Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: sealand electric toilet (Read 1122 times) previous topic - next topic

sealand electric toilet

We're on the road on the way to Nac.  Our electric toliet is intermitant, refusing to flush and then working fine.  When it does flush, we hear the sound of a pump which goes on for a long while and sounds like it's pumping dry.  We haved serviced the ball with toliiet seal lube.  Any ideas??
Larry Boyd, Alice and Fritz the Cat
'03 U320 40 "Brutus" / '08 Jeep Cherokee

Re: sealand electric toilet

Reply #1 –
Larry,

Spray everything electrical, circuit boards, switches, connectors, etc. with CorrosionX.  If corrosion is the problem this will clear it up overnight.  Probably will not kill the corrosion instantly but will definitely do so overnight.  Could certainly save you some service cost.

CorrosionX can be sourced at MOT, Xtreme Paint and Graphics or on the web at CorrsionX.com I believe.

Works great to lube moving parts too and on all other electrical items in the coach.
Rudy Legett
2003 U320 4010 ISM 450 hp
2001 U320 4220 ISM 450 hp
1995 U320 M11 400 hp
1990 Granvilla 300 hp 3208T
Aqua Hot Service Houston and Southeast Texas

Re: sealand electric toilet

Reply #2 –
Quote
When it does flush, we hear the sound of a pump which goes on for a long while and sounds like it's pumping dry.
When it does flush, does it put water in the bowl showing that your pump in not pumping dry?
What model toilet is it?
The selected media item is not currently available.Barry BEAM #16014
2003 U320 40' AGDS
Beamalarm, Foretravel technical help and specifications
"Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve"

Re: sealand electric toilet

Reply #3 –
Is it a vacu-flush, by any chance?  If so, have you replaced the duckbill valves and the seals recently (or within the last 3 years as per the maintenance schedule)?

(The vacuum generator for the vacu-flush looks like this, so you can tell if you have one)

The selected media item is not currently available.


We have a vacu-flush and Steve is quite familiar with portions of it.  We'll be in Nac sometime tomorrow afternoon (at MOT) if it's that style and you want to pick his brain.

Michelle
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
2003 U320

Re: sealand electric toilet

Reply #4 –
The toliet is a  sealand 3058 and has the pump shown in Michele's picture.  It fiils with water when it feels like flushing. I've noticed air escaping around the toliet ball so I assume we have a problem with vacumn loss.  We just got the coach and I doubt there was any service to this system.  It probably needs some attention.  Is there anything remedial I can do out in the boonies?  Thanks for all the help, I'm g :)oing to p/u some CorriosionX, sounds great

We will be at FT on 3/19 for 3 or 4 days.  Hope to see everyone who is making the scene.
Larry Boyd, Alice and Fritz the Cat
'03 U320 40 "Brutus" / '08 Jeep Cherokee

Re: sealand electric toilet

Reply #5 –
Quote from: LBoyd –
It fiils with water when it feels like flushing. I've noticed air escaping around the toliet ball so I assume we have a problem with vacumn loss. 

Is there anything remedial I can do out in the boonies?

If the air escape is around the ball, the ball isn't sealing well.  Happens at times, we've found especially after use with hard water. 

Get yourself some paper towels, maybe a little liquid dish or hand soap if you want, rubber/latex gloves if you're inclined.  Pull the ceramic cap off the back of the toilet - you'll see a circuit board with some toggle switches.  The switch settings SHOULD be shown on a piece of paper, possibly on the underside of the cap. 

Put the toilet in service mode with the appropriate switch.  This should open the ball.  You may need to depress the flush level as well, or even experiment with a few combinations (it can be finicky).

Once the ball is open, put on your gloves if using, take your paper towels, wad them up, dampen them with water and use soap if you like.  Now clean the surface that the ball seats against, especially the rubber seal itself.  Clean the ball edges as well (as best you can).  Do take care not to scratch the surfaces (or drop anything down the plumbing).  Take it out of service mode and see how it works (again, this may take some combination of returning the toggle to operate mode and depressing the flush lever).

It's a good idea to carry a spare ball and ball seal with you, just in case.  Every 3 years you're supposed to replace the 4 duckbill valves, ball, and ball seal IF you're using the unit a lot.  We went a bit longer than that before doing so.  The ball seal and ball aren't too bad; the duckbills are inside the vacuum generator pump and tend to collect "material".  Not an extremely difficult job, just somewhat unpleasant.

I'll see if we have the manual in .PDF format and have Steve upload it here.

Yes, these toilets do take more maintenance, but the flushing power is well worth the effort.  These are apparently pretty common toilets in marine applications.

Michelle
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
2003 U320

Re: sealand electric toilet

Reply #6 –
Manual is uploaded to the files library here

The selected media item is not currently available.
Michelle
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
2003 U320

Re: sealand electric toilet

Reply #7 –
Thanks for the ideas, we tried them out with some success  The toilet is still occasionally inop but you can use the service function in a pinch to get things movin.  The manual is great, much more detail than what was in our box of coach info. Again, thanks.
Larry Boyd, Alice and Fritz the Cat
'03 U320 40 "Brutus" / '08 Jeep Cherokee

Re: sealand electric toilet

Reply #8 –
Larry,

If the toilet won't flush because the leak in the ball seal has pulled the bowl dry (pumping sounds and red "do not flush" light on the indicator panel), add water to the bowl (manually - pour it in) so that the pump has something to pump against.  If the leak isn't too bad, the pump will eventually pull good enough vacuum and the green "ok to flush" light will come on.

Your black tank will, of course, fill up faster having to do this, but it's something you can do if needed.

Michelle
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
2003 U320

Re: sealand electric toilet

Reply #9 –
Quote

Yes, these toilets do take more maintenance, but the flushing power is well worth the effort.  These are apparently pretty common toilets in marine applications.

Michelle

Around here most of the Vacu- Flush units are being replaced. Last year I replaces the two Vacu-Flush toilets on the boat with  Tecma Silence Plus units due to the high maintenance of the Sealand units. The Tecma  pushes the waste keeping the mechanics of the system out of the waste path. getting rid of vacuum generators, duckbills, seals and working in the mess when things do not flush.....

http://www.thetford.com/HOME/PRODUCTS/PermanentToilets/TecmaSilenceMarine/tabid/544/Default.aspx

Cheers

Ted
"97 40' U320 build 5035

The best things in life are not things.... It's fulltiming in a Foretravel.

Re: sealand electric toilet

Reply #10 –
Quote from: HohoDad –
Last year I replaces the two Vacu-Flush toilets on the boat with  Tecma Silence Plus units due to the high maintenance of the Sealand units. The Tecma  pushes the waste keeping the mechanics of the system out of the waste path. getting rid of vacuum generators, duckbills, seals and working in the mess when things do not flush.....

Only a couple of engineers could get excited about a toilet, BUT this is interesting, since if we could get rid of the vacuum generator we'd have the space for a water softener....

Will have to look into it further and how challenging it would be to replumb....  Our black tank is not directly under the commode, hence the need for the current VacuFlush.

Michelle
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
2003 U320

Re: sealand electric toilet

Reply #11 –
Quote from: Steve & Michelle –

Will have to look into it further and how challenging it would be to replumb....  Our black tank is not directly under the commode, hence the need for the current VacuFlush.

Michelle

Michelle,
I am sure Steve could work out the pluming. all components are located inside the toilet. so all you have is hose/ pipe to the holding tank. It is over 30' from my forward head to the aft holding tank. we used 1 1/2" Trident Sanitation Hose.
"97 40' U320 build 5035

The best things in life are not things.... It's fulltiming in a Foretravel.

Re: sealand electric toilet

Reply #12 –
 We seem to have minimized the problem by doing the following (which I admit is a shot gun approach). 1. we continued the use of Thetford toilet seal lub( Camping World). 2. Sprayed the seals with CRC heavy duty Silicone spray as suggested in the toilet manual.  3.  Fill the bowl with water as required.  We only have a failure every 10th time or so.
Larry Boyd, Alice and Fritz the Cat
'03 U320 40 "Brutus" / '08 Jeep Cherokee