VacuFlush Ball not turning correctly

M

MichaelNJ

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When I got to my boat yesterday my vacuum pump was running. The toilet was empty. It's not the first time. Sometimes the ball doesn't seal completely so I pressed the pedal to open it. The pedal pressed but the ball did not move. When I let go of the pedal, the ball turned so it was open when the pedal was up. When I stepped on the pedal, the ball closed. So basically, the ball rotated on the shaft and was now mis-aligned. So i jest stuck my hand is and turned it to the right position. I cleaned and lubricated the seal and it's ok now. I'm not sure why it froze in the first place.

I know the end of the shaft that goes into the pedal is square so that wouldn't slip but is it ok if the shaft turned inside the ball? Is it meant to be just held by friction? It was tight when I turned it but I was able to rotate it.
 
Its a Meridian get used to it! LOL! Just kidding Michael. Sounds like it just got sticky over the winter months. I had a Searay that would stick when I did not use it alot. It would get dry and stick, sounds like you did the right thing.

I will miss you on Meridian yacht Owners, I got kicked of by Bryce. Not sure why. Oh well, I guess your not allowed to have an opinion!
 
I'm not too worried about it. Worst case, I can uy the ball, shaft and rubber seal for $60. (20 minutes worth of gas)
 
Its probably the spring cartridge. The shaftthat connects it to the ball used to be plastic and had a tendency to snap off. They did a design change and the new ones are brass. This shifted the wear point to the cartridge, it basically starts to round off the square hole that the shaft fits into.
 
It's working now but if it happens again I'll look a it. My boat is a 2006, I don;t knwo when they changed over.
 
MichaelNJ,

I had the same problem and got tired of it real quick. Use the abrasive plastic tool that should have come with your vacu-flush to agitate the scum between the ball and the seal. It looks like a tongue depressor with ridges. I use baby oil. Every time I leave the boat for a few days, I turn off the water and release the water pressure, hit the vacu flush to get everything out of the bowel, and add a squirt of baby oil around the ball so it gets to the seal. I then exercise the foot pedal a few times. Since I have used this method, I haven’t had any issues. The actual quantity of baby oil is small. To compensate for the use of baby oil and where it will end up – in the holding tank, I pour Joy dish detergent down the sink every once in a while – and because of where my boat is, goes into the holding tank.

Also, I always leave the water pump and head system off when I'm not on the boat.

Hope this helps,

Jim.
 
Thanks Jim. I've used the plastic cleaning tool in the past. I also have some head lubricant that I got at West Marine. It's like baby oil I guess. Maybe a little thicker. Tha manual recommends cooking spray. I think you can use any kind of lube that isn't petroleum based. I've also used a teflon type of oring lube on the seal.

I think the key, like you said is to exercise it and use the oil if you know that it won't be used for a while.

In the past, I've used the lube but with water in the bowl. I also left the pump on when leaving the boat. I'll use the oil with no water in the bowl like you suggested. I'm also going to turn the pump off when I leave the boat. In case the seal is compromised, I don't want the pump running for a week.

My real question is, have you had a problem with it since the ball turned on the shaft? I want to make sure it's designed to slip that way or is it damaged now?
 
MichaelNJ,

I have not had a problem with the ball turning on the shaft since using the method I described, and it's been a full season.

Jim
 
That's what I figured. Thanks for the follow up. I'll be sure to lubricate it more frequently.
 
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