I was planning on a full update this evening after today's activities, but young Rob being so impestuous, I will fill in the blanks right now for those of you who are lounging about after a hearty Sunday brunch before heading down to the boatyard yourselves.
Yesterday was partly sunny and topped out in the '50 here in RI, and with Miss K out of town (visiting Mom in FL) I have the whole weekend to apply myself to le' affaire d'poopie. Friday UPS brought me all the parts EXCEPT the VacuFlush unit itself from SeaCoast Services, in Seaford NY. George, the owner, had the 10 Gal unit in stock, but opened the box before he shipped and said that the unit "didn't look right" and ordered me a new one, that he promises will be in Monday. I like this guy, he has been very helpful, and the prices on his site are very good....
http://www.sealandservices.com/.
I did have the parts necessary to rebuilt the toilet and get started with running fresh hose, so that's what I did. The Vacu-Flush toilet is a breeze to rebuild, I am now pissed that I put it off so long fearing a disgusting, stinky, complicated procedure. After I removed the single large hose clamp around the base, the bowl come loose and is placed to the side and all the parts are right there, and VERY easy to replace following the easy directions that come with the kit. I decided to do the whole routine so I replaced the seals, flush ball, shaft & spring. This replaces basically all the moving parts and for about $70 gives you the equivalent of a whole new toilet. Total time, 15 minutes and required a flat and phillips screw driver only. I had already removed the old hoses last week so I used a heat gun to softened up the new, odor blocking, Sealand hose and snaked it through to the toilet, double clamped it on and cut it, leaving a generous tail to connect to the VacuFlush unit when it arrives.
I want to say that one of the great things about the VacuFlush system, is that little to no effluent remains in the hoses after each use. After 8 years, the old hose had NO crud buildup on the inside, and was dry and pretty much not stinky at all. The only liquid sighted was pink antifreeze. This was WAY less bad than I expected and was prepared for.
I sanded the the shelf where the bilge pump, discharge pump, and Main unit will sit and gave it a hearty coat of BIN sealer (I found in my basement). The area is clean and fully rejuvenated. I attached a mounting block to the inside wall of the hull for the charcoal stink filter and set it in place with a liberal dose of 5200. Albin appears to have never considered the possibility that it's owners s#!t will stink, so there was no filter on the air discharge. Another $70 for the filter and bracket and we'll fix that little issue.
Back today to strip the hose off the midships bilge pump (which fell apart on moving the pump to get the old VHT out) and to clean up and get ready for the big install and plumbing fest next weekend. I may have some photos later today.
