Yes, folks ... it is about to happen. We are days away from replacing the Turbo Turd 3000 with a simpler model that requires no complicated electronics. The commode was getting glitchy again (of COURSE, while we had grandkids onboard!) and it was the last straw. I called Dometic sanitation and (perhaps because my phone has a PA area code) was connected with a Sealand distributor in New York. Happily, he is a fellow who has been dealing with these things for years ... NOT a Dometic salesman who knows NOTHING but what he sees on a spec sheet and just looks up a price!! If you have a problem and need to talk to Sealand, make sure you understand the distinction! He and I talked toilets for a good while, and my thinking that the vacuum system and the commode were 2 separate and distinct systems was affirmed. The vacuum just moooooves stuff along, and does NOT need a complicated system with electronics to operate. We do not need to macerate ... we do not need to have blinking lights ... we can live happily with a basic water supply and a foot pedal ..... all in a china commode of tasteful Almond White.
The unit has been shipped to Cummins Crosspoint Coachcare in Normal, IL .... they tell me that they can perform the switch. If there is any Forum member who is living with an existing Turbo Turd and would like me to scavenge any part ... like the electronics board (which is in very good shape) please advise. I have been advised that these toilets are becoming more and more scarce ... parts are hard to find ... and now is your chance!!
Further reports will follow ......
So what system will the new one use to move contents from toilet location to black tank? (given Vacuflush would be OEM because toilet location relative to black tank precluded standard gravity feed).
Forgot to mention, we will take the control board to have as a spare. Also, didn't you have a linkage or something made at a machine shop a while back? We'd take that, too. And the brass ball shaft.
Just imagining the Turbo Turd 3000 and the Vacu Flush systems and process makes me appreciate our direct drop (or plop) setup. What will we do without the saga of the TT3000? Happy trails Carol and Jeff. Roger and Susan
Hmmmm, Normal not towards door county if you are in Chicago
Carol,
We had a non vacuum toilet in out Jayco. There was a horizontal pipe to the tank. No vacuum assist. In order to keep it from clogging the pipe you will need to flush with plenty of water. Won't go into details but it involved zero dark thirty, total clog and a fair amount of Anglo-Saxon words before it was fixed.
Keith
The vacuum assist is separate and apart from the electronic flushing and sensors for the toilet that call for water and sense when the ball valve is open or shut. In the manual toilet, when the flapper is shut and the vacuum in the line is built up, it is the same as the present commode. Now, stepping on the pedal will open the line to the black tank ... WHOOSH!! ... stuff will be sucked towards the black tank. Pedal released and flapper closes ... vacuum builds up in the line again, just as before. The water fill is just as any other manual type commode. I can add water by lifting the pedal. The pressure sensor on the vacuum system automatically starts and stops the vacuum pump at the appropriate times. Installing the new commode means that the gizmo under the present commode goes away ... a funnel system and collar seal attach with the new toilet.
Michelle ... I will salvage the board ... my $100 STAINLESS STEEL motor arm (you are gonna have the only one on the planet!!) ... and I will look up the location of the Brass Ball Shaft and try to isolate and disinfect that, as well.
Now, you REALLY owe me one of those nifty sofa wine holder things that Steve makes!! :)) :)) :))
Aha - now I see that there are manual Vacuflush toilets that work with the vacuum generator. So you'll still have TurboTurd capability, just not the computer board whiz-bang flush communication between toilet and water valves. We would be hard pressed to give up the TurboTurd capability ;)
I think we owe you two. One from before. Poor Steve, between my being gone taking care of my mom for months in late 2013 and early 2014 and my health issue/doctor appointments/surgery this past spring, he hasn't spent any time in his shop at all :(
For those with the Vacuflush system...there is a retrofit kit available that comes with a new motor and bellows that is significantly quieter than the original. Doesn't quiet down the whooooosh noise but the pumping up the pressure noise is hardly noticeable. Doesn't shake the coach either.
Yep. Steve documented the upgrade process: VacuFlush Toilet Vacuum Pump Rebuild (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=13573.0)
Well heck, if I had read that before I rebuilt mine I probably would have only had to do it once!
In defense of the Vacuflush system, it reduces the amount of water used per flush. The black tank capacity lasts much longer.
"I think we owe you two. One from before. Poor Steve, between my being gone taking care of my mom for months in late 2013 and early 2014 and my health issue/doctor appointments/surgery this past spring, he hasn't spent any time in his shop at all :( "
That's Ok .... we know how to hunt you down. You can run, but you cannot hide!!
The Saga of the Turbo turd continues .... service at the Cummins Crosspoint location in Normal, Il was a complete bust. They are one of FIVE authorized Foretravel service locations in the US, but I cannot see WHY. They do have the Foretravel logo etched nicely on a wooden plaque in their facility ... but that is the only qualification that i can bring to mind. We made an appointment 10 days in advance, with a detailed list of items we were hoping to have addressed. I purchased the commode and had it shipped to their location well in advance of the appointment. I called and checked on it's arrival and emailed a hard copy list of our "wish list" so that they could discuss parts needed or be prepared. We arrived the evening before, in order to be ready for our 7AM appointment. The "night crew" (who were really Cummins Power guys) were friendly, had our paperwork and knew that we were scheduled for the next day. They showed us the dump station, so we could be as fresh as possible for the next day's toilet transfer and we parked in an available empty spot. No power, because they only have 3 ... and they were taken by 2 unoccupied rigs and a horse trailer. Not sure why they couldn't have cleared one site for us, but it was fine. 6:30AM we went inside, introductions were performed and we were told that Kevin would be working on our rig. The toilet had been opened and confirmed undamaged after shipping ... we were good to go!! Exciting!! The little jobs we asked for were also discussed .... new GFI in the bathroom, clean out the AC units, look at the pressure relief valve on our aux air compressor (that doesn't want to shut off) and maybe a new porch light. All good to go. Aaaaaaaanndd ... we wait. NOON ... Kevin wanders over to our rig and introduces himself. "Sorry it took so long ... I had something else I had to finish up." The Shop Foremen or head guy had stopped in to tell us that Kevin was wrapping up a job and would be a little while getting to us ... but NOON? When we had a scheduled appointment?
Kevin examines the Turbo Turd, I show him how to shut off power to it, etc. We look at the new unit and the head scratching begins. Jeff and I go out to lunch. On our way back, about 45 minutes later, we get a call. There is a problem with the configuration of the commode. We hurry. After hours of phone calls to my supplier in NY and wheel spinning trying to locate another commode anywhere in the US that could be overnighted .... and no luck ... we spend a second night in their parking lot. Kevin nicely moved one of the unoccupied coaches and plugged us in ... "well, I need you plugged in to look at the GFI, anyway"
DAY 2 .... We finally determine that the base unit of the commode is the only part that we need to have shipped. My original supplier in NY is apologetic. He mistakenly cross referenced the number from the original 2002 commode when he was going through his archive of catalogues and ordered the wrong base assembly. How refreshing to have someone say,"This is totally my fault! I am SO sorry!" I did not bite his head off because he was so honest ... and these old Sealand guys are the ONLY ones who have the faintest idea what these commodes are all about. When you find one, they are like gold ... Dometic has NO CLUE.
At any rate, we are hoping the rest of our list can be addressed quickly and we can get out of there. Wait ... Nope. Parts have arrived for jobs that are stacked up in the bays and on coaches that have been sitting there since before we arrived!! ALL work halts on the coach with the people who are actually waiting in the lot with their wallet in their hand. I go back in the office and ask if Kevin will be working on out outlet, AC units, etc. "Oh, no ... we have to get these other things done first. " Well ... is there anyone else who can do it? "Well ... not really." Hmmm. I had been working on shipping logistics and trying to coordinate things so that we can make out second appointment with ZipDee for the awning work. If I come back next Wednesday, can you assure me that I can get 3 guys to jump on this coach and we can get all our list knocked out and leave by 2 on Thursday? "Oh, no. I could never put more than 1 tech on a job ... we only have 2! " Really. So , NOTHING more is gonna happen on our coach today? Nope.
Jeff loaded the commode into the back of our Jeep. We hooked up the rig and we left. They may be looking for us next Wednesday, but we will not be returning. Not their fault that the commode didn't work out, but I have never seen such a lackadaisical attitude. Appointment scheduling is a complete joke. Prioritizing the jobs that are going to bring immediate results ... cash into your till and units moving out of the bays or off the lot, is a confused mess. They could have knocked out our LITTLE jobs in maybe 2 hours and sent off a happy customer and made some money. Maybe you had to be friends with someone? They only have 2 techs to work on RVs????? TWO? And they are advertised as a Foretravel location??
I will say that their floor is shinier and cleaner than any I have seen in major hospitals. They have 4 recliners in front of a big TV and good internet in the office. But I would rather have a messy, busy competent location that gets the job done.
I called ZipDee and got the name of a place 1 mile from their shop. They refer folks there for work that is no longer performed on ZipDee's premises. They can do all the work we need (they do NOTHING on the engine or chassis area ... just the interior and exterior of the coach or camper) and they have water & elec and room for us to park overnight.
Ehrhardt's @ 776 W Oakton St, Des Plains, IL 60018 847-437-3421
Stay tuned for the next chapter!!!
Ehrhardt's is not exactly paradise as far as location or someplace I would want to spend the night, Especially Saturday night.
They are primarily a trailer place, located in a residential trailer park. I hope your "up" on your spanish.
IT IS DONE!!! The replacement is complete and all is working just the way I had hoped. Glory Hallelujah! It required getting a THIRD base unit overnighted from a place in Michigan (because it was too late in the day to get one from my original guy in New York) ... much head scratching by Dave (the tech at Ehrhardt's who did the work) and making a new friend at Dometic Sanitation (Brian Freidman, who has been working with Sealand products for 22 years and has been to the FOT factory and knew their installation).
BUT ... we now have a simple, pedal flush commode that still uses the vacuum flush, but is vastly less complicated and scary. It also promises to use less water and is easier to clean. I am very pleased with the service at Ehrhardt's. Dave began the toilet adventure and another fellow addressed all the other small issues. The small stuff was completed in just one day .... what I had hoped would happen at the Cummins Crosspoint Coachcare in Normal, but they just couldn't get their act together.
Ehrhardt's parking area is small, because they are busy and loaded with trailers and campers and all sorts of vehicles, but they jockeyed things around and provided us with 30amp power, water and a place to dump our tanks. they were very hospitable and we felt totally secure. They have a brand new camera security system watching the lot and the local constabulary is regular with their patrols. The area is a mix of residential and commercial, and the street is busy and active ... there is an elderly "trailer park" up the road a bit, but we had no unusual concerns.
ZipDee tomorrow morning for a new slide topper awning .... then we can blow out of Chicago!! I am heartily SICK of paying these incessant road tolls!!!
Well Great! Now the never ending saga of the Turbo Turd 3000 and the equally unnerving mental image of perching on a vacuum assisted sewer sucking machine comes to an end. Carol, you are just going to have to come up with something equally as compelling and entertaining for us to hang on the last line waiting for the next installment. We will miss the old TT 3000. I'll bet you won't.
Chicago is done. Now where?
Roger and Susan
Don't worry, friends ... I don't imagine that my life will run dry of drama. We are going to head into Wisconsin to see a friend, and then, perhaps, the UP. Never been there ... and I am hoping that this is one of the seasons that is lighter on masses of mosquitoes or gnats or whatever else that the UP is famous for!.
Douglas and Amanda (Suba Guy and Siren) and John and Kathy (Hatchet) are up in Munissing City Campgroundn the UP. Great place, great folks, call for a site.
It's those pesky pastys you are after. Eat one in every town until you find the best (actually they would be up on the North Shore of Lake Superior in MN).
Great Lakes Ship Wreck Museum in Whitefish Bay is a great stop. One of the best quilt shops I have ever seen in Ontonogan over by the Porcupine Mountains. Another good city/county campground (reservable) in Houghton.
If we were home there is always room for friends in Hastings.
Roger and Susan
Carol, we spent a week in Big Eu Pleine County park CG (Marathon County Park system) deep in the woods about 6 miles west of Mosinee, WI. Mosquitos were virtually nonexistent! Never got "bitten" once and we didn't use bug repellent. Other campers also commented on how there seemed to be no mosquitos.
Multiple electric sites on the west loop, $15/day, dump site on way in or out. Nice little town of Mosinee, with Piggly Wiggly grocery store on west end and an Ace Hardware next door to pig.