macerator

[Tileman]

I'm considering using a macerator to empty my black and grey tanks at home. Can anyone offer advise?

 

[John From Detroit]

I have done so when the need arose.. There are advantages and disadvantages. Advantage you can pump a long distance. and Up hill. the 3/4" black rubber hose I used was easy to store and use.
Disadvantage. Takes longer at the dump station and you do not get the "Woosh" factor of the 3" stinky slinky (Some solids may remain in the tank) I used both depending on the site.

 

[Fluffywhitedogs]

I just got a Latchit one off of Amazon. I've only used it once but it was great. I don't have septic or a sewer cleanout, so I ran it to our downstairs toilet and it wasn't as gross as I expected! I would recommend getting a good quality 3/4" hose. I got a Harbor Freight cheapy and it was hard to unroll and already has kinks.

 

[Tom]

Ditto what John said. I have ours installed in such a way that it's easy to switch between macerator and gravity dump - disconnect the short hose from the macerator and hook up the hose to the campground sewer. We have a sewer cleanout in the front yard, but use the gravity dump when hooked up at a campground.

 

[8Muddypaws]

I bought a portable one to use when required.

It's amazing how many RV parks seem to think that sewage flows uphill.

 

[Tom]

I bought a portable one to use when required.

That one I installed was actually bought as a 'portable' one (in a hard plastic case). The only permanent thing about it is I hard wired 12V from the battery (other side of the coach) and hung the on-off switch in the bay.

It's amazing how many RV parks seem to think that sewage flows uphill.

I never could figure that one out.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Not a problem, but you should give it some thought if your house uses a septic tank instead of a city sewer. Occasionally using a macerator pump to dump into a home septic system may be OK, but you run the risk of the ground up effluent remaining suspended in the water and passing through to clog the leach field instead of remaining in the tank long enough to be digested. For the same reason I wouldn't do laundry or empty a bathtub until the day after flooding the system with 60-90 gallons from the RV's tanks.

 

[Foto-n-T]

I used a macerator pump for several years when we stayed at my daughters house and the cleanout was 15' above the where we parked the rig. You'll read a lot of people talking about using a 3/4" hose and I'm going to differ with that, bigger is better. My pump actually came with a 1" hose and they warned against using a smaller one simply because it makes the pump work a lot harder. If you can use the bigger hose.

Also, a quality macerator will have a bypass on it for the gray water meaning you don't have to run the pump to empty the gray tank although you can if you're in a hurry. And lastly... macerator pumps DO NOT like hair!!! Like it or not we all shed (just look at your vacuum and this is another reason not to pump the gray water I might add) That hair will get wrapped around the impeller and eventually you will have a problem, a nasty problem. I used to take mine off, let it dry out in the sun for a few days and then take it apart and clean it at least once every few months. It's not a bad job when it's dry.

And finally... DON'T buy a cheap pump, spend the money because when it fails it will not be at a convenient time. I sold mine a few years ago after my daughter moved to Hawaii but I wouldn't hesitate to use one again.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I carried a portable macerator pump for years, for use where traditional RV waste dumps were not available or easily accessible. At home we used the RV as a guest house for visitors, so yes I pumped my RV tanks at home, and yes, into my septic system. Typically 25-50 gallons from the black tank, maybe 3 times a year.

 

[solarman]

I have a Flojet macerator, works like a champ, I discharge into my septic tank.
only issue I have seen with the pump is the rubber impellers, they sometimes stick and require a few drops of oil such as olive oil dropped into the chamber when spinning. i refuse to use pertroleum products in a septic tank.

also, use the 3/4 inch hose, less pressure drop over distance.
i've had the pump for 10 years now and replaced the impeller twice.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

use the 3/4 inch hose, less pressure drop over distance.

At least 3/4". 1" is even better. At home I used a short flex hose at the pump and fed it into 1-1/4 pvc pipe to cover the distance to the septic port. You don't need to cement the pipes together - it's not a pressurized line. Or use 1" or 1.25" plastic hose, like for a pool or sump pump.

 

[Hfx_Cdn]

I installed one on a neighbour's large TT that they used as a guest house for when their kids and grandkids came to visit. They used it without any difficulty for over 10 years until they sold the trailer. The house had city sewer, but it was about 25 feet between the TT and the house, and about 10 feet above the drain to the sewer connection we installed, which they capped when not in use.

Ed

 

[Tileman]

Thanks to everyone. Your information was very helpful.

 

[IBTripping]

I have to use a portable waste tank where my TT is parked in an RV resort. I've had 2 Latch.it pumps. Both quit working, but worked very well while they lasted. Now I use a more expensive Flojet macerator pump which is tougher and more powerful.

Amazon.com

 

[Dusty Traveler]

Hope the following will be of some help to you or anyone thinking about the Macerator "Tip Number #210," Gravity Dump Click Here For an overall understanding of the Macerator pumping system. You may also find this post interesting if you have a Macerator on your Coachmen Galleria, as I do as well as any other Class B Campervan. I have been reading where other RV Class Bs have been jumping into using the Macerator.

 

[LMHS]

The truck camper has one packed so the tanks can be emptied in difficult places. I had a marine macerator on the bus. My daughter and I both have long hair. I got tired of taking the macerator apart to clean hair out of it, so it got bypassed. If I even need a pump again, I will buy a trash pump from Harbor Freight and build an adapter to lock it onto the sewer hose outlet. The trash pumps do not seem to have the problem with hair that the macerators have.

 

[Dusty Traveler]

The truck camper has one packed so the tanks can be emptied in difficult places. I had a marine macerator on the bus. My daughter and I both have long hair. I got tired of taking the macerator apart to clean hair out of it, so it got bypassed. If I even need a pump again, I will buy a trash pump from Harbor Freight and build an adapter to lock it onto the sewer hose outlet. The trash pumps do not seem to have the problem with hair that the macerators have.

HAHA before burn pits we dig holes. When mortars began popping some found themselves in warm foxholes.