Vacuum generator removal

Gary N

Gary N

New Member
Oct 27, 2019
16
Montreal
Boat Info
380 AC
Garmin GPSMAP4212, Raypilot RP650
Mercury Ocean Runner RIB 10'. Tohatsu 20HP
Engines
CAT 3126TA
I would like to remove the Vacuflush vacuum generator and overhaul it during the winter months. It is positioned forward of the port fuel tank. It is in a tight space.

Has anyone removed this item on a 380 AC? Is it preferable to remove only the part that contains the duck-bill valves and the bellows, and leave the tank and pipes in place?

If there are any tricks or special tools it would be good to know before I get myself installed between the port engine and the generator!

thanks
 
A picture would help.

Do you have this:

yhst-72402774165461_2272_243898244
 
yes, that's the one.
 
I would just pull the pump and rebuild it. I don't know how you would get the entire assembly out of your boat. Unless it is cracked......there is no need to do it. The pump is usually the problem.
 
I've got the rebuild kit for mine (VG4) and have it on my list of things to do this winter. Mine is very easily accessible, so I was planning to unhook the hoses and bring the whole thing home to clean out and rebuild. I'm sure it is due for a good cleaning anyway, as gross as that will be. This is mine, I'll be replacing the 4 duckbills (6 below) plus the bellows, clamps and seals (15, 16, 17 and 18).

Vacuflush VG4.png
 
GnrlPatton said:
I've got the rebuild kit for mine (VG4) and have it on my list of things to do this winter. Mine is very easily accessible, so I was planning to unhook the hoses and bring the whole thing home to clean out and rebuild. I'm sure it is due for a good cleaning anyway, as gross as that will be. This is mine, I'll be replacing the 4 duckbills (6 below) plus the bellows, clamps and seals (15, 16, 17 and 18).

View attachment 135243
Click to expand...
I've been chasing vacuum leaks in one of my VG4 vacuum generators ever since I installed a cycle counter (stupid me for doing that). I've had that stinky thing apart three times now. This next time is to replace the switch and box lid gasket - that's all that is left.
Regardless, what I learned to make the job less repugnant is to first fully fill the toilet with water and flush that down at least three or four times then flush three or four table spoons of No-Flex and let that set for a couple of days then repeat the water flush. It seems to take the edge off of the job....
 
ttmott said:
I've been chasing vacuum leaks in one of my VG4 vacuum generators ever since I installed a cycle counter (stupid me for doing that). I've had that stinky thing apart three times now. This next time is to replace the switch and box lid gasket - that's all that is left.
Regardless, what I learned to make the job less repugnant is to first fully fill the toilet with water and flush that down at least three or four times then flush three or four table spoons of No-Flex and let that set for a couple of days then repeat the water flush. It seems to take the edge off of the job....
Click to expand...
On my big trip in Aug/Sep, my head stopped flushing unless I went down in the ER and manually activated the pressure switch. In my investigation it came down to either a bad vacuum switch or duckbills. I went ahead and bought and replaced both and that fixed the problem. The switch replacement is super easy, took about 5 minutes and wasn't messy at all. They are pretty pricy though, and not always in stock. I got mine through Environmental Marine, they were initially out of stock but finally did ship after about 10 days. I also considered the Flush Guard from this thread, but since I already had the switch on order, I passed on it.

Thanks for the advice on the other part, I was going to do the flushing thing with warm soapy water and hope for the best, but I like the no-flex (actually Carter's Poopy Powder) idea. Do you just turn off the switch to the head and flush it so it pulls into the reservoir and then leave it for a few days?
 
GnrlPatton said:
On my big trip in Aug/Sep, my head stopped flushing unless I went down in the ER and manually activated the pressure switch. In my investigation it came down to either a bad vacuum switch or duckbills. I went ahead and bought and replaced both and that fixed the problem. The switch replacement is super easy, took about 5 minutes and wasn't messy at all. They are pretty pricy though, and not always in stock. I got mine through Environmental Marine, they were initially out of stock but finally did ship after about 10 days. I also considered the Flush Guard from this thread, but since I already had the switch on order, I passed on it.

Thanks for the advice on the other part, I was going to do the flushing thing with warm soapy water and hope for the best, but I like the no-flex (actually Carter's Poopy Powder) idea. Do you just turn off the switch to the head and flush it so it pulls into the reservoir and then leave it for a few days?
Click to expand...
Yes - exactly.
 
GnrlPatton said:
On my big trip in Aug/Sep, my head stopped flushing unless I went down in the ER and manually activated the pressure switch. In my investigation it came down to either a bad vacuum switch or duckbills. I went ahead and bought and replaced both and that fixed the problem. The switch replacement is super easy, took about 5 minutes and wasn't messy at all. They are pretty pricy though, and not always in stock. I got mine through Environmental Marine, they were initially out of stock but finally did ship after about 10 days. I also considered the Flush Guard from this thread, but since I already had the switch on order, I passed on it.

Thanks for the advice on the other part, I was going to do the flushing thing with warm soapy water and hope for the best, but I like the no-flex (actually Carter's Poopy Powder) idea. Do you just turn off the switch to the head and flush it so it pulls into the reservoir and then leave it for a few days?
Click to expand...
The best pricing I've been able to find and in stock was Marine Sanitation & Supply -
parts.jpg
 
The switch is inline with what I found. Make sure they have it in stock though, I found a few websites that said they had them when they actually didn't.
Switch.png


I bought the full rebuild kit, so it's a little different than just the seal kit, but it's included.

RebuildKit.png
 
There is a design difference between the old switches and the new model.

Old:

upload_2022-10-13_9-19-1.jpeg


New:

upload_2022-10-13_9-19-44.jpeg


I looked at the flush guard as well. In the end, I was concerned about the small vacuum port becoming clogged with debris over time. Add to that the original switch worked for 28 years and it was an easy decision.


I have found both MarineSan and Aqua Distributors to be an excellent source for vacuflush parts.
 
thank you Playdate. I checked the MarineSan website and they have good troubleshooting tips on the system.
Appreciate all the comments! I will let you know how I get on.
 
For all you "VacuFlush" folks, here's something to keep in mind:

If you ever get to the point where the vacuum motor is tripping the breaker and won't run....

.... cut the red and black wires going from the motor to the connector and then connect them the "other way around", so that red goes to black and black goes to red. The motor will then run "backwards", but it doesn't really matter to the pump mechanism which way the motor goes, because the bellows still just go up and down. This could get you through a weekend or could get you several more years before you'd have to replace the motor. The gear mechanism got too worn and gets hung up going the same direction. Switching directions gives you fresh surfaces to use inside there.

Just something that might save a weekend or a day on the water and still give you "facilities" to use.

And to the OP: If you're going to take that all apart to do the maintenance, you might also want to pop the gear case open and see if anything inside needs attention before you slap all that stuff back in place.
 
ttmott said:
I've been chasing vacuum leaks in one of my VG4 vacuum generators ever since I installed a cycle counter (stupid me for doing that). I've had that stinky thing apart three times now. This next time is to replace the switch and box lid gasket - that's all that is left.
Regardless, what I learned to make the job less repugnant is to first fully fill the toilet with water and flush that down at least three or four times then flush three or four table spoons of No-Flex and let that set for a couple of days then repeat the water flush. It seems to take the edge off of the job....
Click to expand...
Solved the vacuum leak - after throwing over $500 at the vacuum generator it ended up being that O-ring between the pump body and vacuum tank - a $24 part. I could have sworn I replaced it but it must have been the other generator. Regardless, that O-ring was hard and permanently deformed. So, day 5 now and the counter is zero for both heads.
 
ttmott said:
Solved the vacuum leak - after throwing over $500 at the vacuum generator it ended up being that O-ring between the pump body and vacuum tank - a $24 part. I could have sworn I replaced it but it must have been the other generator. Regardless, that O-ring was hard and permanently deformed. So, day 5 now and the counter is zero for both heads.
Click to expand...
BTW that O-ring is the same as McMaster Carr P/N 4061T253 (25 of them for $10.80 plus shipping)......
 
ttmott said:
Solved the vacuum leak - after throwing over $500 at the vacuum generator it ended up being that O-ring between the pump body and vacuum tank - a $24 part. I could have sworn I replaced it but it must have been the other generator. Regardless, that O-ring was hard and permanently deformed. So, day 5 now and the counter is zero for both heads.
Click to expand...

It could be worse ......imagine if you had paid the marina mechanic to do the job. ;) Congrats of finding the leak.

On the same subject I thought I would share a tool which makes it a lot easier to deal with the vacuum lines. As anyone who has tried to replace the hose has found out.......they are really hard to slide over a fitting. In the past I have tried heat, dishwasher soap and o-ring lube to get them on always worrying I was going to crack/break a fitting with the force required to get them seated.

Well this tool takes care of making the hose end easier to work with especially in tight spaces.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004KED6XA?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details




71H+5W7+GdS._AC_SL1500_.jpg
 
GnrlPatton said:
Thanks for the advice on the other part, I was going to do the flushing thing with warm soapy water and hope for the best, but I like the no-flex (actually Carter's Poopy Powder) idea. Do you just turn off the switch to the head and flush it so it pulls into the reservoir and then leave it for a few days?
Click to expand...

This has been my winter plan for years now and it solved my cycling problem.
 
PlayDate said:
There is a design difference between the old switches and the new model.

Old:

View attachment 135266

New:

View attachment 135267

I looked at the flush guard as well. In the end, I was concerned about the small vacuum port becoming clogged with debris over time. Add to that the original switch worked for 28 years and it was an easy decision.


I have found both MarineSan and Aqua Distributors to be an excellent source for vacuflush parts.
Click to expand...

I have two Flush Guard in my Hatteras 50 Sportdeck. There is no flow through the tube, so it is impossible for it to clog. Further, there is no moving parts to fail, unlike the original part that WILL fail. It is made by a company local to me that specializes in aircraft instrumentation. They know what they are doing, and it completely ended my worry with my heads.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,154
Messages
1,427,354
Members
61,060
Latest member
Danileo
Back
Top