Knot It
Member
Well, went to the boat with the wife last weekend and although I did not dewinterize any of the systems, Shelly did use the toilet facilities. I had pumped the tank dry last fall and poured about 2 gallons of pink down the toilet so I was not worried about any freezing in the tank. When I turned on the head system, I noticed that the pump immediately came on and ran an excessively long time before it stopped (about 2 minutes). It triggered my memory that I thought I remembered the pump seemed to run longer than usual at the end of last season. I figured (or just hoped) this new run time was “normal” because of the amount of time that had passed since last use of the toilet; but as with everything else, I was not so lucky.
The wife and a friend both used the toilet several times throughout the evening and they added bottled water to the bowl during the flushes. About 10 minutes after the first flush, I noticed the pump turned on again and ran for about 10-15 seconds for no apparent reason. I inspected the bowl and it was still holding water good so I then looked in the bilge to see if there was anything leaking and could not see anything and all hose clamps and fittings were tight and dry. Throughout the rest of the evening, the pump would turn on and run for 10-15 seconds and shut off then about 30 minutes or so later would come on again for another short cycle even if no one had used it.
I soon became frustrated with the prospect of my first spring job being a real sh***y one so I just turned the system off except for when it was being used and spent a pleasant night with my buddy Captain Morgan. The next morning, I began the frightful task of sniffing the bilge for the tell tale signs of trouble and did not smell or see anything unusual. I repressurized the system and then began to listen for any leaks coming from the vacuum pump. I noticed a very faint high pitched noise I immediately recognized as a vacuum leak, CRAP I yelled to myself....... I turned the system off and three hours later, and countless near hurling gag fits, I had the vacuum pump out and found that 3 of the 4 duck bill valves were bad and in need of replacement. Luckily, (so I thought) the bellows looked good as did both of the o-rings. I figured I could just run to WM and pick up the duck bills and be back in business by this afternoon; again no such luck as they are closed on Mondays and don't carry them anyway according to their website.
So the hunt was on and I found nothing local that carried the damb duck bills. I did find a repair kit here http://www.environmentalmarine.com/s-series-vacuum-pump-rebuild-kit-8-bolt-style-ks000b/at a reasonable price so I bought it. I will now have what I need and a couple of spare parts for future use when /if needed. In the mean time, I stuffed rags in the open tank lines and then completely cleaned the pump fittings, bellows and pump base, which I will say was a particularly nasty job. Now I’m in a waiting game hoping the new parts arrive from Florida by next Friday. I checked my order a few minutes ago and it still says “awaiting shipment” so I’m really crossing my fingers. Anyone ever ordered from this company before? If so did they ship your stuff quickly?
Thanks, Sammy
The wife and a friend both used the toilet several times throughout the evening and they added bottled water to the bowl during the flushes. About 10 minutes after the first flush, I noticed the pump turned on again and ran for about 10-15 seconds for no apparent reason. I inspected the bowl and it was still holding water good so I then looked in the bilge to see if there was anything leaking and could not see anything and all hose clamps and fittings were tight and dry. Throughout the rest of the evening, the pump would turn on and run for 10-15 seconds and shut off then about 30 minutes or so later would come on again for another short cycle even if no one had used it.
I soon became frustrated with the prospect of my first spring job being a real sh***y one so I just turned the system off except for when it was being used and spent a pleasant night with my buddy Captain Morgan. The next morning, I began the frightful task of sniffing the bilge for the tell tale signs of trouble and did not smell or see anything unusual. I repressurized the system and then began to listen for any leaks coming from the vacuum pump. I noticed a very faint high pitched noise I immediately recognized as a vacuum leak, CRAP I yelled to myself....... I turned the system off and three hours later, and countless near hurling gag fits, I had the vacuum pump out and found that 3 of the 4 duck bill valves were bad and in need of replacement. Luckily, (so I thought) the bellows looked good as did both of the o-rings. I figured I could just run to WM and pick up the duck bills and be back in business by this afternoon; again no such luck as they are closed on Mondays and don't carry them anyway according to their website.
So the hunt was on and I found nothing local that carried the damb duck bills. I did find a repair kit here http://www.environmentalmarine.com/s-series-vacuum-pump-rebuild-kit-8-bolt-style-ks000b/at a reasonable price so I bought it. I will now have what I need and a couple of spare parts for future use when /if needed. In the mean time, I stuffed rags in the open tank lines and then completely cleaned the pump fittings, bellows and pump base, which I will say was a particularly nasty job. Now I’m in a waiting game hoping the new parts arrive from Florida by next Friday. I checked my order a few minutes ago and it still says “awaiting shipment” so I’m really crossing my fingers. Anyone ever ordered from this company before? If so did they ship your stuff quickly?
Thanks, Sammy
