Saturday, February 15, 2014

Repair of the Crapper-Vacu-Flush

Ok folks this is a pooper of a subject but there are boating folks who read my blog and I can pass on my experiences.

On my boat I have a Vacu-Flush system.  I have a forward and aft head.  The pump will pump ait out of the system, then when you press on the flush pedal this breaks the vacuum and pulls the waste down the pipe, then the pump takse over and pumps the waste into the tank.  The it keeps pumping until a sensor tells the pump to shut off and the system has vacuum for the next flush.  First the issue was the system was bleeding down every few minutes, thus turning on the pump.

I had to buy a special vacuum gage.  I started at the pump and disconnected the hose.  Yep crappy, smelly job.  The pump held the vacuum.  I was also replacing the rubber line as it was hard and most likley over 20 years old.  Then back up the line I took the hose up line from a "Y" pipe on the aft head line.  At this point is where the aft and fwd head come together to a single line to the pump.  I checked the vacuum and it checked good.  This tells me the fwd head is good and the leak is in the aft head.  As I was putting it all back together, I crack the "Y" pipe and had to order another.

Once I received a new pipe I installed new hose from the outlet of the vacuum tank to the "Y" pipe.  The next test is at the inlet of the vacuum tank.  This tank also hold the shut off sensor.  It checked good and the pump shut off.  Vacumm was held for several hours.  So the leak is ether in the 30' of hose to the aft head another horse shoe pipe or the base of the head.  When I went to reconnect the hose to the vacuum tank, I had cut it too short!  Uggggggg.  This will suck as I would have to remove the line that runs some 30' from the aft head throgh the engine room to the tank under the galley floor.  Off to West Marine and bought 30' of new hose.  This is the same time we were having 26f nights and 30f days!  The pipe is hard and not pliable.

Kay helped me pull the new line which took about 3 hours.  She came up with an idea to soften the line by heating it with our buddy heater.  It worked! Then I could get the line to lay flat in the engine room!  Ugggggg again!  Kay suggested that I start the engines and heat the engine room up!  Great idea sweetheart.  It worked.

I hooked up the hose to the vacuum tank and tested the line at the aft head.  Checked good.  Then I installed the horse shoe pipe, tested and checked good.  Installed the base of the aft head checked good!  Well then I guess the original leak was in the 30' of hose.  Installed the head bowl and then system was tested and operates as advertized.....Below are some pics.

Aft head with hose removed and horse shoe pipe


Aft head bowl


Old 30' hose and yes it was cold outside

Installing new hose through engine room

Heating the end to soften the hose


Vacuum testing new aft hose



Vacuum testing aft head lower base


Before installing bowl, there are two rubber gaskets this is the first or thin gasket.  Notice the notch?


Second rubber gasket.  This is the thick one and aligned with notch.  You can see the different color between the first gasket (grey) and the top one (black)

Installing bowl centering over flush ball

New bowl clamp.  Per the instructions, the tabs go on the front with a gap in the back.

Clamp installed

Water valve

Holds water?  Good to go.


Adding the blue stuff

Ready for use....

My Best Friend, My Wife, The Admiral!

I just wanted to say a little about my wonderful wife, my best friend Kay.  As I get closer to retirement, and a little older, I have come to realize as we get ready to set out on our final adventures that my wife Kay has stuck by my side through really bad times and good time to today when we are preparong for a great adventure.  She supports me in all I do in fixing and building our new home.  She is giving up her land legs to float on a yacht that will take us up and down the west coast.  She deserves more than I could ever give her.  When others haven't she has been by my side sometime encoraging me, hold me when I cried and helped me when I was angery.  She is the BEST thing that has ever happened to me.  I and hoping and praying that we will have many years of adventure ahead and the good Lord will see fit to give us calm seas and a gentle breeze.......I love you Kay with all my heart and soul and without you I would not be the man I am today!  Thank you sweetheart.









Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Weekend of the Crapper and Birds, Birds, Birds everywhere...

The two heads I have on this boat are operated by vacuum.  A pump evacuates the air out of the system and when you push down on the foot petal, the vacuum pulls the crap to the pump, which then pumps it into the holding tank.  Now you are an expert on Vacu-Flush! 

My system had a small leak which means the pump would shut off, but then start back up after a few minutes.  I rebuilt the first part of the system on Friday, but I still had a leak.  I was able to determine the leak was in the aft head system.  To troubleshoot, I have this special vacuum gage.  I cut the main line to the aft head.  The leak is in the main line, so I had to pull 25 feet of 20+ year old sewer line.  It was a crappy job.  So now I have to run a new line to the back head.  Hoping to finish this job this week.

Oh yeah, it snowed about 12 inches over the past two days and Kay took lots and lots of pictures of birds and water fowl.......Enjoy.
Always great sunsets on Fisher Slough!

Lone Piling, but notice the current

More sunsets....


Reflection of the clouds

Bird feeders and log chain


Got dinner, craw fish


What kind of duck???

Trying to get a sturgeon


Hard to see, but flights of geese heading north

Spring is coming!  Geese flying north


Getting closer to living on the river!  Got my BBQ on the dock


Heading into the sunset

Cool reflection

Friends over for Dinner.  1st steaks on the dock BBQ


Wine is Kay's..........

Back of Alaskan Sea Duction

Back at the house a coyote making an get a way 


Where's that Kitty Cat??


Kay's humming birds in the snow




Standing on a frog to avoid the snow




Lots of snow

Feeders are full birds are happy

Blue Jay


Scrub Jay





Woody wood pecker


Looking up the hill at the house







Cool Humming Bird


Charlie's boat

Still Floating

Need to be carful I don't ski down the ramp into the water.  Is there Gold in my future?

Water is warmer than the land




Here kitty kitty.........




Ducks everywhere













Nasty Roads





Love doves....


Longview Yacht Club

Almost home


Aft Head.  What a mess


The crown head

25 feet of old sewer hose

Come on kitty come out to play....