on some other forum.

I was responding to a comment by another member that was derisive. You did not make a negative comment on this thread.

The negative comment was posted before OP asked "What pleasures await me with a vacuflush head? Please do tell all." in post 9.

His original question was about hose size.

I am a happy Vacuflusher as well. I think the biggest detriment to their operation that has not been mentioned is.....OPERATION!!!! If they are used frequently, they work better. Probably because there are so many "soft" parts that can get a little rigid without use. I use mine a lot and they perform well. They are not completely maintenance free. I have had to do some stuff but I don't think it is any more than what would be expected on any other type of system.

syjos said:

I was responding to a comment by another member that was derisive. You did not make a negative comment on this thread.

The negative comment was posted before OP asked "What pleasures await me with a vacuflush head? Please do tell all." in post 9.

His original question was about hose size.

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Ok, what I said still applies. There is no VF hate gang. Why bring hate into it? There is enough hate in the country now to go around. My point is if you feel so compelled to defend VF, ok just make positive remarks about it. Don’t go negative on people. And you should accept that some people are going to have negative experiences with any product and they should be allowed to express those negative experiences. It is absolutely fine for you to express your positive experiences just don’t go into hate. There were several people that did express their positive experiences and they didn’t go to hate or negative directed towards members here on the forum.

While there may not be any "hate gang" there definitely is a "replace with XYZ" because they are better gang!

I have said it before and I'll say it again. You just can't keep ripping out what you have just because something better comes along. If we did that with heads, electronics, engine controls, galley equipment, etc. we would soon be destitute.

Comodave said:

Ok, what I said still applies. There is no VF hate gang. Why bring hate into it? There is enough hate in the country now to go around. My point is if you feel so compelled to defend VF, ok just make positive remarks about it. Don’t go negative on people. And you should accept that some people are going to have negative experiences with any product and they should be allowed to express those negative experiences. It is absolutely fine for you to express your positive experiences just don’t go into hate. There were several people that did express their positive experiences and they didn’t go to hate or negative directed towards members here on the forum.

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I don't view it as anything personal. Let's give it a rest and move along.

I have no issues with negative comments if responding to someone that asked for opinions about a product. If they are constructive negative comments and opinions.

I object to unsolicited negative comments. Whenever someone mentions VF, there are always derisive comments.

The comment "Save yourself the future headaches that your vacuflush has planned for you. Put it in the dumpster where it belongs." is not helpful to OP even if the poster is "half kidding". I will always respond to unsolicited, unconstructive comments like this regarding VF or other products unfairly maligned.

8.5 years living and working aboard 24/7 with two Vacuflush heads and we are perfectly happy with them.

In all I have replaced the seal in both, duck bills in one and the ball valve in the other. Considering the amount of use they get (each toilet gets flushed 3-4 times per day), I'd say that's a pretty good batting average.

Mine are 40 year old installation. In the 14 years I’ve owned it, I’ve replaced duckbills once and one base out of the two heads. I’ve got a really long run that after 40 years I’m going to say works just fine, not sure anything else would work or not. No reason to change at the moment.

We have 2 VF heads on ASD. Good and reliable. The biggest thing is maintenance. Inspection of the hoses, R/R duck bills on a regular bases. Add a little grease on the pump joint.

In the last 7 years, I have replaced the duckbills once.
We like our VF sytstem.

Bill

Thanks for the positive VF comments!

We need to counter the derisive VF comments with positive ones when they appear.