Community Forums

LETMGROW · 09-26-2019, 09:28 AM

I would shut both the black and gray tank valves. Clean anything you have stored in your wet bay out and set it aside. Get a large dishpan handy and remove the macerator completely.
Hook up the 3" drain hose and insert it in the campground drain and open the valves to see if the weight of the contents of the tanks will push the obstruction out.
Some campgrounds have a "Honey Wagon" they pump waste tanks out with. It might behoove you to ask the campground management for help with your situation.
Lynn

Daverene · 09-26-2019, 10:07 AM

Try a 3 month box of a rid x style product turn on tank heaters if you have them let sit for 3 days hope for the best. If you have the room turn on black tank flush to mix the rid x type product.

kevinantholt · 09-26-2019, 10:13 AM

The Mach 5 is a fresh water pump. NOT a Macerator. Just saying I would really trace the lines of where that pump is connected. If It's connected to the Black tank or Grey I would remove it because that is not what it is designed for.

emcee · 09-26-2019, 10:46 AM

So that Headhunter water pump doesn't have anything to do with the macerateror.

Assuming you have a Sani-Con, and as you say you hear a click when you turn it on, it does sound jammed. This unit is just like a garbage disposal and when a garbage disposal gets jammed you can try to turn the shaft manually.

The Sani-Con owners manual describes this troubleshooting method and provides an illustration showing where to insert a screwdriver to turn the shaft (with power off) slightly (1/4 turn) to break the jam.

See attached illustration from the manual:

Gary.Jones · 09-26-2019, 03:36 PM

All I can add to what others have said is that certainly does not look like my wet bay...... that pump in the foreground is something alien.... Your mascerator pump is the black plastic unit behind the black unit in the foreground.

My guess is that you need to call the guy that installed that unit custom to figure out what the heck it is in there for. Alternately, if you bought that coach from a dealer, and it had an odd-ball setup, then the dealer should have had that fully explained to them and them fully explain it to you.... the problem with mods on coaches that are then sold is that no one but the owner who installed the mod is likely to understand what the mod is for (if it is an unusual set up). If you know the previous owners, get on the phone with him.

And finally, although I know that some owners think that it is crafty to leave both the black and gray tank valves open and mix, in my opinion, if that was a good idea, we would have only one tank, not two installed in our coaches, and the manufacturers would save themselves the money and hassle and design it that way. IMO, it is the way it is because that is the way that it should be. JMO, but I would never link my tanks..... I DO NOT WANT contents of my black tank getting into my gray tank. Nasty enough where it is designed to be.

Gary

Oversoul · 09-26-2019, 03:44 PM

Sounds like another case of someone adding a bunch of junk to a waste system that pretty much is designed to work on simple gravity & common sense.
Water & waste go in the top & drain out the bottom.
Looks like someone tried to install a sewage treatment plant on your rig leaving you to deal with a crappy situation.
Tear all that garbage off of that rig. You don't need it.

MattPop · 09-26-2019, 10:39 PM

Got tanks draining again thanks to Next Level Diesel Repair in zypherhills / Dade city. If anyone need a honest straight shooter this guy is great. Wasn't able to get the macerator working but everything else is now back to working as it should. As far as the setup goes the macerator is behind the pump and I know the two have nothing to do with each other. I was told by the dealer I purchased the rv from that the pump had to be upgraded for the master toliet, which was actually one on the selling points for me. Toto washlet.......This thing is awesome! It washes you, drys you, massages you, and has a heated seat along with a remote control! You make think I'm crazy but once u use a toilet like this you will never wanna go back to basic! Anyway learned my lesson and I will never leave tanks open again or allow anyone to have the opportunity to throw a wet wipe in the toilet again (found a few in there and I'm pretty sure I know which friend was the culprit..... same 1 who told me to leave tanks open). Thanks again for all the prompt replies this forum is officially at the top of my bookmarks! Attached a pic of the guys card I used if anyone In Dade city/zypherhills/brooksville needs a awesome mobile mechanic.

KennyGolub · 09-27-2019, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattPop

Got tanks draining again thanks to Next Level Diesel Repair in zypherhills / Dade city. If anyone need a honest straight shooter this guy is great. Wasn't able to get the macerator working but everything else is now back to working as it should. As far as the setup goes the macerator is behind the pump and I know the two have nothing to do with each other. I was told by the dealer I purchased the rv from that the pump had to be upgraded for the master toliet, which was actually one on the selling points for me. Toto washlet.......This thing is awesome! It washes you, drys you, massages you, and has a heated seat along with a remote control! You make think I'm crazy but once u use a toilet like this you will never wanna go back to basic! Anyway learned my lesson and I will never leave tanks open again or allow anyone to have the opportunity to throw a wet wipe in the toilet again (found a few in there and I'm pretty sure I know which friend was the culprit..... same 1 who told me to leave tanks open). Thanks again for all the prompt replies this forum is officially at the top of my bookmarks! Attached a pic of the guys card I used if anyone In Dade city/zypherhills/brooksville needs a awesome mobile mechanic.

Good news. Glad you got it working again.
Can you tell us how he removed the blockage ?

.

Gary.Jones · 09-27-2019, 06:06 AM

What you have, I think, is a Bidet. The French invented it a long time ago and probably now the Japanese have the lead on the high tech versions of those devices. All the upper end hotels in Tokyo have virtually nothing but Toto manufactured bidets in their bathrooms. Very high class...

Now, don't ever let anyone throw anything down the toilet other than toilet paper, and most people use nothing but single ply toilet paper purchased at big box stores. Some get away with double ply super fancy toilet paper in coaches but most learn to deal with good quality single ply. Forget the stuff sold by camping world which is the cheapest stuff known to man. Owners learn quickly, but visitors such as daughters and grand daughters and anyone who is not knowledgeable about such things needs a thorough set of instructions of what they can and cannot do on a coach. Be firm!

Would suggest that you let it be known that the next person that puts anything in a toilet in a coach that is not of human origin and toilet paper is going to do the job of resolving the mess themselves.... fix it once, and you will never deal with a clog again. That was my guess as to what would cause a jam if there was a jam.... those wipe things need to be banned from coaches with macerator toilets.

Glad you found someone who was willing to tackle the problem. Bet it cost you a pretty penny. Thanks for following up on the resolution and the source of the problem..... everyone benefits from your experience. Thanks

Gary

LWBAZ · 09-28-2019, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

Now, don't ever let anyone throw anything down the toilet other than toilet paper, and most people use nothing but single ply toilet paper purchased at big box stores. Some get away with double ply super fancy toilet paper in coaches but most learn to deal with good quality single ply. Forget the stuff sold by camping world which is the cheapest stuff known to man.

Over the past 21 years or so of RV ownership, we've tried most every RV-specific toilet tissue on the market. We've concluded the best of such products is Scott Rapid Dissolving. And the good news is it's available at just about any Walmart in the country.

LWBAZ · 09-29-2019, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

And finally, although I know that some owners think that it is crafty to leave both the black and gray tank valves open and mix, in my opinion, if that was a good idea, we would have only one tank, not two installed in our coaches, and the manufacturers would save themselves the money and hassle and design it that way. IMO, it is the way it is because that is the way that it should be. JMO, but I would never link my tanks..... I DO NOT WANT contents of my black tank getting into my gray tank. Nasty enough where it is designed to be.

Gary, it's interesting to note that the really high-end motorcoach manufacturers (Foretravel, Newell, the various Prevost converters) install a single holding tank. Given what their coaches sell for, I doubt they're doing it to save money.

Foretravel has something called a gray water bypass, which I presume allows gray water to flow directly to a sewer hose when connected to full hookups, thereby not putting gray water into the single holding tank. Not sure if Newell and/or the Prevost converters have anything similar.

In various discussions I've seen online, the only significant negative associated with a single holding tank comes from avid boondockers who camp in locations that allow them to dump gray water on the ground.

To be clear, I'm not arguing for or against a single holding tank; just reporting what's out there.

brobox · 09-29-2019, 03:33 PM

Time for a new friend.

Gary.Jones · 09-29-2019, 03:48 PM

Not sure what Chucks comment relates to....

Larry

I am aware that there are high-end coaches that have a single tank. However, I am sure that you are also aware that there is a tank spray system installed in black tanks on our coaches, and there is no such sprayer system installed in our gray tanks. My understanding is that the sprayer is there for one reason: To try to loosen and get rid of solids that may not dissolve completely in the black tank. If designers wanted us to mix black and gray tanks, then I would think that logic would dictate that they would put a sprayer system in the gray tank in addition to the black tank since if they were tied together, then one would likely have solids build up in both tanks. Soooooooooo, although I know it can be done.... I don't think that is the intention in our coaches. Further, what does that gain?

Although I don't do it, I know there are boondockers who just drain their gray tanks out onto wherever they happen to be at the time. That is something possible with separate tanks and not possible with a combined tank. I dont think it is good manners....

Still, I won't be letting my black tank sewage flow into my gray tank in any coach I own..... and my opinion is that anyone that does, deserves whatever they end up with. JMO

Gary

LWBAZ · 09-29-2019, 07:18 PM

Gary, several points:

1) I believe gray tanks should have a sprayer, just like the black tanks. I added one to our previous motorhome and have purchased one for our Cornerstone, which I'll be installing once we get home from our current trip.

2) At our recent "Entegra University" class I mentioned to Pat Carroll that gray tanks can get almost (not quite) as nasty as black tanks and that adding a sprayer to the gray tank would be a good thing to do. Pat seemed to agree, so maybe we'll see that at some point in the future.

3) I did not in any way intend to suggest or recommend mixing the contents of separate black and gray tanks. I was only making the point that there is nothing inherently bad about black water and gray water dumping into the same (single) tank.