Bounder: Vacuupump

[billdunnells]

I’m looking for help with my 2015 Bounder 35k. I just had the vacuum pump replaced and now the pump starts running on its own. The light turns green about 45 seconds after you flush, then a few minutes later the light turns red and the pump starts on its own, sometimes running for several minutes before turning green and sometimes it just keeps running and won’t turn green. So now i just turned off the switch as I don’t want to burn out the new pump. I’m wondering if camping world failed to do the installation correctly. Spent a little over $1000 for the new pump and a little over $1000 for installation. Took 2 1/2 months to get the new pump which they installed yesterday and now we’re in the middle of our trip home so I can’t go back to Camping World Kissimmee

[AZ RV'r]

Simple... You have a vacuum leak.

It is supposed to be a sealed system so once you flush and it turns green it is under pressure until the next flush.

Best guess it is something at the pump itself, because that is the only thing that has changed. I would get under there with a flashlight and have someone up top flush. See if anything is leaking either liquid or air from the pump fittings.

Second could be a ball seal on the toilet itself... but as long as the pump is still running and there is water in the toilet... you can rule that out as the problem. If it was that... the water in the bowl would be gone and you would hear hissing.

Third and the worst option is you have a bad pump that wont seal properly.

When I had a vac-u-flush system it would pump for around 30-45 seconds then stop. It would hold that pressure for hours or days till the next time we flushed.

I see the pumps went up in price the last one I got directly from Fleetwood was around $800... I spent $1600 and bought a second one and carried it as a spare in the bay below. One of my fears with that system was, that the pump fails on the road... I have ZERO working toilets till its replaced. I always figured either me, or a mobile RV mechanic could change it as long as I had the actual spare pump with me.

Good luck!

[billdunnells]

Ok new vacuupump and I used a bowl seal conditioner and still have a vacuum leak. The light stays green for about 10 minutes then comes on again and does this every ten minutes. Sometimes the water in the front toliet goes dry. So I must have a leak there. Any suggestions on how to fix the problem

[AZ RV'r]

I am not a toilet repair expert, but from what I have read on here, the toilet can leak from only two places... one is where the toilet seals to the floor. (99% NOT this because you would have a wet floor.)

So that leaves the leak as the ball seal. in the center of the toilet bowl.

Again... this is what I have read on here... You can put on rubber gloves and try to clean off anything on the rubber seal with your hands or maybe an old toothbrush but nothing too aggressive. Maybe add some pump hand soap or Dawn to really try to clean it.

If that doesn't work and you are still losing water in the bowl, there are again two choices... Replace the entire toilet or... find and install a rebuild kit on the ball seal.

I have never done either of those, so I can't help personally, but I would call a mobile RV mechanic and explain the situation. I read that most don't want to try to find the kit, and much less disassemble a toilet... they want the easier option of taking the old one off and installing a new one. Much less work, less dirty, quicker and easier to just pop a whole new one on.

Until then to save your pump I would be swithching it on and off when you need to flush till you get it fixed because you know how expensive it is to buy a new one. I believe that a new toilet is in the $200-300 range then add the labor.

Good Luck!

[computerguy]

No simple answer. Lots of questions.
Why was the pump replaced?
What exactly was replaced?
Duckbills can be twisted if installed by a person who doesn't know how to install them.
If the toilet is losing water then that is problem one. Did you really need a pump replaced?
New toilet seals are easy to replace, conditioner should be used periodically to condition (not repair) seals. I would start with a new seal on the toilet that is leaking. In the meantime you can also try and clean the seal a little. Sometimes scum or material can build up on there cause the leak.
Any Camping World should be able to warranty the work of the losers at the CW in Kissimmee. And I'd be one unhappy loud customer if I had a pump replaced when all I needed was a $15 toilet seal!
Good luck.

[Elwood58]

Open up the ball on the toilet going dry and add some lube after cleaning. I have used vasoline in a pinch, as well as dawn dish liquid. See if that solves your issue. As issues with Vacuflush go, this one sounds minor.

[Ludo]

Mine was leaking through the vacuum switch.


The problem is that the leakage goes inwards, so you'll never find wetness on the outside. I borrowed a special noise detector and could hear the air whistling with this, Dometic wanted 500$ for the switch assembly, i bought a vacuum switch from Amazon for 30$ and adapted this to do the job, ofc with a lot of sealant

[1ramblingman]

Had the same problem with mine when I purchased it used. The bowls held water fine but the pump would run every few minutes. Found some very helpful videos on YouTube that explained the system and how it functions. Had never dealt with a vacuum system before and definitely not a fan. There are a bunch of different seals throughout the system from the half ball to the bellows and duck bills. I ended up just replacing all of them and they system works fine.
Here's a link to the supplier I bought the parts from and they also have a ton of videos on YouTube about the system.

https://www.aquastardistributors.com/

They're great at ansering questions too and guiding you through!