Community Forums

crockdar · 07-06-2022, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerdog

We use the water save mode and fill the bowl only when needed to flush solids. This works well for us and we dump when the yellow light (3/4 full) comes on about every 4 to 5 days.

This is exactly what we do. NO issues.

bjogan · 07-06-2022, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Memphis

Hello, I was hoping to get some tips on how to better get along with the mascerating toilets in our 2020 Ventana.

1) The toilets don't do a great job of flushing on the first try, leaving "material" in the bowl, requiring multiple flushes. Plenty of water does the trick. If you're adding a lot of .... you may need more than one flush
-I have tried using the eco flush and the standard flush settings. While standard flush helps, it isn't remotely a sure thing and fills our black tank up, requiring lots of unnecessary dumping.One thing to look at is the water level when set to normal (max water). This can be adjusted by setting the height of the discharge tube. The more water the better as you may be able to get away with one flush. We moved our tube up and now we get by with one flush and less water usage than two flushes.

2) I'm concerned about the impeller harboring bacteria as after just a few days in storage, rings around the bowl form with an odorous slime. I just replaced a 5 year old pump. impellers were clean as a whistle (I wouldn't recommend eating off them, but I did not see any concerns.
I have tried cleaning the toilets after using with standard bowl cleaner before putting it away but it didn't seem to improve the situation.You may want to rethink this as standard toilet bowel cleaners contain bleach, which is something you do not want to put into your black or grey tanks. The majority of the tank chemicals use bacteria to decompose the stuff in the tanks and bleach kills the bacteria. You're going backwards. Check out "Unique" holding tank treatments. They make a great cleaner that helps add good bacteria to your system. I can't speak for long periods of non use, but I have had good results with cleaning the bowl with Unique prior to storage. The trick is to not flush after cleaning so that the liquid stays on the surface, which allows the bacteria to work on anything left on the surface. Obviously for longer periods, evaporation is an issue. I don't have any suggestions here as I have not crossed that bridge.
I wondered about adding a few drops of bleach before putting it away but wasn't sure if that would damage any components.

Thanks for any advice!

In the end, I think it's like a lot of things where it is just personal preference. I will tell you that a new macerator pump will set you back about $500 if you do the work yourself. Take it to a dealer and you will be north of $1,000. A clear downside. On the upside, it can really help with keeping your blank tank clean. Learn the pros and cons of each system and decide which works best for you. Everyone's situation is different.

harleyboydd · 08-20-2022, 03:53 PM

Dometic told me to use liquid laundry soap and not dawn dish. Just fyi

Jerdog · 08-20-2022, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harleyboydd

Dometic told me to use liquid laundry soap and not dawn dish. Just fyi

Good point. Checked, and that is exactly what the owner’s manual says. I assumed Dawn too after reading the posts.

Saoirse · 02-25-2023, 10:17 AM

Good morning Memphis,
Did you find a solution to your poorly functioning Dometic toilets? I’ve recently acquired a couple of Dometic Model 8781 toilets that also are poorly functioning. By design they don’t add water during the flush. So the macerator simply spins the last of the effluent around, leaving an unhappy vision afterwards. It takes several refills and flushes to finally clear the water in the bowl. Do you know which model of toilet you have? Have you found a satisfactory resolution? With regards, Saoirse

Memphis · 02-28-2023, 03:18 PM

Sorry for the late reply. Unfortunately, we're still not very happy with our macerator toilets for the previous stated reasons. I haven't exhausted each tip, however, I am pretty sure any ritual of soaps/cleaners aren't our issue. I do plan on checking the fill tube height, once we're un-winterized, this spring, though. Using the full-flush does seem to make it better, but it's never just one flush if anything beyond #1 and, sadly ,has influenced some of our trips because the toilets use so much black tank volume and the lack of facilities to dump.

Saoirse · 03-01-2023, 08:24 PM

Sorry to learn that your “thrones aren’t yet fit for a king.” (Good one, I like that!) Regarding your original objective to “establish a baseline of expectations for normal operation” I would say that your instincts are correct in that your experience seems abnormal. I’d two macerators in an earlier motorcoach that I owned that worked as well the thrones at home. They filled, flushed and refilled as we’ve all come to expect. I’m sure this is the “expectation” that Dometic and Newmar are striving. If you’re not getting that then something’s malfunctioning or shame on them both for delivering such a wincing performance. After reading through this thread again, I see more clearly that your issue is not the same as my issue. My toilet simply isn’t designed to add water as it flushes. None the less, I would still be curious to know the model of your toilet. Would you happen to know it?

Memphis · 03-02-2023, 05:49 AM

I believe that one is a 8740 and the other is a 892. Good luck with your troubles!

ScotS · 03-02-2023, 08:39 AM

To the OP, I would suggest that you pull the toilets out and dis-assemble the pump to check the pump impellers and vacuum breaks. Someone, in the past, MAY have flushed something that is "hung up" in the impeller reducing the efficiency and thus not emptying properly. I have full timed in mine for over 1.5 years when it was new in 01/2019 and didn't have any issues. My only issue was a few months back when the pump shaft seal leaked enough to cause excessive pooh water everywhere, which is unrelated to your complaint. I had to replace the pump as the seal is a non-repairable item.

The toilets are a simple design and surprisingly easy to work on when they are out of the RV, just wear gloves. I worked on mine outside in the yard so that I could use the water hose and not worry about the rinse water, nature took care of it for me.

I wish you the best, good luck, and happy travels.

Memphis · 05-16-2023, 02:58 PM

I have done some extensive testing at the outset of the new camping season and believe I've managed to arrive at a few conclusions:
1) As we dry camp a lot, most of my observations have been based on using the stock water pump. While its gpm IMHO is more than sufficient for great showers and handwashing, etc, the flowrate is not high enough to produce the vortex the dometics require to fully-flush. I just came from a campground where we had a 50psi city water connection and had ZERO issues with either unit under any (#1 or #2) circumstance. In fact, I was pretty impressed.
2) The rubber collars in the bottom of the bowls leading up to the impeller of the dometics harbor a lot of 'gunk'. I may irritate or incite some members, however, as even my winterizing antifreeze developed a mold/scum as described in my initial post; I scrubbed the buhgeezus out of the units with real toilet bowl cleaner and long reach bowl brush. I'm pretty sure the EPA has a hit out on me to surrender the bowl brush as it is a health hazard, now. -Following that cleaning, 2 weeks the coach sat and they stayed perfectly clean whereas before, within 3-5 days, they would be sufficiently gross.
Thanks to everyone who provided input and suggestions as it all got me to some conclusions and understanding my coach better. I'm not sure if I will upgrade our water-pump to achieve a higher flowrate as we will still do a lot of dry camping and boondocking, but having seen what's possible, does make me think that might help out.