Fleetwood Motorhome Association, Inc. - Vacu Flush toilet noisy

02/25/2020 9:47 AM

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Message # 8768883

Deleted user

I have asked this question before about the noise of the vacuum pump on a 2019 Southwind vacu flush toilet. Every time the toilet is flushed people from 100 ft. radius want to know what the noise is. The noise inside of the coach is manageable but outside is very distracting to fellow campers but a bit of a privacy issue.

I have called the rev customer service and the tech dept. and they have not have had any complaints so the question is, is my unit louder than others or am I just too sensitive. I took off the access panel and the pump is mounted to the floor with no rubber barrier between pump and floor and the pump is enclosed in a metal compartment so the pump is virtually enclosed in a drum. I wish I had heard this noise before purchasing the unit I would not have bought it. I have seen the vacu flush system on boats and there was no noise. Customer service has told me to have the dealer check the pump and have them take pictures and call the warranty dept. that will be done this April when I get home.

I am looking from input from other vacu flush users. Thanks, Greg

03/01/2020 9:11 PM

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Reply # 8785813 on 8768883

Anonymous

I thought I was the only one, I find the pump very loud when outside

03/03/2020 8:10 AM

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Reply # 8791362 on 8785813

Deleted user

James Roach wrote:
I thought I was the only one, I find the pump very loud when outside

It appears that there are only 2 of us .

03/03/2020 3:11 PM

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Reply # 8792237 on 8768883

Anonymous

You guys are not alone. We purchased a pristine 2008 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 36d last summer from an individual. My first experience with a Vacuflush system was when we flush the toilet the first time. It sounded like someone was beating on the floor with a hammer. I did a lot of research about the system and finally decided that it was just time to rebuild the vacuum pump. I visited my local dealer and had them order the "Whisper conversion" rebuild kit. They had never seen this system but rebuilt the pump with the help of the manufacturer. After spending $900 the pump was only slightly less noisy. I still have to explain to my neighbors in the RV parks what the noise is. I was told that the noise should be like "whoosh whoosh", but it's more like "bang bang". I have also read where the pump has to be replaced or rebuilt often just to keep it working. One guy reported rebuilding every 6 months! Somewhere I read that Fleetwood has discontinued using this system, but I have not had that confirmed. There has to be MANY nice Fleetwood RV's on the road that have this situation. I would be happy to hear from Fleetwood or any owners concerning a possible fix for the noise and breakdown problems that the Vacuflush systems have experiences. We love our Pace Arrow, but this system would stop us from recommending anyone else from buying a Fleetwood product with the Vacuflush system. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks, Bill Stevens bstevens1951@hotmail.com

03/04/2020 10:28 AM

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Reply # 8794390 on 8768883

Dan Quasnick

The answer to one of your questions is yes, Fleetwood has discontinued using the vacuflush system in 2020 coaches. The reason they had the vacuflush was because the black tank was located behind the rear axle which meant effluent had to be pumped uphill before it could be dropped into the tank, in 2020 they moved the blank tank and went back to gravity feed, the downside smaller black tanks! As for the sound it is an a acquired thing you learn is just a unique part of your coach or you google message boards and perform solutions done by other campers such as the one I have shown below:

The Bounder comes with a Sealand Vacuflush Sanitation System. The system uses a vacuum pump that creates a vacuum in the drain line from the toilet so when the flush lever is pushed, the refuse is sucked out of the toilet bowl. This means less water is used to do the flush. Also, the vacuum pump system is a macerator. The system works well and less Black water is generated per day. After a flush, the vacuum has to be generated again. This means the vacuum pump runs. This was noisy in the middle of the night for us and our neighbors. The pump is located in a compartment over the propane tank. There is a large flat floor panel at the top of the compartment, a large flat steel floor and the access panel is a large piece of steel. All these surfaces are like drum heads and amplify the pump sounds.
	We applied some 80 mil think sound insulation on much of the surfaces around the pump. We used Noico Sound Deadening Mat. It was self stick. We cleaned the surfaces with alcohol and cut the sheets into pieces to be able to apply the material. Now we can hardly hear the pump run and we are sure our neighbors are happier.

03/04/2020 12:58 PM

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Reply # 8795222 on 8768883

Anonymous

WE HAVE A 2019 SOUTHWIND 35K AND YES THE VACU FLUSH IS VERY NOISY! WE APPRECIATE ALL THE FEED BACK AND SUGGESTIONS. I SENT AN E MAIL TO FLEETWOOD asking for info on the vacu flush system like o/m manual. no responce yet! Our coach did not have any vacu flush info as someone at the dealer stole it. we love the coach except it needs more engine horsepower. We see that ford has found more power in the 2020 model, just our luck.

03/27/2020 4:24 PM

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Reply # 8862919 on 8768883

Anonymous

May I ask how much you needed to buy to do the job? I can't tell from the picture but did you put it on every surface surrounding the pump? Amazon sells it in various quantities which is why I'm asking. Thanks in advance for your help.

04/07/2020 10:49 PM

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Reply # 8884961 on 8768883

Bob Fisher

I have a 2016 Excursion with the VacuFlush. Like everyone else I found it way too noisy. I placed it on a rubber mat and glued noise canceling foam batting on the ceiling and walls of the cabinet. I also loosely covered the VacuFlush with the same batting. It really helped a lot. It still noisier than a gravity flush but we don’t notice it much any more. It was well worth the work.

01/02/2021 10:59 AM

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Reply # 9592088 on 8768883

Deleted user

We have a Bounder 35K Anniversary edition and it does the same thing, but you really can't hear it beyond the limits of our site. All I do is think of the All in the family episodes where you hear Archie flushing the toilet at the most inopportune times and I start laughing :)