Macerator Pump

[JBroadaway]

I am going to install a macerator pump and get rid of the forever leaking sewer hoses. Would like to get some input on which system is the best and easiest to install.

[Vegasdan]

Originally Posted by JBroadaway

I am going to install a macerator pump and get rid of the forever leaking sewer hoses. Would like to get some input on which system is the best and easiest to install.

I wanted to install an in bay system but the problem was I didn't have the room. Be aware the inlet hose cannot run uphill to the pump. So we use a twist on "portable" unit from Sanicon. I like it also because occassionally you should use the old stinky slinky and "woosh" out the black tank. The other problem that occured was we used the Sanicon and afterward I noticed my monitor still showed a full tank due to stuff clinging to the sides. A quick cleaning returned the monitor to normal. I recommend the Sanicon also as it will pump 120ft or so.

[GaryKD]

Hi JBroadaway,
I also have the SaniCon twist on model. I put mine on and left it on. There are different models with different features. Go to Sani-Con System and determine which one is best for your coach. Consider getting one of the models with the grey water bypass. For me this is a must. This allows one to leave the grey tank valve open. Without this feature both valves need to be closed. Remember nothing gets through the macerator unless it is on. This is why the grey water by pass is needed.

I've had mine a couple of years. It works as advertised. I would make the same purchase again.

[nalcon]

I have a Clean Dump system and it works very well. I permanantly installed but I made the attachment a twist on so I could remove if I needed to. Haven't needed to yet. I use the Geo Method and have not had any indication problems.

If I leave the gray tank valve open water will seep through the pump. But, with just a flick of a switch I can drain it in a few minutes.

I pump about 70 feet through a garden hose at home to my clean out. Works very well.

[GaryKD]

Hi JBroadaway,
Go to Tetford Sani-Con Macerator - iRV2.com RV Photo Gallery to see my SaniCon installation and the grey water bypass feature.

[mccsix]

I removed my sanicon..... too much standing around waiting for it to finish its job, and I've got no need to push s*** uphill.

[Robi.1014]

I had a left-over macerator pump from my boating days. I manufactured my own RV-dump "system" using off-the-shelf RV dump parts, PVC piping, some Home-Depot rubber connectors, and the 12VDC supply already in my basement (for the under carriage heater). It was a fun project and perhaps saved half the cost of ready-made RV macerator products, but what-the-heck: I had the motor already. More importantly, by making my system, it fits well where other pre-made systems would not. True: the dump time quadruples. I hope to upload a picture for you.

[markpj23]

Our coach came with the Sani-Con system from the factory. It's a twist on connection into about 2.5ft of slinky hose to the macerator itself. Plumbing connection is higher than the macerator, but the slinky hose drops down to the floor of the bay, then goes back uphill to the macerator. So we have a small 'U' in the slinky hose that never completely drains unless I disconnect the twist fitting.

Discharge hose is a 1-1/2" expanding pleated / slinky type. We have the gray water bypass connection that allows us to leave the gray water valve open.

My opinion of the system:
Pro:
- Less mess than dealing with the big 3" dump hoses
- Powerful macerator. Has only clogged once (teenager dropped something she should not have into the tank....)
- Universal multi-size thread connector for the park sewer fitting
- You can still disconnect from the coach dump fitting and use a regular 3" hose if the macerator fails or gets plugged up. (A MUST HAVE capability IMHO)

Con:
- Much slower tank dumping process
- Why would a macerator pump be designed so that it would void the warranty if you run it dry??? You have to baby-sit during the whole dump operation. I've let it run dry by accident a couple of times, and it blew the 20A fuse for the pump. No apparent damage to the pump, but isn't there a better design than this?
- Gray water drains slowly via the by-pass. This means that grease has time to stick to the top of the plumbing & hoses leading to the macerator. I now have a monthly maintenance chore to wipe the grease out of the inside of the clear twist-on fitting and as far up the discharge piping as I can reach (we are full-timers)
- The sewer connection fitting will not fit through the access cover in the bottom of the coach. I have to disconnect the fitting, run the 1-1/2" hose out through the access hole, then reconnect the hose to the sewer connection fitting EVERY time. Adds wear & tear to the hose connection and I know it will eventually wear out.
- The sewer connection fitting is not built strongly enough. I already have a small leak from the top where the rigid plastic pipe connects to the wide 4" top of the thread adapter. It's all molded in one piece.
- The discharge opening at the bottom of the sewer connection fitting is a standard garden hose thread. That's great because you can pump stuff long distances. BUT it is easy to leave the cap on when you connect the thing to the park sewer fitting (ask me how I know this...). A molded cap - or just a lanyard attached to the cap from the top of the fitting - would prevent this and would be a good design improvement.
- I think you MUST also have the San-T-Flush system in conjunction with this macerator because stuff will drain out much more slowly.
- You also MUST have a clear twist-on fitting leading to the pump so that you can tell when your flushing / rinsing has gotten out all the solids/paper.

Overall I like the system, but I think it's an early design that could stand a few improvements. Also, I would not buy one of these expensive things had it not come on our coach. I know from our sailboat experience that it's a $79 macerator pump, a special fitting and a few pieces of hose.... now sold to the RV market for how much??? Ridiculous IMO.

Hope this helps some of you make your decision on these.

[Luv2go]

If you have a normal ell going to your 3" "stinky slinky" connection and have the room, you can buy one of these ells and one of these twist-on waste valves and an adapter for a normal macerator pump.

The ell goes in place of your existing ell and the macerator pump goes in the 2" hub inlet of the 3-way ell. The valve goes on the bayonet outlet of the ell so you can open the gray water and black water valves so the macerator has something to pump without spilling all over.

I used this quite successfully on our old coach and planned on installing it on our new coach, but then we installed a cleanout near the RV's parking place which eliminated most of the need for it

Stewart

[CJ7ole]

I am still having trouble understanding why one would need a macerator/pump for an average park hook up where a normal length of 3" hose works fine unattended. I watched a guy babysit his $250 pump every morning with a cup of coffee while he emptied his tank. I leave my grey water valve open and dump my blackwater tank in 5 minutes once every 2 or 3 weeks when it gets to 70% full (when I am in a RV park for an extended time). I just close the grey water valve 2 days before I dump the black to get a good store of flush water built up.

As a civil engineer I design grinder pumps for homes that must connect to a pressure sewer system. That is ALWAYS a second choice compared to connecting a home to a gravity connection sewer that will go unattended for decades.

My suggestion: unless you need to go uphill or long distances, get a hose that doesn't leak and put the money instead into a out-to-dinner fund. I have no trouble with my RhinoFlex with a threaded adaptor for the RV park connection.

[donie]

FWIW, our 08 Monaco came with a SaniCon permanent system installed from the factory.
After our shake down cruise, IMHO, its better than dealing with a regular slinky.
After dumping, the manufacturer recommends using a flusher to flush the tank for 5 minutes, which ours has on it from the manufacturer.
Hope this helps some.

[cb5300]

Originally Posted by markpj23

- The sewer connection fitting will not fit through the access cover in the bottom of the coach. I have to disconnect the fitting, run the 1-1/2" hose out through the access hole, then reconnect the hose to the sewer connection fitting EVERY time. Adds wear & tear to the hose connection and I know it will eventually wear out.

I had the same problem on my first coach (2007 Dynasty), you had to disconnect the San-icon every time you hooked up and eventually the plastic ears would break off of your collar. So what I did when I bought my Signature was, I had Monaco (before they went under) put in another opening in the service bay beside of the original opening. Now I can connect up my San-icon system with out disconnecting anything.

Best of all Monaco agreed that this was something that should have been done at the factory, so they didn't charge me anything to do it.

[GaryKD]

Hi CJ7ole,
It sounds like the fellow you watched every morning did not have the model with a grey water bypass. For me, this wold be unacceptable. The grey water bypass make all the difference.

[PlayItForwrd]

what a crappy subject! (ok, ha ha )

Mark noted the 'run dry' issue-- A Macerator is virtually identical to the seawater pumps that feed lake water to boat engines, but with some metal vanes that chop up the solids. They even use the same type of rubber impellers. They are positive displacement pumps, meaning that for each rotation of the pump, a measurable amount of fluid or air is moved from the inlet side of the pump to the outlet side. This means they will pull and push uphill (to a point). I have a macerator setup to pump my houseboat into portable receptacle (because the lake pump is always busted), and my waste tank is nearly 3' below the deck, and it sucks it up just fine, until it starts finding air. (same with pushing it, if necessary)... Anyway, the reason you can't run them dry is because of the rubber impeller, it'll simply start melting within the housing in short order. Any other type of pump (ie: centrifical) used in this 'situation' would be strictly a downhill proposition...

Just my opinion, but the only reason I'd consider a macerator on motor home is if I had no RV dump access, and needed to pump into something else...