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Old 01-11-2019, 12:11 PM   #1
CampNBrew2
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Question for Macerator pump users

Hi All,
I bought a macerator that I was going to hard plumb into the waste lines with a wye and dedicated valves. My cleanout at home is probably 40' away from where I park so figured this would be the best way to dump at home.

It's not an RV specific model just a bare bones model like this one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-12V-45L...-/282067764199

My questions for those that have used them is about your procedure, rinsing and storage mostly. I can plumb and wire it easily. (yes I have the heavy gauge wiring, fuse and switch thanks)

Do you use a lay-flat hose or a dedicated garden hose?
Ever pump uphill to a cleanout/tank? What about the remaining bits in the hose when disconnecting?
Please give me all of your fun, interesting stories, tips and tricks, Dos and Don'ts.
Thanks!
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Old 01-11-2019, 09:16 PM   #2
hankpage
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I used a 50' commercial 1" hose. (Home Depot) Connected that to a 20' length of 2" PVC that ran along my deck and into my basement to a cleanout. Sounds like more of a Rube Goldberg than it really was.

You will need a lot of water to help things along and flush the hose. My pump was 12v dc made for RV use and worked great.( Flojet) If your pump has decent lift it should work. Good luck, Hank


That hose was dedicated to that task ONLY. "Oh black water, keep on rolln', keep on rolln' ............"
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Old 01-12-2019, 04:50 AM   #3
just1rick
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I've debated getting one of those

I've debated getting a cheap macerator, just to give me the option to dump at home if I need to.


Amazon has one that looks like Hank's (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XWVMPGH...v_ov_lig_dp_it), and I wonder about using a Valterra SewerSolution - not as an every day solution, but just an on-demand (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KNBD3XW...v_ov_lig_dp_it).


I have a cleanout that's less than a foot above the dump connection, and it goes pretty deep (so there will be a siphon effect), but I'm curious what folks have seen with either solution (cheap macerator vs. SewerSolution). Do the cheap macerators last, with occasional to rare use? Should I be concerned that in year 3 I'll find the bearings seized?


I'm not worried about getting enough flush water with an electric macerator, because I have a fitting to back flush the tanks that would let me feed water right in front of the macerator.


I don't think I would ever go permanently to a macerator type system, because I like the forceful flush that you get with a full-size hose. Because of that, I'll want to keep costs low if I do this, because I don't expect to do it often.


Thanks for your thoughts,
Rick
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Old 01-12-2019, 05:43 AM   #4
flybouy
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I have a Flojet that I bought 15 years ago. At that time we had a 29' ultralight that sat low so many cg sewer outlets were higher than the discharge. With 2 teenage daughters at the time who often brought friends along, the pump would get hair accumulated around the impeller. I used a pair of extra long needle nose pliers from HF to remove it. The one I have has a plastic case for storage and a water connection to rinse.
Lots of water is essential. For these reasons I would not recommend tank mounting one. The one I have will pump out the tank in a few minutes. It does use lot's of power so good, charged battery is essential, think about running a starter motor for 5-10 straight (same type permanent magnet motor. I used two 3/4" dedicated hoses, one to drain and one to rinse that were gray and black in color so I wouldn't mix them up.
Good luck with your project.
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Old 01-12-2019, 07:18 PM   #5
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I have one like this: https://www.amazon.ca/Flojet-1855500...macerator+pump


I carry a 45 gal.(Cdn) plastic barrel for grey and black water in my TV. I also carry a 25 gal. plastic fresh water barrel with a 12v whizzer pump to water the trailer. They add very little actual weight, but provide great peace of mind. I have a cap on my truck, so it doesn't stick out at all.


I have only had to use the setup once or twice, but it beats the heck out of packing up, driving 25 miles, or more, dumping, then going back to your spot.


I use a well marked ordinary "Walmart special" garden hose for output from the macerator and another well marked WM hose for feeding and flushing the macerator. When I did pump the tanks, I made sure there was lots of water in the black tank.


Sounds like quite a performance, but, as I said above, sure beats moving the trailer just to dump.


I ran a 12v feed back from the batteries to just above/near the dump valves. The macerator has a on/off switch on a length of cable, so you can stand off a bit. Works like a charm.
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Old 01-13-2019, 07:05 AM   #6
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I was interested in the Sewer Solutions a while back due to no power needed, just a water hose. I stopped to talk several rvers that were using them & all agreed, it does a good job of cleaning the tank & being able to pump uphill, but takes about 30-45 minutes per dump for a normal size black tank, I passed & just dump the tank & rinse with the black flush line.
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Old 01-13-2019, 07:59 PM   #7
flybouy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by travelin texans View Post
I was interested in the Sewer Solutions a while back due to no power needed, just a water hose. I stopped to talk several rvers that were using them & all agreed, it does a good job of cleaning the tank & being able to pump uphill, but takes about 30-45 minutes per dump for a normal size black tank, I passed & just dump the tank & rinse with the black flush line.
Wow, my Flowjet empties both tanks in less than 10 min. I think it's rated at 13 gal/min.
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Old 01-14-2019, 01:52 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by travelin texans View Post
I was interested in the Sewer Solutions a while back due to no power needed, just a water hose. I stopped to talk several rvers that were using them & all agreed, it does a good job of cleaning the tank & being able to pump uphill, but takes about 30-45 minutes per dump for a normal size black tank, I passed & just dump the tank & rinse with the black flush line.
I also use the Sewer Solutions system, and have done so for a number of years. I have to admit that it is a bit slower than the Flowjet electric (I should note that I have the Flojet macerator system sitting in my garage, but think that the Sewer Solution does just as good a job), but I'm not in a big hurry. In fact, for my dual outlet Cougar, I rigged up a 2-valve sewer inlet from PVC and bought 2 sewer solutions (1 for gray and 1 for black).
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Old 01-14-2019, 10:43 AM   #9
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Thanks for your thoughts and experiences.

I'm debating whether to mount the pump onto an outlet connector (flowjet portable style) or hard plumb it. Hard plumbing it would require several new valves and a lot of plumbing.

Oh, a tip: I've heard to make sure you don't swallow cherry pits, as they wont make it through the macerator after making it through you.
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Old 01-14-2019, 02:33 PM   #10
hankpage
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CampNBrew2 View Post
Thanks for your thoughts and experiences.

I'm debating whether to mount the pump onto an outlet connector (flowjet portable style) or hard plumb it. Hard plumbing it would require several new valves and a lot of plumbing.

Oh, a tip: I've heard to make sure you don't swallow cherry pits, as they wont make it through the macerator after making it through you.
Cherries are no problem. Peaches,plums and avocados are killers.
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Old 01-20-2019, 08:52 AM   #11
Uncle Dougie
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I have a Valtera SewerSolutions to use when I return home with a tank that has not been emptied (not very often). I dump through an outside sewer cleanout that is about 18" above and 20' away from my tank valves, I connect with 1" pvc pipe. It works great. It does take quite a while to clean the tanks but I'm a little picky about flushing my tanks. I would not recommend the sewersolution for everyday use but for me it works.
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Old 01-20-2019, 10:31 AM   #12
bjansen
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I bought the same pump from eBay about three years ago. It still works fine I just spray some silicone in it when I'm done pumping. I used it at my last house on occasion to pump my tanks but the rise was only about two feet. At my new house I used it as we were working on the house for 6 weeks and I pumped it out once a week and it was about 10 feet uphill. It took about 5 minutes for the black tank and 5 minutes for the gray tank. I did use a dedicated hose. It's not a permanent setup up so I would connect and disconnect it each time. When the gray tank was empty, I would kink the hose disconnect it from the macerator and then drag it higher than the other end and then let gravity drain the hose as I coiled it up.
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Old 01-21-2019, 07:27 AM   #13
CampNBrew2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bjansen View Post
When the gray tank was empty, I would kink the hose disconnect it from the macerator and then drag it higher than the other end and then let gravity drain the hose as I coiled it up.
This was another question I had for you uphill pumpers. Not sure if the pump has a check valve built in, or maybe the rubber impeller acts as its own backcheck? I was thinking a cam lock with a ball valve so I could disconnect without too much dripping. Hopefully just water at that point but still want to minimize fertilizing the flowers.
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Old 02-07-2019, 06:33 AM   #14
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I use the Sewer Solution at my private long term site because we had to run a 2" line about 200 ft down a long slope to the septic tank. There is about a 3" lift to the pipe connection. It works fine as I stay there for months at a time. When I go on the road I will use the full size hose to get that good flush out. I have a built in black tank flush and I use it extensively. I use Calgon/Dawn eco mix in the tank and have no problems with the sensors acting up.
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Old 02-07-2019, 12:10 PM   #15
CampNBrew2
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Thanks for the info. I need to start with the Dawn & Calgon I keep reading about.
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