VacuFlush questions

[ClemsonTiger]

Greetings. Apologies if this is in the wrong section or if this has been previously discussed.

Getting ready to troubleshoot a 2004 Four Winds Windsport VacuFlush toilet - pump will not power up. My questions: is there an "on/off" switch for this system, or is it hard-wired? If there is a switch, where might it be located? I have searched diligently for a switch to no avail.

Any info will be welcomed - thanks in advance.

-- John

[RV Wizard]

I have not seen any switches but have found a free standing circuit breaker sometimes under the lavatory the monitor panel for toilet is mounted on. The pump will stop running also if the black tank reads full.

[ClemsonTiger]

Thanks for the reply RVW.

This model does not have the monitor panel - the only control that I can find is the foot pedal. In fact, I have not been able to find the vacuum pump / holding tank.

Black water tank is empty and shows empty on the levels display panel.

There is no breaker marked "VacuFlush" or "toilet" or similar on the breaker panel at the foot of the bed. When I get to the coach today I may reset everything just for s&g in case a breaker is sharing a load. Also going to take the bottom cover off of the toilet, see if there are any connections there for the pump.

[ClemsonTiger]

Update:

Finally figured this thing out.

The holding tank and vacuum pump are located behind a false front under the washer / dryer. I had noticed piping underneath before, but had thought it was associated with the washer / dryer. On a whim I pulled the false front and voila! Sitting there pretty as you please.

Finding the gear was only half the problem, however. No power to the pump. It looks like the previous owner had uninstalled something in there - I assume it was the aforementioned monitor panel. There are a couple of plugs hanging loose, and the hot and neutral wires to the pump have been reconnected to input supply. So, I traced back to the fuse panel under the hood and found good 12V. Hmm. Started point-to-point checking and found (of all things) a bad butt splice on the neutral leg. Replaced the splice and bingo! Pump works like a champ - when the toilet is flushed, the pump chugs 10-12 times and the holding tank is cleared.

I'm a retired electrician / electronics technician / computer guy, and I can count on one hand how many times over the years I have found bad butt splices. Lucky shot in the dark!

The wife is happy, I'm happy, everybody's happy - woohoo!!