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Old 05-30-2023, 05:30 PM   #1
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Vacu-flush not working 2017 Bounder 35k

My vacu-flush system will not stop cycling. It stays on red until it just stops working and then I have to flip the power switch on and off a couple of times to get it to go again. This problem started last year when I had some major issues due to non flushable products being in my system(women's hygiene products to be precise) I took everything apart and ended up replacing the pump and the duckbilled valves. I still couldn't get it to go. I recently replaced the toilet seals and they hold water great. Today, I replaced the pressure switch, just because it seemed like the last possible cause. I am more than frustrated at this point. Could it just be the actual 2-way switch in the master bathroom? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 05-30-2023, 06:43 PM   #2
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What about the bellows?
Rubber grommets on the vacuum tank?
Did you check the seal under the toilets themselves?
More importantly, did you do a vacuum test the way the troubleshooting manual says to?
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Old 05-31-2023, 06:52 AM   #3
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That system is hard to make all the repairs on. You are usually better off replacing the entire tank assembly. If you have replaced everything and it's still not functioning, you might consider swapping to a macerator style toilet.
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Old 05-31-2023, 08:30 AM   #4
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Like computerguy said, get yourself a test kit. Two if you have two toilets. Use them in each toilet to isolate where you leak is: in a toilet or under the floor. Then go from there. There’s quite a few places for a vacuum leak to occur, but it’s a finite number. You just have to systematically isolate it. I replaced my duckbills a few years back and couldn’t get vacuum to build afterwards. Turns out (again like computer guy referred to) the rubber grommets connecting the hoses to the accumulator tank weren’t sealing. I didn’t have replacements at the time, so I applied some vasoline as a sealant. Worked no problem.

We’ve liked the Vacuflush system. It just takes a little TLC. And face-to-face instruction for guests!

Good Luck! Keep us informed.

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Old 05-31-2023, 09:25 AM   #5
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I borrowed myself an acoustic vacuum sniffer, the membrane of the Dometic switch had a leak. Dometic wanted about 200€ for the part, i scrapped it and installed a switch from eBay for 30€ plus mounting plate and some sealant.
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Old 05-31-2023, 10:19 AM   #6
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I will try the vacuum test next I guess. Thank you
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Old 05-31-2023, 10:28 AM   #7
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Check every hose clamp for tightness, the base ring clamp bolt and the floor mounting bolts.
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Old 06-13-2023, 03:06 PM   #8
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Vacuflush Toilet

Great when it works. I spent $1200 to get mine working, mostly. Very, Very sensitive operation. What made it more difficult to work on is the limited access in my Fleetwood Terra 35K. I had to make an access hole in the floor under the bed to get to the screws holding it in place. Once I was able to get it out I had to replace the bellows, and duck bills. The bellows was cracked and it leaked waste out into the basement. A mess. I found it difficult to work with the ridged hose and getting it back in place. Any, and I mean any minor air leak will cause the unit not to function and red light to come on. I ultimately took it to my local RV repair shop. Most of my $1200 was labor. The unit would hold pressure for about 2 hours! Not satisficed, I began to work on the two toilets, replacing gaskets etc. Still there was an air leak somewhere. Finally, on one of the toilets we heard a hissing sound when sat on. I tighten the nuts on the toilet base and finally eliminated the air leak. The unit will now hold pressure for 8 hours. When we turn in for the night, we turn the unit off. When we leave the RV for an extended time, we turn it off. I found Environment Marine (800-522-2656 to be very helpful. The only people that seem to understand the system are Marine boat people. We live in the Texas panhandle, so no luck there. I spent a total of 4months work on this system.
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Old 06-14-2023, 05:02 AM   #9
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Well on my ‘16 Bounder when I first got it, my pump cycled more often than once per minute. So I started replacing the usual recommended items, bellows, duckbills, etc. Every time I replaced something the pump cycle frequency decreased some. I ended up tightening every thing I could find to tighten from bolts on the floor to the hose clamps. Then I replaced the toilet seals and the floor seals. The floor seal was a big help. But kept cycling about every hour. I replaced the grommets on the tank and the toilet pedal valve. I still had a slow leak and isolated it above my tank with a vacuum test. Finally replaced the tiny O ring going to the ball valve and that finally stopped the last of my leak. My leak was a combination of things because every time I replaced something the time between the pump cycling increased. I think I’ve replaced everything but my switch and I have one on hand for when that goes. But finally she holds vacuum all the time. Occasionally, I think just to irritate me, about 10 min after a flush, the pump will kick on. But only for one cycle. Then does not come on again. I have a love hate relationship with this Vacuflush since we know one another so intimately!
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Old 06-14-2023, 07:33 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wootieli View Post
Well on my ‘16 Bounder when I first got it, my pump cycled more often than once per minute. So I started replacing the usual recommended items, bellows, duckbills, etc. Every time I replaced something the pump cycle frequency decreased some. I ended up tightening every thing I could find to tighten from bolts on the floor to the hose clamps. Then I replaced the toilet seals and the floor seals. The floor seal was a big help. But kept cycling about every hour. I replaced the grommets on the tank and the toilet pedal valve. I still had a slow leak and isolated it above my tank with a vacuum test. Finally replaced the tiny O ring going to the ball valve and that finally stopped the last of my leak. My leak was a combination of things because every time I replaced something the time between the pump cycling increased. I think I’ve replaced everything but my switch and I have one on hand for when that goes. But finally she holds vacuum all the time. Occasionally, I think just to irritate me, about 10 min after a flush, the pump will kick on. But only for one cycle. Then does not come on again. I have a love hate relationship with this Vacuflush since we know one another so intimately!

Which O ring is it that you replaced? Are you talking about the flush ball mechanism ?
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Old 06-14-2023, 08:00 PM   #11
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I can’t believe RVs are using vacuum sewage systems. The VacuFlush system doesn’t have the best reputation boating world for reliability. They are a maintenance problem on ships as well. We did a bunch of research about 15+ years ago at MIT on ship vacuum sewage systems. By measuring the frequency of pump runs and using some fancy statistics, we could tell the difference between a leak and simply lots of toilet usage. We couldn’t locate the leak, but could identify that you had one, which is a lot harder when you have dozens of toilets on the same system.
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Old 06-15-2023, 04:38 AM   #12
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Which O ring is it that you replaced? Are you talking about the flush ball mechanism ?
Yes, there’s a little dime sized O ring on the stem going into the cartridge thing that’s between the water valve and flush ball mechanism.
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Old 06-15-2023, 02:30 PM   #13
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Who did you purchase the O ring from ?. If you have a link to the part, it would be much appreciated Thanks
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Old 06-19-2023, 07:13 AM   #14
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Try AquaStar Distributors. You can Google the number. I bought from them last this year and they were great.
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