VacuFlush Ball Stuck in Closed Position

J

jmicklov

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15952
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Think I have the inverse problem of MichaelNJ. Yesterday, I had the whole famdamly with their wives, friends etc- all 11 of us for a day on the water. So what is ground 0? The head. Luckily, we got back to the marina before the malfunction.

We briefed all the newbees on head use and most were already familiar. But with a little too much sun and beer, sh** happens.

I don't know how it could have happened, but the vacuflush ball got stuck (jammed closed). When you press the lever down, the ball does not open.

Is there any way to get this 'un stuck'? Is there any additional hidden issues? I saw where spraying cooking oil or something like that helps keep it lubricated? When the ball is open, do you just spray around the ball?

Up until this major head workout, it had functioned just fine with no problems under occasional use.

Thanks,
Jack (headless in NH)
 
Does the pedal go down?

I just bought the seal kit and the ball kit. Didn't put it in yet but for $70 for both, I figured it's worth doing. My fear is exactly what you described, 10 people on the boat and no head.

Sounds like it got stuck and the shaft turned in the square hole. You may be able to free up the ball and make it work, but it will happen again. That's what happened to me. I condsider my head one of my critical systems.
 
The pedal does go down. And yesterday, I was able to free the ball valve. Only problem is they move independent of each other. Still not sure how that pedal assembly comes apart from the ball valve.
Does the pedal shaft go through the bowl and the ball valve fits over it? Plastic on plastic to operate the valve?

So is there some sort of replacement kit you can buy?

Jack
 
quote:
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Plastic on plastic to operate the valve?

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Very possibly, yes. I had the same failure on both heads because for a while they used a plastic shaft. It was obviously a weak point, because the pedal had play in it. There IS a kit, called the "Ball & Shaft w/Spring Cartridge Kit" which includes a brass shaft, and a new ball. It was a relatively simple repair and the pedals now operate much more smoothly.
 
That's the kit I got. They also recommending the two seals at the same time. That's the other kit. As SLW mentioned, the new design uses a brass shaft. It has two O-rings on it.

I ordered it here:
Ball:
http://www.northeastsanitation.com/...re_Code=NS&Product_Code=318162&Category_Code=
Seal:
http://www.northeastsanitation.com/...e=316140&Category_Code=1000_Plus_Series_Parts

They are the NE Distributor for Sea Land. They seem to have the best price and they shipped it right away and I got it in a day.
 
AMEN!!! You folks saved the day!. Went to their site, called them, provided the model number and he had the exact kit I needed in stock. Shipping out today with 10:30 delivery tomorrow, right to the marina. And like you said, it'll probably take less than an hour to install.

I won't be leaving until noonish, so I just might be able to make my trip with a functioning head. again, THANK YOU!

Jack
 
Let me know how the install goes. I will try to get to it after work one day this week.

All the vacuflush models use the same two kits.
 
Will do. My marina mechanic is going to install it, due to time constraints.

Jack
 
The kit arrived at the specified time. He had everything apart and ready for the replacement. One thing they want you to do is place a little silicone grease on the brass shaft that connects the pedal to the ball valve. We didn't have any so I ran to the hardware store and got some silicone spray. We only replaced the shaft and did not do the ball valve or ball valve gasket seal because we were ready to leave on our trip. Replacing the shaft only and reassembling the head took about 30 minutes. And we were on our way!

Nothing better than a voyage with a functioning head. Thanks again for that website link. It saved the day.

Jack
 
No problem. Glad it worked out.

I assume you are going to go back and change the parts right? I know you were in a rush but I would think that if you had it all apart, it wouldn't have taken too much more time to replace the ball and seals. In my case, replacing the shaft would get me back in business but I think it's the fact that the ball is sticky on the seal that caused the shaft to slip in the first place. That's why I'm replacing everything.

I didn't do mine yet but I am assuming that the silicone is for the two o-rings on the shaft.

Mine went bad prematurely and I don't know why. It's supposed to last 3-5 years and my boat is only 2 years old and I usually don't have a lot of people onboard. I don't even sleep on the boat. I also try to keep the ball / seal lubricated. Hopefully, the new parts will work better and last longer.
 
quote:
Originally posted by MichaelNJ

...I also try to keep the ball / seal lubricated. Hopefully, the new parts will work better and last longer.

Click to expand...


How do you do that?
 
I think you are supposed to keep the gasket around the ball valve lubricated with non-toxic lubricants. Someone mentioned Pam. The ball valve slides under that gasket and must form a tight seal to maintain the vacuum under it. That gasket must remain flexible and crack free.

I've had my 330 Sundancer for 4 years now and never experienced any head problems. But judging by the fact that the shaft that moves the lever and ball valve went from plastic to brass should tell you something.... high failure rate. When I saw the old plastic shaft, it was bewildering in the way it fractured. You would think that any rotational force applied to a shaft would cause it to shear in one plane. This one was cone shaped. Any way brass trumps plastic in strength. And this is the last time I have to stick my hands down that thing in my lifetime.

Jack
 
I replaced my ball and seals last night. It's fairly easy to do.

The manufacturer recommends cooking spray like Pam. I spoke to someone at Dometic and they siad the lighter the better. She also mentioned furniture polish. I like the idea of cooking spray. It's totally harmless for both the seals and won't cause problems in the holding tank either.

My head (1006) had the brass shaft to begin with. I think what happened in my case is that the ball froze on the seal. I don't know why. I keep it lubricated and it's only 2 years old. When the flush lever was pressed the ball stuck. The old shaft probably would have broken but the brass will not. I think the square end must have turned in the spring cartridge. It can't turn at the ball end because it's screwed in.

After I put everything together, I found that when you lift the pedal to add water, it sicks in the up position. There is a an arc shaped part on the lever the presses the mushroom shaped head of the water valve and it's binding there. I'm going to bend the part of the lever to take some of the pressure off ans see if the frees it up.

A note on excellent customer service: Whne I tried to put the decorative cover back on the base, it wasn't staying hooked in. The back part did but the front part popped off when I pressed the pedal. I ended up breaking the hinged part so it separated into two pieces. It's not the greates design but whatever. I called Northeast Sanitation where I bought the other parts and they are shipping a replacement out today at no charge, even though I'm not under warranty.
 
I know the piece you are talking about. Luckily, that part is working ok for me. I also sprayed Pam around that seal when everything was apart.
I have to laugh about the decorative cover, because mine is also busted. there's a screw on each side that keeps it in place. one side broke off. Luckily there's no stress on it. I'll leave it alone.

Sounds like we both finally got back to functioning heads.

Jack
 
I don't have screws on my cover but that probably would have been better. The one on my Sea Ray kept popping off also. This one never popped off before. It's the kind of thing that once you take it off once or twice, it won't stay on.
 
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