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Thread: Macerator Use And Maintenance

  1. #1
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    Mar 2006
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    Question Macerator Use And Maintenance

    Can someone give me the step by step procedure for using the Macerator pump for holding tank draining.

    I want to try it out and practice, before the need arises.

    How long of a hose can one use?

    Does the pump produce much head?

    What maintenance is required? Is periodic use enough?

    I have heard that the pump should not be run dry. If that is the case, how does one know when the tank is empty and to turn off the pump.
    Wouldn't looking for the flow to stop at the hose end be catching it too late?

    How do you clean the discharge hose in a way not to contaminate the potable water tap?

    JIM

  2. #2
    dalej Guest

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    Jim,

    I don't use mine but once in a great while. I have a switch on the dash overhead but added one by the pump so while I'm at the pump I can turn it on and off without going back inside the bus.

    You don't want to run it dry, so what I do is hook up the drain hose and then open the discharge valve and then open the inlet valve and then turn it on and let it run until I hear a pitch change in the pump, then turn it off. Then I open the gray tank valve and let grey water fill my Y fitting, then open the black tank and let the grey partially fill the black. Then repeat the above process until the black is drained and rinsed. Do this until the gray is empty.

    I have been thinking of going to a 1 inch discharge hose to use at campgrounds instead of the 3 inch gravity hose. I have seen some of the newer rv's that have gone this way but haven't heard much on how it's working out.

  3. #3
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    I only have one holding tank, so I do not have to mix.

    I guess I'll just try it and see what happens.

    Does paper ever get stuck in the discharge hose?

    Do you use a regular garden hose, what dia., or is some other type preferred?

    JIM

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Pismo Beach CA/Fortuna Foothills AZ
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    Quote Originally Posted by JIM CHALOUPKA View Post
    Can someone give me the step by step procedure for using the Macerator pump for holding tank draining.

    I want to try it out and practice, before the need arises.

    How long of a hose can one use?

    Does the pump produce much head?

    What maintenance is required? Is periodic use enough?

    I have heard that the pump should not be run dry. If that is the case, how does one know when the tank is empty and to turn off the pump.
    Wouldn't looking for the flow to stop at the hose end be catching it too late?

    How do you clean the discharge hose in a way not to contaminate the potable water tap?

    JIM

    Jim,

    You left yourself open on this one

    To really appreciate the macerator pumps use you will need a tank full of nasties, with lotsa solids and paper, even better if well aged. Hose length is immmaterial as long as you have it running downhill, remember downhill! Head pressure depends on what is being ground at the time, in other words it is not a constant flow but rather a rather vial spurtting! Maintenance, I would throw it away when it quit working or after one use, whichever is first! (Usually happens at the same time) Ahh, to know when its empty (the
    tank)......you will have probably abandoned the entire idea well before the tank empty's, either your gag reflex has triggered, your neighbors, or someone as far as 1/4 mile away.....perhaps even the police have arrived.
    The hose, you don't clean it, you throw it away (in a yellow bio hazzard bag)or burn it!


    John

  5. #5
    dalej Guest

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    Mine at home is a 1 inch ID. You can use a hose, I think that a lot of systems are set up with a hose fitting from what I have seen.

    What do you have setup for the discarge? I have a 1 inch female pipe thread coming off the discharge valve so I can you any set up.

    This is only a guess but if you only have one waste tank, you are holding 98 percent water, so you'll have no problems with paper.

  6. #6
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    I assume I have a regular (garden) hose bib, but don't know exactly, nor where it's to be found

    Jon, I don't think you throw these hoses away, some use the macerator for all holding tank emptying.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2007
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    Port St. Lucie, FL
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    Jim,

    I wanted to test mine on the Liberty, just to see how (and if) it worked.

    A standard garden hose was attached to the outlet near the rear bumper and then I just placed the outlet end in the regular sewer pipe here at the Resort.

    I only have a switch on the dash, which in my case is a momentary switch. So I simply held it in the on position until I heard the pitch change, which indicated that the tank was empty and was easily confirmed by the level indicator over the dash.

    Since we have a single waste tank, the "work" for the macerator pump is minimal. There was no issue with anything clogging the garden hose.

    It's nice to know that there is a backup plan and it works!

  8. #8
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    Jim,

    Check the right rear corner of the bus, just beneath the engine bay door, for a small brass cap that covers the hose connection.

  9. #9
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    Oh, and make sure you keep that brass cap polished......

  10. #10
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    Nov 2007
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    I recently replaced my Macerator pump and have tested it. I have a dedicated garden hose (do not try and prime this hose using your mouth) and a connection on the curb side of the third bay. Switch in the Plumbing bay that once on stays on until one turns it off (witch is why I replaced the pump). There is also an electric valve that opens to allow both the grey and black water to combine and exit together. I have been considering a longer hose to reach remote sewer locations, wonder how long is too long and how much of a grade the pump can handle, might test this w grey water first.

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