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Headhunter toilet question
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Solenoid valve???????
I’m making a big assumption here because I haven’t seen your coach, but the Headhunter toilet needs an unrestricted water flow from the pump through the flush valve to the toilet.
It needs the check valve so that restriction is acceptable. The ball valve is a wide open flow, so that is OK. The flush valve is another restriction, but is designed as part of the toilet mechanism so we know that is OK.
But a solenoid valve? I don’t understand that because it is a restriction. Are you calling the flush valve a solenoid valve? It would be a black plastic almost round device, six screws around the perimeter, two wires, kind of flat.
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Making the assumption you are describing the flush valve as a solenoid valve if I understand your water system you go from the pump to a “tee” from which all house water is distributed. The other outlet from the “tee” is a straight 1″ line through the ball valve, check valve and flush valve.
If that is the case which I suspect it is, you have at least two leak points. One is the check valve in line with the toilet. It is apparently not preventing back flow when the water system pressure is zero.
The second check valve is at or internal to the water pump, and in order for the water system pressure to go to zero it also is leaking, or you would not back flow from the toilet. That leak is likely why your water pressure is zero after the pump has been shut off. If that is the true then when you use your coach you hear the water pump kick on periodically even though you are not drawing water.
Most of our coaches likely have some uncontrolled water usage such as to refill an RO accumulator tank or to make ice cubes. So on occasion in the middle of the night we hear the water pump kick on. but if the house system check valve at the water pump is leaking, the water pressure in the system eventually falls until the pump kicks back on to restore the pressure.
If you want to verify that turn off the valve between the water pump and the fresh water tank. Turn off the icemaker, and make sure your RO system (if installed) is not generating water (or turn it off).
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This is what the flush valve looks like:
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The solenoid is not to create the seal in the flush valve, but to disrupt the seal to initiate water flow. The switch timer controls how long that disruption remains “on” to help regulate the flush and the bowl water content.
Water pressure ahead of the flush valve is what holds the seal in place.
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Ok, back at bus today. What I am calling a solenoid valve is the flush valve, solenoid valve/flush valve, just semantics, any valve with an electric solenoid is a solenoid valve to me until you have to be specific.
I closed the ball valve, shut the pressure pump off, the toilet has lost no water in 6 hours.
The result seems to be that the toilet was leaking backwards thru the flush vlave, thru the check valve into the fresh water tank. Very poor design. I will replace the inline check valve. I have santized the water system, drained and flushed.
All is ok now. -
Actually you still have a defective check valve in the pump or associated with the pump to prevent system pressure loss.
I will surmise you pump cycles even when you are not drawing water because the water pressure is bleeding off pushing system water back into the water tank. That can be corrected with a repaired or replaced check valve associated with the pump, or if easier just add a check valve where water enters or leaves the pump. That gives you double protection against the contents of the toilet bowl entering your fresh water tank.
Yes it is a poor design. But as much as I dislike the design and the potential for back flow from the toilet into the water tank, I cannot come up with a better one that eliminates that problem. There are a lot of us in the same situation and I can only suggest that anyone with a similar set up (and there are a lot of us) be aware of the clues the system has to be serviced.
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You’re not alone Larry, one of my previous coaches had no cut-off or check valve, same as you. Anyone with a Headhunter toilet installation should be checking for this problem.
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Thanks for bringing this to everyone’s attention… Tom/ Jon is this something to be concerned with on a Tecma ?
Bill
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The reason the problem exists with a Headhunter toilet is the fresh water supply to the toilet is below the level of the waste water in the bowl. If your coach has another type of toilet, as long as the inflow of water is above the level of the water in the bowl you do not have to be concerned.
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Bill I had a tecma for 10 years I don’t think it’s a problem ,call them and check just to be sure
1999 XLV X-6872, liberty #440
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