Macerator Hose Door

[vsayler]

I have read in this forum about it being important to make sure your macerator door doesn't stay open while you are closing your main water bay door (to avoid breaking it off).
To avoid that problem I came up with a rather crude method to hold it open and was wondering what other people have done to keep this door semi closed when the hose is deployed (or perhaps everyone just routes the hose out the hole underneath and leaves this door fully closed).
This is a picture of my method. I was holding it all the way open to get the picture and when deployed the hose would be coming out this opening. Yes, those are rubber bands!
thanks
Van Sayler
2017 Anthem 44B

[gswindle]

I like it. I was visiting with a 2018 Anthem owner 2 weeks ago and he had just slammed his main door on the macerator door. It broke off.


Gary

[brobox]

Van, my thought for the new MH, if I use the macerator is to install the banjo fittings at the hose head to be able to use the drop down hatch easier. I have no problem using the hatch to avoid having to replace the plastic door. Replacing no problem, it's the painting that is the killer. Anything that works is a good idea and and improvement.

[Balladeer]

Van,
Remember you from Moab, Utah in 2016.
Here is modification that I made to minimize use of the macerator door. Inside the wet bay cut 1 1/2 inch abs pipe and with 90 deg elbows re route discharge down through the deck and out to the side of the coach. Male camlock fitting on end. This allows female fitting on the end for travel.
2. Clear section of 1 1/2 inch plastic pipe to facilitate observation when tank is flushed clean.
Hose has female end for connection and male fitting for attachment of sewer head as pictured.
Also extra length of hose fitted alike in case of needing extra distance to sewer.
I store main hose in compartment ahead of power bay and extra in original storage box aft of wet bay.
This allows for minimum use of small compartment as well as not leaving little fragile door open for hazards. Also allows gravity dump of grey water while parked. Modification does not exceed undercarrage clearance any more than Aqua-hot exhaust.
Pictures attached.

Regards, Gregg Waugh

[budlightman]

Originally Posted by Balladeer

Van,
Remember you from Moab, Utah in 2016.
Here is modification that I made to minimize use of the macerator door. Inside the wet bay cut 1 1/2 inch abs pipe and with 90 deg elbows re route discharge down through the deck and out to the side of the coach. Male camlock fitting on end. This allows female fitting on the end for travel.
2. Clear section of 1 1/2 inch plastic pipe to facilitate observation when tank is flushed clean.
Hose has female end for connection and male fitting for attachment of sewer head as pictured.
Also extra length of hose fitted alike in case of needing extra distance to sewer.
I store main hose in compartment ahead of power bay and extra in original storage box aft of wet bay.
This allows for minimum use of small compartment as well as not leaving little fragile door open for hazards. Also allows gravity dump of grey water while parked. Modification does not exceed undercarrage clearance any more than Aqua-hot exhaust.
Pictures attached.

Regards, Gregg Waugh

I must be missing something. We have a 2018 Anthem and the only time the macerator door is open is when we take the hose out because our macerator discharge looks exactly like the pictures Gregg submitted above, banjo fitting and all. That's the way it was delivered. Maybe we have a 2018 1/2? We took delivery in Sept 2018.

[brobox]

Originally Posted by budlightman

I must be missing something. We have a 2018 Anthem and the only time the macerator door is open is when we take the hose out because our macerator discharge looks exactly like the pictures Gregg submitted above, banjo fitting and all. That's the way it was delivered. Maybe we have a 2018 1/2? We took delivery in Sept 2018.

They only had the external connections for a short period. The 19s do not have them either.

[budlightman]

Originally Posted by brobox

They only had the external connections for a short period. The 19s do not have them either.

Any idea why? Seems like I may have something to watch out for...

[vsayler]

I asked PJ at the Tampa Entegra dinner and his comment was they quit putting it underneath the RV for 2 reasons, first the risk of it freezing and second, the risk of it getting knocked off if you were on the right kind of uneven ground.
Van

[vsayler]

Balladeer, I remember seeing your setup in Moab (it was 2017). Looked very nice and was the reason I asked PJ why they quit doing it as I was thinking about doing it myself.

[Balladeer]

Well...seeing as how the clearance of the modification is the same as the generator exhaust and Aquahot exhaust, if the terrain is that bad you have already taken out everything forward of the macerator discharge anyway and the whole day is kaput.
As for freezing, if you are in that cold of an environment, just get a length of 2 inch pipe insulation to put around the pipe while in camp.

As inspector clouseau said "the problem is solved"

[Wolfy58]

Another newbie question, what is the advantage to using the macerator hose vs gravity

[brobox]

Originally Posted by budlightman

Any idea why? Seems like I may have something to watch out for...

Just my opinion, on Entegra's side it was a cost and labor factor. It doesn't sit any lower than AH exhaust. If parked in freezing weather, drain and use slinky that can be put away after use, just like the macerator hose would be.

[brobox]

Originally Posted by Wolfy58

Another newbie question, what is the advantage to using the macerator hose vs gravity

I'm an oldie and I am still wondering.
Outside of the size of the slinky hose, they both do the same job, but storage is easier with the macerator, however more moving parts.

[Matt D]

We only open the small macerator door to remove or replace the sewer adaptor and garden hose, it never remains open.

Chuck, no offense to PJ and crew, but those explanations are bogus.

As you mentioned, if you have a high center ground clearance issue significant enough to clean the pipe off the bottom of the coach, you’re going to lose your Aquahot exhaust as well.

Frankly, the AH exhaust is at more risk of being smeared off than the drain pipe. The reason is that our below deck drain pipe is closer to the drive wheels than the AH exhaust. There is no way we are going to smear the drain off and still roll over this hypothetical obstacle.

The AH exhaust, not so much.

Keep in mind, these comments aren’t hypothetical at all, as last summer we entered a CG in Salida, CO. with VERY LITTLE clearance under the AH exhaust. This due to the angle from the shoulder of the road to the entrance to the CG. We crept as slowly as possible and I watched the AH exhaust in the mirror, very little daylight.

Regarding freezing, this pipe doesn’t hold any liquid so freezing temps aren’t any more of a concern than the macerator hose, or a slinky.

Again, this knowledge is proven through almost 2 years of use.

-Matt