Serious Plumbing Considerations

[truk4u]

That's the way I see JPJ. I have had my Microphor out of the bus and rebuilt it. There is a 12v electric solenoid that controls the water flow.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Not exactly re: electric flush. The Head Hunter valve is actuated electrically. The key is to determine if it is possible for the water flow to the toilet to be siphoned backwards.

In a house toilet for example, the water flows into the toilet from above, and when the flow stops, the water remaining in the path to the bowl (around the rim and in the passage to the outlet) drains down to the level of the water in the bowl. That leaves an air gap from the outlet of the toilet tank to the water in the bowl. If the water supply to the toilet drops to zero pressure the worst thing that could happen is the contents of the tank could possibly be siphoned out (unlikely because there is also an air gap between the fill valve outlet and the top of the water level in the tank) but that would be all that would happen.

I am not familiar with the Microphor toilet. To determine if it has the potential to back flow all one needs to do is to determine that the supply to the bowl terminates above the highest possible water level in the bowl, and that there is an air gap between the supply discharge to the toilet and that bowl water level. If the water supply is at or below the bowl water level and there is no air gap, meaning a siphon is possible, then my remarks about the Head Hunter are applicable to the Microphor.

Tom, in between supplying Jet Fuel to Waltrip, how about taking the time to determine if the Microphor is similarly affected or if it is safe to use without some form of back flow prevention?

[mike kerley]

Jon,

Our Microphore (?) supplies water to the bowl from under the toilet rim. There is a check valve that (if its working properly) would prevent a "giant occurrence" from filling the bowl and back flowing into the fresh water if the pump was off and there was no pressure in the line.

Were fairly safe. Flush often!!!!

Mike

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Mike, That sounds like an air gap. If I understand what you said, a backflow to the fresh water tank could only occur if the toilet bowl flooded to the rim, the check valve failed, and there was zero pressure in the supply line.

(I will presume here that the solenoid valve Tom spoke of would also have to fail open)

Sounds like you Microphor guys have one less thing to worry about.

[truk4u]

As Mike said, the water flows from the top of the rim. There is an overflow hole that has a vacuum breaker and tubing to form a p-trap to keep odor out of the bus. Should the water supply solenoid fail to shut off, the bowl water runs in the overflow and back down into the hopper assembley to the black tank.

I think us electric guys are safe, as long as we keep Anaconda Boy from using our tiny little bowls.

[mike kerley]

I suppose that a large mass of flesh could seal the top of the bowl and then a large volume of "gas" could be flushed into the sealed area, forcing water up the sides and into the water line. Nah. Never mind.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Could that gas be used to seat the bead on my tires?

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Could that gas be used to seat the bead on my tires?

Jon, who are you trying to make an A** out of ?

I don't think I would volunteer to hold that match either !

Gary S

[GaryB]

HELP! We are very new to this. We have a 2006 Liberty. Yesterday we noticed a foul smell. (Our bus has been parked for about a month at our new farm. Having had to replace the space heater in the water bay, having first drained all the water, all the water in the fresh water tank was new a week ago.) Back to the smell. We Searched and found black water had backed up from the shower drain. The black water tank was about 15% filled. My wife noticed the gray water bypass was closed and opened it and the water drained from the shower. We put some clorox down the shower and washed the shower pan.
We had something like this happen a few months ago out on the road.
What are we doing wrong? Why would black water back up into the shower when the tank is almost empty and why would it drain when you open the gray water bypass. We're in Dallas and what I know about plumbing is even less than I know about electricity. HELP. By the way, if anyone could talk to me or email me about this, that would be wonderful. gary.lawson.lawyers@gmail.com or 469.964.8500 thanks 2 million!

[Joe Camper]

Here's what I think is going on. On your Liberty you do not have separate grey and holding tank there's just one.

You have Headhunter tank sensors and possibly your tank sensors need to be calibrated because what it's saying it's 15%. It's completely full.

By opening the gray water bypass it lets everything out onto the ground except for the contents of your holding tank so that's why it drains out when you open up the bypass, that is working correctly.

In my opinion there is 2 things that could be causing this and calibrate the tank level sensors is one of them. Headhunter has a very easy process for you to do that.

If you go to the remote panels for the tank level sensors and take the four screws and pull the panel away you will see some dip switches on the back of those panels we're all the little red lights are and you calibrate those tanks first empty and then full. If u r lucky that's all you need to do.

However before u do that check another component first.

Another thing with the Headhunter tank level sensors that could be causing the bad calibration. There's little quarter inch push in Street elbows at the top of the tank where the airline goes into the tank and then down. If those Street elbows failed and they r leaking air it could be that causing the incorrect t level. It could also be the micro compressor the little micro air compressor that they use could have failed as well but prob not in this case.

I would go to those little push in fittings the street elbows on the top of those tanks check there first, those fail all the time. If it's not the street elbow then calibrate the tank.

I think you could test the micro compressors there is a little red reset button on them and there should be a green light for them on the compressor. There r 3 of these they look like a small fish tank air compressor.

If it seems like it's kind of complicated all this to go through for your tank level sensors well you'd be right because it is. I do not care for Headhunter I think their systems r over complicated and overpriced.

If u go through the house manuals Headhunter and calibration procedure will be in there or they also have it online.

If the airline at the elbow is leaking snip a short bit off the end and reinsert it.