Community Forums

Mile Marker 42 · 01-07-2021, 09:30 PM

Hook up slinky for sure and hit the bypass. Next time you dump. Wait for grey and black to fill up. When you drain, open black first, let it empty and then open grey. You should have a clear see through connector at the end of your motorhome where it connects to slinky. That way, you'll be able to see it pass through hopefully,if you're into that sort of thing.

Gary.Jones · 01-07-2021, 10:18 PM

On my 19, both the black and the gray tank contents normally go through the macerator and then exit either through the Sanicon Hose or through the 3" stinky slinky.... everything goes through the macerator tank is my understanding.

Gary

DutchmenSport · 01-08-2021, 06:00 AM

Good idea on the magnet for the fork, except the fork is aluminum. not steel.

Rollin101 · 01-08-2021, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcphil_98

I am trying to determine the waste drainage route. If I am using the Macerator By-Pass Valve (conventional 3 in. slinky), does the plumbing go through the macerator or does it truly "by-pass" the macerator and go directly to the 3 inch line? In other words, will the approximately 1 inch plastic cap be caught up in the macerator even though the macerator is not operating and the by-pass valve is open?

Getting worried.

Everything in the black and gray tank goes into the macerator BOX. The ONLY thing that goes through the pump is using the 1 1/2 inch line and turning the pump on. If you’re using the 3 inch drain the waste goes into the box and immediately exits through the 3 in hose.
If you drop anything into the MACERATOR toilet it’ll never make it to your black tank. Anything that makes it through a MACERATOR toilet will go through your macerator pump in the wet bay.
If you look at the macerator box you’ll see several three inch outlets. One on the left side is the inlet from your tanks. On the right is the one that drains overboard through the three inch hose. On the front is one that’s capped off and same on back side. Entegra could have used any of capped 3 inch for inlet or outlet.
Behind the three inch on the right is the 1 1/2 inch discharge that comes from the pump if you turn it on.
As you can see the box serves a dual purpose.

Gary.Jones · 01-08-2021, 03:54 PM

J.H.

You are adding something important that I didn't know. Do you think that these two guys who dropped something into their drop-down toilet then might be able to remove the unused and capped front 3" opening (facing you when you look at the macerator tank) to remove their metal utensil and cap? Is that cap facing you removable so that you could reach into the cavity of the tank and potentially get ahold of the objects with pliers or a snag of some sort? If its removable, is it also resealable?

Gary

Rollin101 · 01-08-2021, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

On my 19, both the black and the gray tank contents normally go through the macerator and then exit either through the Sanicon Hose or through the 3" stinky slinky.... everything goes through the macerator tank is my understanding.

Gary

Gary you need to make your post clear for the macerator. In the first half you said black and gray tank go through the macerator. In fact they both dump into the macerator box, but they don’t go through the macerator unless you turn the pump on. Entegra has made it a little confusing, but there is two distinct operations once the waste goes into the box, either the three inch with no pump or the 1 1/2 inch with the pump.
I know most of the time if you leave the 1 1/2 valve open it will slowly drain, gray tank, without using the pump, but that’s not macerator go.

Rollin101 · 01-08-2021, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

J.H.

You are adding something important that I didn't know. Do you think that these two guys who dropped something into their drop-down toilet then might be able to remove the unused and capped front 3" opening (facing you when you look at the macerator tank) to remove their metal utensil and cap? Is that cap facing you removable so that you could reach into the cavity of the tank and potentially get ahold of the objects with pliers or a snag of some sort? If its removable, is it also resealable?

Gary

Those caps are glued on so it’s not feasible to get it off. It would be easier to remove the whole box.

fagnaml · 01-08-2021, 04:08 PM

dcphil --

As you have mentioned, dumping your black water tank "the old fashioned way" using your "slinky" sewer hose should carry the cap out of the tank as the "stuff" flows quickly out of the tank. Would be good to have a clear elbow on the end of the sewer hose to possibly see the cap flow by.

Presumably your black water tank has a spray bar so that after dumping the tank, thoroughly rinse the tank to help assure the cap is washed out. While rinsing the tank you can also close the dump valve to partially fill the tank with fresh water, then dump the tank again to get a good flowing velocity out of the tank. Just don't overfill the tank!

Hope this helps!

Gary.Jones · 01-08-2021, 04:10 PM

There is a macerator tank which contains the macerator motor. The two together as a unit are generally referred to as "the macerator".

And

both

the black and gray tanks will dump through the macerator 1.5" discharge hose passively if you want, even if the 1.5" plastic discharge pipe in a coach first goes up from the location of the macerator tank to the higher macerator hose storage box, and out through the 1.5" Sanicon hose to the sewage dump location. It's slower, but it will dump both tanks fully.

Gary

Rollin101 · 01-08-2021, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

There is a macerator tank which contains the macerator motor. The two together as a unit are generally referred to as "the macerator".

And

both

the black and gray tanks will dump through the macerator 1.5" discharge hose passively if you want, even if the 1.5" plastic discharge pipe in a coach first goes up from the location of the macerator tank to the higher macerator hose storage box, and out through the 1.5" Sanicon hose to the sewage dump location.

Gary

While the black tank liquid will passively drain out the 1 1/2 inch line it will leave all the solids in the black tank and macerator tank. I would never let the black tank passively drain through the 1 1/2 inch line.

Gary.Jones · 01-08-2021, 04:20 PM

Boy, it sure is dumb to seal that front 3" port opening.... If that was not sealed and threaded instead, it would make it possible to remove foreign objects from the tank, such as the OP presents here without removing the whole tank. You think the sealing is done by THETFORD or Entegra??

And I'm not saying its ideal, but if your tank is full and there are no replacement macerator units to be had, then getting rid of just the liquids parts of the black tank still is a very necessary thing. And one of my experiences in this whole situation was that I first had to try draining the black tank via the 3" hose with no sewer dump available. I drained the tank first by opening the valve and catching the black tank contents in an auto oil drain pan (~ 8 or 9 quarts capacity) until it was full, walk the pan to a toilet, dump contents into toilet, and then do it all again until I got the black and gray tanks down to close to zero. Actually, the SeeLevel indicator said it was fully drained in both cases, but like you, I would assume there was still some solids in the black tank, but I use Campers Helper with each black tank dump and I was surprised to see (as I got to observe it very closely

in the oil drip pan) how much of the solids I believe liquify or are suspended in all the liquid part of the black tank) and that includes toilet paper which you can see easily was suspended in the liquid which had dissolved almost completely) not dissolved really but in very tiny shreds or strands). However, your point is well taken.... there may still be a good deal of "stuff" in there. But when it is full, you gotta do something!!!

I successfully emptied 85-95% of the blank tank (reading was zero when I was done) through the 1.5" Sanicon hose as I didn't have a stinky slinky the first time I had to do it, so I know it works. Its just slow. Then I bought another 3" stinky slinky hose and had to drain it into the oil change pan. Finally, the third time (it took a while to get my problem fixed), I drained directly into a dump station with the 3" slinky hose without having to deal with it otherwise.

I learned a lot more about all of this than I ever wanted to learn!!!

Gary

Rollin101 · 01-08-2021, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

Boy, it sure is dumb to seal that front 3" port opening.... If that was not sealed and threaded instead, it would make it possible to remove foreign objects from the tank, such as the OP presents here without removing the whole tank. You think the sealing is done by THETFORD or Entegra??

And Im not saying its ideal, but if your tank is full and there are no replacement macerator units to be had, then getting rid of just the liquids parts of the black tank still is a very necessary thing. And one of my experiences in this whole situation was that I first had to try draining the black tank via the 3" hose with no sewer dump available. I drained the tank first by opening the valve and catching the black tank contents in an auto oil drain pan (~ 8 or 9 quarts capacity) until it was full, walk the pan to a toilet, dump contents into toilet, and then do it all again until I got the black and gray tanks down to close to zero. Actually, the SeeLevel indicator said it was fully drained in both cases, but like you, I would assume there was still some solids in the black tank, but I use Campers Helper with each black tank dump and I was surprised to see (as I got to observe it very closely

in the oil drip pan) how much of the solids I believe liquify or are suspended in all the liquid part of the black tank) and that includes toilet paper which you can see easily was suspended in the liquid which had dissolved almost completely) not dissolved really but in very tiny shreds or strands). However, your point is well taken.... there may still be a good deal of "stuff" in there. But when it is full, you gotta do something!!!

Gary

The caps are glued on by Entegra.

Gary.Jones · 01-08-2021, 05:06 PM

WOW !!!! That is amazingly dumb to do. That outlet should be threaded with a rubber gasket. If it were threaded and removable, it would obviate the need to remove the tank for a stuck "wipe" or a dropped fork.... Why would they do that?????????????????

Make more money for Thetford and repair facilities all across the nation? Whoever made that decision needs their heads examined. !!!

Gary

Rollin101 · 01-08-2021, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

WOW !!!! That is amazingly dumb to do. That outlet should be threaded with a rubber gasket. If it were threaded and removable, it would obviate the need to remove the tank for a stuck "wipe" or a dropped fork.... Why would they do that?????????????????

Make more money for Thetford and repair facilities all across the nation? Whoever made that decision needs their heads examined. !!!

Gary

Gary all four of those inlets/outlets are just smooth ABS. I’m sure different manufacturers use different ports so what Entegra glues a cap on may be used by someone else as an inlet or outlet.