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Old 02-12-2014, 04:48 PM   #1
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Macerator pump

We're now on our 4th coach that has come equipped with a Macerator pump in the wet bay, yet I have never used any of them even once. I went to great lengths when I built our S&B house to make sure that all the elevations and grading allowed for a gravity feed in to the septic tank with no need for a "lift station" In my view, a Poo pump can fail, and then someone has to fix the Poo pump, and that someone would be me.

I recently saw some posts on one of the forums here where folks were talking about how much they liked their Macerator units, and other than the ability to pump uphill and the fact that it's always hooked up, I don't get it. If there are some conveniences or other advantages to using the macerator on a regular basis, I would sure appreciate hearing them.

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Old 02-12-2014, 05:31 PM   #2
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I always use the stinky slinky whenever possible. However, there have been many times when we were parked at a friends house and used the macerator. I carry 150' of dedicated dirty garden hose just for that job. Each end of said hose has a large zip tie fixed as a reminder.

When gravity will do the work, and I am close enough, I do not use electric.
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Old 02-12-2014, 09:47 PM   #3
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I much prefer the macerator pump. I don't have to worry about making sure the 4 inch hose is running down hill. You don't have to worry about hooking it up when you stop or try to use a dumping station. Mine stays hooked up and the hose is stored in the wet bay area. I just pull out the hose open the valve on the end of the hose stick the end in the dump station open the drain valve and hit the switch. When I get done I just turn off the switch, close the drain valve close the valve on the end of the hose curl it back into the wet bay area and that is it. No smelly hose to deal with.

Everybody has their preferences I know. I like the pump better
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Old 02-13-2014, 04:27 AM   #4
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Took mine out. Hated it. While it is a good concept, clean and takes up little room it was taking about an hour to pump the black tank and equally as bad for the grey. I have more to do than babysit sewage dumping for a couple hours.
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Old 02-13-2014, 07:30 AM   #5
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Gee, our macerator has worked just perfectly. Contrary to the previous post, I think it is much faster and easier to use than the stinky slinky. You don't have to rinse it out when done. No drips and slips. We keep the end in a plastic bag. It just works.

How often do you replace the stinky slinky? I'll bet it is more often than maintenance on the macerator!
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Old 02-13-2014, 04:40 PM   #6
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pump it or plug it.

The issues becomes can you always plug in the stinky slinky to a hole in the ground. If not, then the pump has a place.

In my coach, we keep a pump in a sterlite plastic tote box along with 50 feet of corrugated 1" hose. Got the hose at HD in the garden department. they sell it for garden pools. Coils and cleans easily.

We use on our return from trip when we get home. Simply run the hose to the bathroom toilet. stick it in beyond the trap. No noise, smell or notin. Simple flush when done. We hook a fresh water hose to the pump to clean it out.

not sure if I would want it hooked up permanently.
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Old 02-13-2014, 04:57 PM   #7
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I would use the pump if I had one. I use the Sewer Solution and will never use the slinky unless forced to. The Sewer Solution is simple, uses water pressure for action and stays clean because you rinse with clean water when finished. There are improvements to the old process and they work well.
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Old 02-13-2014, 10:36 PM   #8
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The person taking an hour to dump is either exaggerating or has a 500 gallon sewer tank!

Our Monaco came with a SaniCon when we bought it new nine years ago and that's all we've ever used. We bought a new coach two weeks ago and I ordered the SaniCon before we even brought the coach home.

Most people that complain about them have never used them or used them enough to see how they work. Yes....they are slower dumping, but you don't spend the time dealing with standard sewer hose.....pull it out of wherever you store it, attach it, drain, pull the hose off, rinse it out, and put it back into storage while trying not to get waste dripping on you.

The SaniCon hose NEVER needs rinsing. Dump, put the cap back on the hose and stuff it back in the utility bay, it's always connected. It has a bypass hose for grey water, so it drains your grey water while connected.
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Old 02-13-2014, 10:45 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gemini5362 View Post
I much prefer the macerator pump. I don't have to worry about making sure the 4 inch hose is running down hill. You don't have to worry about hooking it up when you stop or try to use a dumping station. Mine stays hooked up and the hose is stored in the wet bay area. I just pull out the hose open the valve on the end of the hose stick the end in the dump station open the drain valve and hit the switch. When I get done I just turn off the switch, close the drain valve close the valve on the end of the hose curl it back into the wet bay area and that is it. No smelly hose to deal with.

Everybody has their preferences I know. I like the pump better
Me too
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Old 02-13-2014, 11:01 PM   #10
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An hour to dump - really???? I have used a macerator for about 10 years and I have been RVing for more than 5 decades so I have had my share of dumps.

Based on my experience, the overall dump time is actually faster and most certainly cleaner with the macerator from start to finish for me. Mine is built-in and it is so simple just to pull out the hose assembly, remove the screw cap, put it in the dump receptical, pull the handle and throw the switch. No connecting a stinky slinky, perhaps with an extention, washing out same and putting it back in the bay etc.

I got my wife to do it a few times with the macerator and she does not mind it (much). She would not go near the 3" hose stuff.

And of course the macerator can pump 100'+ and do it uphill, and enables one so many more dumping options.

Well, this is what my experience has been anyway, but having an extra electro mechanical device does mean it could break down. Have never had that happen but I carry a spare impeller and a spare macerator just in case.
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Old 02-13-2014, 11:19 PM   #11
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The "pump" is NOT necessary to connect up when you arrive at a campsite. New rules require you to have the sewer hose raised off the ground with a proper slant to the drain. Lot more stuff to put away when leaving the campsite. Like previously said on how to use the pump it is simple and quick. You can even rinse out the black tank using the "pump" instead of hooking up another water hose to clean the black tank. All in all it is one nice way to go..........no pun intended. Forgot to mention my toilet also has a macerator pump built in. deSanford
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Old 02-13-2014, 11:50 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by ladagobago View Post
The issues becomes can you always plug in the stinky slinky to a hole in the ground. If not, then the pump has a place.

In my coach, we keep a pump in a sterlite plastic tote box along with 50 feet of corrugated 1" hose. Got the hose at HD in the garden department. they sell it for garden pools. Coils and cleans easily.

We use on our return from trip when we get home. Simply run the hose to the bathroom toilet. stick it in beyond the trap. No noise, smell or notin. Simple flush when done. We hook a fresh water hose to the pump to clean it out.

not sure if I would want it hooked up permanently.
The corrugated hose is not a bad idea. I bought a flat discharge hose from Harbor Freight. It is not very expensive and because it lies flat it just rolls up and fits in a bag without taking hardly any space. Occasionally If I am at a lakefront campground they usually have you back your MH into the space to hook up. I can pull in forward so I can view the lake through the front window. I have enough hose and power cable to run under the MH to reach the services. With the lie flat discharge hose on the end of the macerator hose I can reach the sewer side and dump my tanks when they get full. You can not do that with the slinky.
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Old 02-14-2014, 05:30 AM   #13
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Took mine out. Hated it. While it is a good concept, clean and takes up little room it was taking about an hour to pump the black tank and equally as bad for the grey. I have more to do than babysit sewage dumping for a couple hours.
I did the same thing for the same reason. The pump worked fine but took way to long to drain tanks and flush.
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Old 02-14-2014, 07:52 PM   #14
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You all can call me anything you like, but I am here to tell you if I hook the macerator up and use it and the black tank is full it is a solid 30-45 minutes. And no I don't have a 500 gal tank. My assumption is that it is working correctly, but that is only an assumption. The other thing is when you find a sewage dump that is just the pipe, no threads. So that leaves me kneeling on my knees holding the discharge end in the pipe. Maybe my system is working right and maybe it's not. Call me a liar or not, matters not to me. I have nothing to gain or lose by lying about how my system works, or don't. Obviously mine aint doing something right, especially if you all are saying the macerator pumps faster than gravity.....Kinda hard to believe a pump that is grinding, pushing through a 1" hose is working faster than gravity flow through a 3" hose. But hey, what do I know.
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