Boating How To - Vacuflush Marine Toilet Seal Replacement

[@CraigMurphy-my6wo]

Thank you, Boogaboo! You are giving me the confidence to work on my toilet!

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Great! Don't forget to check out my complete (and ever expanding) 'How I Did It' playlist for lots of boat repairs and upgrades I've done on our boats. Lots more Vacuflush insights as well. Cheers, Paul.

[@kevinblatter2369]

Thanks Paul for making this video (7 years ago). I recently discovered that I need to do this procedure on my boat. It's always helpful to see you do it first.

[@danrobeen802]

Thank you for this and all your other videos. They are super helpful to see it done completely before I attempt these projects.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Glad it was helpful! I just posted a brand new one, so I hope you will check it out.

[@sadil340]

Just in time for me! Excellent video, thanks.

[@Dive-Bar-Casanova]

Thanks for posting this. Ordered the gasket kit and spare duck bill valves. Vacuflush instructions say lubricate the seal every month with a little cooking oil.

[@56Daleo]

Great video. I have a Sea Ray 370 AC and your system looks exactly the same!

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Yes, it should be the same, Timothy. If you are looking for any more insights on the entire #Vacuflush system, take a boo at my complete DIY Playlist here; kzbin.info/aero/PLKhjT5kr2l2GpE-r5PjPvMtaRygCEb_si I've done pretty much everything that could be done to the entire head system that can be done! That includes replacing the collapsed black water (poop) holding tank with a much larger one - a huge project that was well worth the effort. Also serviced the pumps, vacuum tanks, replaced all the lines, duck bill valves and so on. . . I;ll look forward to your comments from those vids ;-) Cheers, Paul.

[@michaela4939]

Thanks so much for the tutorial. I found it very helpful and was successfully able to replace my first seal on our boat.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

You are most welcome. I'm always happy to share what I've learned. Hopefully it helps others out - especially when they see how simple some of these projects are to do. Not to mention the savings over paying a marina to do the work ;-) Be sure to check out the other DIY #boating projects I have in my Playlist (kzbin.info/www/bejne/q36rmWB_i8Z_fLs), as well my over 700 other videos :-) Cheers, Paul.

[@georgepoole1681]

Got the same boat - headed down next month and need to change a seal in the guest head and tighten the waterline in the master - thanks for the videos very helpful. MV No Stress

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

+George Poole Glad it helped you out, George. I hope you've had a chance to take a look at the DIY playlist on my Channel for more videos on how to fix lots of stuff on the boat. You mention that you are 'headed down' to your boat(?). In what part of the world do you keep her? Thanks for following along on our Facebook Page, BTW. . . Cheers, Paul.

[@georgepoole1681]

+BoatsBeachesAndBars Paul She is in Key West until January then we are moving her up the coast most likely Ft Pierce. We are headed down in December - [e-mail]

[@geoffreysmith916]

Very helpful video. Many thanks. Couple of things from when I replaced the seals on our installation. First, the water hose at the rear, after several years seems to 'vulcanise' iteself to the plastic fiiting taking the supply through to the bowl so loosening the hose clamp (hose clip in the UK) does nothing to aid the seperation! Only rather dangerous use of a flat-bladed screwdriver will succeed. Second, if you pull on the water hose too hard, it turns out the rubber plug seal securing the plastic pipe taking the water supply into the ceramic bowl is more likely to detach. What I did was to ignore the hose clamp in the end and for re-assembly, re-insert the rubber plug into the ceramic bowl with a bit of PTFE tape to restore the seal and, also with a bit of PTFE tape round it, then re-insert the plastic pipe fitting into the rubber plug seal. Success! No leak! Job's a good 'un! :-D Again, thanks for the video. helped me a lot. Best wishes. Geoff.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Happy to have helped you out, Geoffrey Smith . I just completed a complete replacement of our waste holding tank - what a job that was! Look for an extended video from that project, coming up shortly. I'll look forward to your comments there :-)

[@pamfillmore8243]

Thank you for this video! I also have to say that I don't know if I can do this without a few F-bombs! But you make it look so easy!

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

You are so welcome! Nothing to this job, pretty straightforward. Now, if you want to see some real fun, take a look at my How I Did It Boat Repairs and Upgrades playlist to see some really nasty projects I've done on our current + past #boat. Leave a comment on your favorite ;-) Cheers, Paul.

[@rcswando]

Very helpful video. Thanks for taking the time to post this.

[@jimavenius136]

Thanks for the video! Made it a snap to change mine!

[@brittanydonneberg4918]

Love this

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

What part, the fact that I was bale to get it fixed, or the fact that I had to do this on our summer holidays ;-)

[@aguyindallas]

This is perfect and exactly what I need to do in my 2004 320DA. Thank you!

[@pratzert]

Thank You for this instructional video. I need\ to replace the seal o my head too and this had been very helpful. Happy Boating !

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Glad to see it helped you out pratzert . I actually had to do this again recently and got some more 'up close' video from the job. Hope to have that posted soon. Thanks for your comment. Safe boating :-)

[@ribarimore8805]

Big ups for no gloves mr.hankey poking!

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Working as a general contractor for 30+ years, I've had to deal with lots of 💩, so working on my own ain't no big thing 😂

[@ribarimore8805]

@@BoatingWithBoogaboo take care of germs living there

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

I'm not aware of any identifying marks on our toilets (1997 build), but I can suggest trying the Dometic (Sealand, Vacuflush) site to see if you match your up. Failing that, you could take a picture and show the folks at your local marine supplier (west Marine, local marina, etc.). They should be able to help you out!

[@AnthonyApostol]

I have a 99 Searay 40' cruiser with a Vacuflush. Recently the Vacuflush won't stop running unless I turn the breaker off. Any suggestions on what it might be? It holds water, flushes, fills just fine. Mahalo, Anthony

[@ericreid8190]

Thank you!

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

You're welcome! Hope it helped 👍 And do t forget to look at my other VacuFlush/💩 tank repairs and upgrades videos. Always fun 😜

[@ice212a7]

Very good illustrative video

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Adam De La Cruz Thank you! If you check out my Channel, you will find - amongst the 600 videos I have posted so far - a complete playlist with many Do-It-Yourself #boating repairs, upgrades and tips. I've done quite a few upgrades on our current #boat , a Sea ray 400 Sedan Bridge, so there's a lot to see, and hopefully learn from :-) I'll look forward to more of your comments! Cheers, Paul.

[@ice212a7]

Absolutely!! you take the the horror away from doing it yourself and it gives me the confidence I need. Thanks, I will watch more of your postings

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Adam De La Cruz Great! I appreciate hearing that. Thanks again.

[@Steve-je1wx]

What is the best way to remove the waterline, or separate the toilet from the waterline?

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

I think you are referring to the water line (where the water comes into the toilet), as opposed to the waterline (where the hull meets the water)?? If so, that line has a simple hose clamp. Super easy job to do 👍

[@Steve-je1wx]

@@BoatingWithBoogaboo you are correct. I could not figure out to how to separate the incoming water hose from the vacuflush toilet. Turns out it is a simple compression fitting that just unplugs from the top where the hose meets the toilet. Thanks for getting back to me.

[@MOTORVESSELFREEDOM]

Great video

[@MrBphillips05]

Do you happen to have a part # ?

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

I don't have that number, but any marine outlet/store will be able to get what you need by just telling 'em you have a Vacuflush toilet. I've purchased many of them from many different sources from Michigan to Parry Midland on Georgian Bay to the big city of Keswick Ontario and they always handed me the correct one ;-)

[@funkyd04]

The Ball on my head isn't retracting all the way and is allowing some of the vaccume to leak through and the water gets sucked in. I have to manually push the ball back to close it fully and it will seal. Is this seal the problem or should i try something else?

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Could be that the clam-shell is just dirty. They sometimes get a buildup from all the nasty stuff we put down our toilets. Try taking the bowl off and doing a thorough cleaning of that clam-shell. Go to roughly the 6:00 mark of the video to see what I'm talking about. And make sure you replace the seal while you're at it :-) No, seriously, change that seal - and get a spare while you are at it. They fail at the most inopportune times. . .

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

And, here's a video I did when replacing the poop lines on that #boat, but with two cameras, to better show you how to remove the toilet: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJzNcpuehtGpnsU

[@kennethpappas]

How do I identify which sealand toilet I have in my boat? Thanks!

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Maybe it will help out a fellow boater one day . . .

[@cowlumbus]

I'm putting the 2 part base clamps back on and then the stainless clamp. My two plastic units do not go back together perfectly. This is a gap of about a 1/4-1/2 inch front and back. Is something not seating correctly? As my seal leaks more now then when I took it out for a cleaning!

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

robert feller I'd suggest that perhaps the seal itself is shot. Either that or you reinstalled it upside down? I usually have to replace our seals every season, as they are prone to breakdown, especially when used a lot. Otherwise, I'd take it apart & reassemble to make sure you have everything seated properly. Hope that helps!

[@cowlumbus]

***** Thanks for your time and quick response. One more question. (FYI seal didn't come off). Should the plastic half rings meet/touch when they are fully clamped. Mine have a 1/4" gap and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong and it's not dummy proof when it goes back together.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

robert feller FYI, if the seal did not come off at least one of the mating surfaces, the toilet would not have come off. When you mention that it didn't come off, I'm sure you meant to say it stayed stuck to one or the other. That said, there still may be an issue with it. As you were in there anyway, not sure why you wouldn't have replaced it? Just one more overpriced bit of marine supply to throw your money at ;-) As for the 1/4" gap you referred to, yes, mine looks the same. No, I didn't take one of ours apart to check it for you, but I do have another video I did last year that will show you what it looked like then. Another 30 minute long, boring video on replacing the actual poop lines, but I'm including a link that will start the video at the part you are probably most interested in: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJzNcpuehtGpnsUm

[@cowlumbus]

***** I didn't replace it while I was in there because I didn't have it and my buddy had me believing that a clean and lube would solve the need! To be honest this work doesn't scare me and it will take 5 minutes to get back in there...but I also didnt' want to buy the over priced gaskets until I had a better understanding of what needs replace. One gurus blog says to just to buy a whole new base on these 20+ year old Sea Rays as they get deformed...so still weighing all my options. Any idea how many duck bills there are per pump? I see conflicts of 2 and 4 on each side of pump. Mine is VERY difficult to get to so I won't be pulling it apart until I'm ready todo it.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Our 1997 Sea Ray 400 Sedan Bridge has four duck bills per pump - two in/two out. Here's a playlist of my DIY videos to hopefully help you out with some of your projects; kzbin.info/aero/PLKhjT5kr2l2GpE-r5PjPvMtaRygCEb_si Let me know how you make out with your toilet issue.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Glad to help! And before you let any guests use it, you might want to show them my latest video - search my channel for >> 'Marine Toilet - Vacuflush Duck Bill Valve Replacement :-('

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Hey buddy, don't you have some Florida enjoying to do? Oh, that's right - you are 'working 12 hours a day' down there. I almost forgot ;-)

[@joewood1335]

hahaha you put a crapper in during your vacation thats a great way to startoff the holiday lolololol

[@5464348643]

Thanks for the "heads up". (pun intended) lol

[@MOTORVESSELFREEDOM]

Absolutely!!!!

[@daniellurkin]

Woo hoo.thanks for the info

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Woo-Hoo, you are welcome ;-) Check out my Channel for more #boatin upgrades and repairs, including our wastewater holding tank removal. We will be reinstalling a new one, complete with new venting system, electronic level gauge and more, all coming up this spring. Keep an eye on us for TONS of more insights, fun and adventure - 2014 will be our first Full Time Liveaboard year for us on 'Boogaboo IV', so stay tuned :-)

[@Dive-Bar-Casanova]

***** I'd give my next born child for a waste water level gauge on the vacuflush tank. Their has to be a better way.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

tpcrb There is! I had installed a neat and inexpensive setup on our last holding tank - the one that got turfed last fall (kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4DZp6l9aaiep8U) and will be reinstalling it again with the new tank, next month. When that happens, I will do a more in-depth installation video, but in the meantime, here's a link to a video I posted 2 years ago, showing the actual monitor being installed (kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4XcemSsiZhrjac). The thing works flawlessly and would highly recommend it for anyone! Plus, it was very reasonably priced, at around $150, including shipping and tax. Make sure to subscribe to the Channel so you don't miss a thing :-) Cheers!

[@jacktyler7599]

Why oh why, does this marine head exist? A large pump/motor assembly that requires is own maintenance, a toilet bowl assembly that must be removed, an electrical draw, the preference of consuming fresh water, and gobs of complexity. Compared to a manual marine head. Are we now so enfeebled that we can't operate a pump handle?

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Ya

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

It was a 'crappy job' (also pun), but had to be done.

[@Buzzard4707]

It would have been a pretty good instruction video if the camera was on the toilet rather than your back!!!

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Feel free to check my channel for other perspectives of this very same project, with multiple angles and cameras. Sorry my initial efforts didn't hold up to your standards. Ain't you glad I didn't charge you any money for this one ;-)