Evac Vacuum Sewage System
Spare Parts Supplier
Optima vacuum toilets · OnlineVac, OnlineFlex and EasyFit collecting units · CSWE, EcoTreat and MBR treatment plants
The Evac equipment behind most shipboard enquiries
Evac, based in Espoo, Finland, builds vacuum collection, wastewater treatment and waste handling systems for ships. Its history begins in 1975 as a vacuum systems development project, continues as the company Evak from 1979, and takes the Evac name after the 1985 merger with the Electrolux environment division, Envirovac. An Evac vacuum system is made of separate products: toilets, interface valves for gravity fixtures such as basins and showers, a collecting unit that generates the vacuum, and a treatment plant or tank downstream. Each has its own documentation and parts list, so a request should say which product a line belongs to. The group also carries the Cathelco and HEM brands; this page covers Evac-branded sanitary and waste equipment only.
Optima 3
A fully pneumatic vacuum toilet in wall and floor versions, with USPH variants, which Evac positions as the cabin toilet for vessels such as cargo ships. Pressing the button sends an air pulse to the control mechanism, which uses vacuum to open the water valve and then the discharge valve, so a fault is traced along that path.
Optima 5 · Optima 5S · Optima 7
Optima 5 toilets add flush memory and vacuum sensor technology and are aimed at passenger vessels; alongside them Evac lists a vacuum urinal. The 5S is the low-noise wall-mounted model, and the Optima 7 brings a rimless bowl built on 5S technology. USPH, Autoflush, fire-rated and, on the 5S, EN 1717 versions exist, so the marking on the bowl belongs in the request.
Evac 90 · Evac 910
Evac lists the Evac 90, 910 and Optima as stainless steel toilets, built for the durability needed on naval and other special vessels, with shock-resistant versions. For older installations the maker also offers the InClick, InHush and InFlux upgrade systems, which fulfil the function of old spare parts, so a reply may propose an upgrade kit as well as a like-for-like item.
Vacuum Interfaces
Fully pneumatic valves, needing no electricity, that connect basins, showers, urinals, sumps and other gravity fixtures to the vacuum sewage system. They are made with a smaller and a larger tank, for downward or riser connection, so give the version shown on the unit.
OnlineVac · EasyVac
Units that macerate the sewage and generate the vacuum with liquid ring pumps; on the OnlineVac these are the V16 and V26, built with extra-strong bearings and heavy-duty mechanical seals. Name the unit and the pump designation first, then the seals, bearings or macerating parts concerned. EasyVac is sold only in the Asia-Pacific market.
OnlineFlex
A lobe-pump vacuum unit for small passenger or merchant ships, in FX and 2FX designations, with optional models that retrofit older installations with pumps or complete units. Give the designation from the plate and say whether the unit was fitted new or as a retrofit.
EasyFit
An ejector collecting unit for smaller vessels and simple systems: a pump drives the ejector, and the ejector creates the vacuum. It is mounted directly on the ship's hull tank or combined with a treatment plant, and is also supplied as a component kit for tight spaces, so name the pump, the ejector and the arrangement.
OnlineMax R · EcoVac
Vacuum units for large vessels such as cruise ships. OnlineMax R is a double-stage system that splits the air and sewage into separate phases, each handled by its own pump, and needs no sealing water; EcoVac is a vacuum tank system with vacuum pumps and sewage discharge pumps.
CSWE Series · EcoTreat
Plants for merchant and small vessels. CSWE is a membrane bioreactor carrying RINA type approval to IMO MEPC.227(64), and EcoTreat works on the fixed bed bioreactor principle. Membranes, screens, blower and pump items are read against the certificate of the plant as installed.
MBR · EcoOcean MBBR
Biological plants for passenger vessels, certified to MEPC.227(64) with nutrient removal. Evac pairs them with EcoScreen screening, EcoTrap and SGT grease separators, and EPS pump and EBS blower stations, so name the pre-treatment unit separately from the reactor.
UMCC · Waste Incinerator Classic · Standard · Flex
An electromechanical multi-chamber compactor made for ships, and the incinerator line for non-recyclable burnable garbage. Evac acquired Deerberg-Systems, Uson Marine and Norsk Inova, which made waste systems under their own names, so give the name on the plate as it reads.
Where a vacuum toilet system stops flushing
In a vacuum system the toilets share the vacuum drawn by the collecting unit, and the moving parts at the bowl are valves and rubber parts worked by vacuum and air pulses. That shapes the fault pattern, and it decides whether the order belongs to the toilet, the collecting unit or the plant.
Rubber sleeves and diaphragm
Vacuum acting on the valve housing opens the rubber diaphragm of the discharge valve, and a spring-loaded mechanism closes it again. Evac's Optima 5 manual schedules renewal of the rubber sleeves and diaphragm together with the relief valve diaphragm, and lists leaking sleeves as a cause of an overflowing toilet. It also warns that sharp tools may damage rubber, so after a blockage has been cleared that way the sleeves are worth checking.
Water valve and filters
Among the causes the manual gives for a toilet that does not rinse or flush properly are a dirty water valve filter, a blocked supply filter and a water valve jammed open. Its remedies range from cleaning the filters to cleaning or changing the valve's nozzles, springs and rubbers, and the maintenance schedule renews the water valve as a whole.
Air filter, mini-check valve, push button
The pneumatic push button sends only an air pulse through a control hose. When a toilet does not respond, the manual points to a clogged mini-check valve, a jammed control mechanism, the push-button membrane and hoses, and the air filter of the control mechanism, all worth ruling out before a discharge valve is ordered.
Foreign objects and urine scale
Evac fits Ragsnag rings directly behind the toilet and in-line catchers in the piping to stop foreign objects before they block the system. Lime scale from urine narrows the pipes, and Evac notes that it builds up more in vacuum systems because the sewage is more concentrated and vacuum lowers the boiling point of water. Its CleanVac descaler is offered on the point that, unlike traditional strong acids, it does not harm the biomass of the treatment plant.
Seals, bearings and foaming
On the OnlineVac the same liquid ring pump macerates the sewage and generates the vacuum, and Evac singles out its extra-strong bearings and heavy-duty mechanical seals. Evac also describes liquid ring and ejector units as carrying a foaming risk that its lobe-pump and double-stage units avoid. When the whole ship loses vacuum, look at the collecting unit and the main piping before the toilets.
Grease and grit fouling
Oils, grease and fats cause problems from pipe clogging to membrane fouling, and inorganic material can clog or damage a treatment system over time, which is why Evac places grease separators and screening ahead of its bioreactors. Evac describes the CSWE membrane plant as chemical-free apart from cleaning.
Evac components that appear on RFQ lines
The groups run through the system from the bowl to the plant, so each line can carry the Evac part number from the Spare Parts List beside the description.
- Discharge valve rubber sleeves and diaphragms
- Relief valve diaphragms and mini-check valve flaps
- Complete discharge valves and backplate assemblies
- Water valves, water valve filters, nozzles and springs
- Control mechanisms, air filters and push buttons, pneumatic or autoflush
- Seat and cover sets, flushing rings and bowl securing nuts
- Vacuum interface valve parts for grey water branches
- Liquid ring vacuum pumps, mechanical seals and bearings
- Lobe pump and ejector pump items on OnlineFlex and EasyFit units
- Macerators, in-line catchers, Ragsnag rings, non-return and NoBack valves
- Vacuum sensors, level switches and control panel items
- Treatment plant membranes, screens, grease separator parts and blower station items
Reading an Evac plate into a quotable line
Evac marks its units and components according to the SFI Group numbering system on engraved tag plates in English. That tag is a ship-system reference; the part number is in the Spare Parts List and the Illustrated Parts List, which Evac says each toilet has alongside its GA drawing. Send both, and keep them apart.
- Product name exactly as on the plate: Optima 3, Optima 5, OnlineVac, OnlineFlex, EasyFit, CSWE, EcoTreat, MBR
- The size or model suffix after the family name, written as printed
- Serial number of the toilet, collecting unit or plant
- Execution: wall or floor, USPH, Autoflush, EN 1717 or fire-rated version where marked
- Evac part number from the Spare Parts List or Illustrated Parts List
- Document number of the manual or general arrangement drawing kept aboard
- SFI tag number from the engraved plate, to locate the item rather than to order it
- On collecting units: the vacuum pump designation and the motor plate
- Any earlier maker name on the plate, written exactly as it reads; Evac's history includes Evak and Envirovac, and on the waste side Deerberg-Systems, Uson Marine and Norsk Inova
- Photograph of the backplate with the cover off, with the removed rubber part beside it
Tools for this equipment: the shore connection flanges page for the MARPOL sewage discharge flange.
Supply route review for Evac sanitary and waste equipment
Evac describes the Optima 5 wall toilet as a backplate assembly of discharge valve, water valve and VT controller, states that each toilet has its own GA drawing and parts lists, and tells the ship in its manual to use only genuine Evac spare parts. Where the buyer's approval list follows that instruction, the request is read on the OEM-route: the line carries the Evac part number, the product and the serial, and the reply states what can be traced against those three. Evac's maintenance schedule is written per toilet, so a renewal round covers every toilet on board, and the quantity per toilet and the number of toilets are confirmed before anything is priced.
Plant items follow the certificate
Evac's CSWE, EcoTreat and MBR plants carry approval to IMO MEPC.227(64), and the ship's sewage certificate rests on the plant as installed. Membranes, screens and items inside the treatment train therefore follow the maker's reference unless the certification question has been answered first.
Where a verified alternative can be examined
Away from the flush mechanism and outside the treatment train, some items can be looked at on a verified alternative route once the removed part has been measured and the medium confirmed, always within the buyer's approval list. Non-return valves in the vacuum piping, pump mechanical seals and bearings, level switches and motor-side parts are the usual candidates.
Older installations and upgrade kits
For older installed toilets Evac offers upgrade systems that fulfil the function of old spare parts. Whether a like-for-like item or an upgrade kit is the realistic line is stated openly in the reply, not decided silently.
One branch down is not the whole system
For a toilet that keeps discharging, Evac's manual shuts off its branch line valve, so one branch can be isolated while the rest of the ship keeps flushing; a ship-wide vacuum loss points to the collecting unit. The list is split the same way, toilet items and unit items, so the part needed first is not held up by the rest.
Evac vacuum systems — questions from the ship
Which Evac equipment is meant for cargo and merchant ships?
Evac positions the Optima 3 as the cabin toilet for vessels such as cargo ships, the OnlineFlex for small passenger or merchant ships, the EasyFit for smaller vessels and simple systems, and the CSWE Series as a treatment plant for merchant vessels, with EcoTreat aimed at small vessels. Vacuum interface valves connect basins, showers and other gravity fixtures to the vacuum line. Send what is written on each plate, because the toilet, the collecting unit and the plant have separate parts lists.
What is needed to order discharge valve parts for an Evac Optima toilet?
The toilet model as marked (Optima 3, Optima 5 or 5S, wall or floor), the serial number, and the Evac part number from the Spare Parts List if the manual is aboard. A photograph of the backplate with the cover removed shows whether the request is for rubber sleeves and diaphragms only, a complete discharge valve or the whole backplate assembly. State how many toilets the quantity is meant to cover.
Is the tag number on an Evac plate the part number?
No. Evac marks its units and components according to the SFI Group numbering system, on engraved tag plates in English, and that number places the item in the ship's systems. For replacement parts Evac's own manual asks for the type of unit, the serial number, the Evac part number and the quantity, so send the part number from the Spare Parts List or Illustrated Parts List and give the tag only to locate the item.
Can parts be requested for an older Evac installation?
Yes, the request can be reviewed. Evac's line runs from Evak, formed in 1979, through the 1985 merger with the Electrolux environment division, Envirovac, and the maker offers InClick, InHush and InFlux upgrade systems that fulfil the function of old spare parts. Send the bowl marking as it reads, the serial if it is legible, and photographs of the valve and controller; the reply says whether a like-for-like item or an upgrade kit is the realistic line.
Can parts for an Evac sewage treatment plant go on an alternative route?
Inside the treatment train, not before the certification question is settled. CSWE, EcoTreat and MBR plants carry approval to IMO MEPC.227(64), and the ship's sewage certificate rests on the plant as installed, so membranes, screens and treatment-train items follow the maker's reference. Pumps, motor-side items and piping valves outside the treatment train are a separate question and are reviewed item by item.
Is Vessel Core connected to Evac?
No, and there is no agreement of any kind. Vessel Core holds no distribution, representation or partnership agreement with Evac, and quoting a component against one of its designations implies no approval by the maker and no claim of interchangeability.
Send the plate and the backplate photo.
Name the product (Optima toilet, collecting unit or treatment plant), the serial, the Evac part number if the manual is aboard, how many toilets the quantity covers, and the port. Toilet rubbers, collecting unit items and plant items are quoted as separate lines, so the ship can decide what to change now and what to carry as spares.
