Macerator Pro&Con

Soundguy's pic of the Bargeman plug made me realize my trailer hitch plug is maybe 3-4 feet away.

Thanks!

Norm

my utilities compartment was adjacent to my generator and there were + @ - posts easily accessible so I just ran some heavy wire from there.
bumpy

toedtoes wrote:
Rather than go through the hassle of doing more wiring, I simply use a jumper cable ...

Certainly that works fine for many but whether installing dedicated wiring for powering the macerator is a "hassle" or not is a matter of perspective. For many of us our campers are also a hobby so a small project like this certainly isn't a hassle but rather an improvement we made to our camper that was enjoyable. I also prefer having this power hardwired back to the waste gate location because I keep my battery box locked so opening it just to connect a jumper cable would be a greater hassle. ;)

bpounds wrote:

br549 wrote:
Mostly positive stuff here so I will post a situation a friend had last year. He was using his and a wad of "something" hung up just ahead of the blender and nothing would pass. He tried moving the MH, a plunger, already near full tank, etc with no success. He had to call a mobile serviceman and it was a messy and expensive job to remove and replace the unit in order to remove the clog.

Just one situation I would prefer to avoid. I guess they do have advantages as many have stated if you have a need for lengthy or uphill disposal.

Avoiding that would be as simple as using a twist-on blade valve right on the outlet, ahead of the macerator. Lots of us have added those valves for a variety of reasons. So I would not make that a factor in the decision.

Twist on valve is a good idea -

We have been using our 5th wheel for a back yard residence this summer. Because it is not moving prior to tank dumps I flood the black tank with a few gallons of water from the grey tank by opening the valves at the same time which gives the bottom of the black tank a stir prior to commencing pumping operations. I do this at the end to get any paper residues. Then I will run the tank flush as well.

The pump out option allows us to give the sani dump line ups a miss.

F1bNorm wrote:
Those of you that use a macerator, what do you use for a power source? Do you run a line from the cab cig lighter plug? Rewire an external plug near the drain? Portable battery pack? Is there a problem with voltage drop?

I have a sewage cleanout slightly uphill about 20' away and I'm tempted to try a nacerator.

Norm

Hi Norm - I built an extension cord with alligator clips to reach the battery compartments. We use ours on two different units of ours, plus on visitor units at our home base.

Or you may want to have the tote tank in the back of a pickup so you won't have to tow it any distance over rough ground. That's another use for a macerator pump.

That's what I do but only for gray water.
Used it for black one time at home. Didn't want to wait for the five trailer in front of me at the dump station.

F1bNorm wrote:
Those of you that use a macerator, what do you use for a power source? Do you run a line from the cab cig lighter plug? Rewire an external plug near the drain? Portable battery pack? Is there a problem with voltage drop?

I have a sewage cleanout slightly uphill about 20' away and I'm tempted to try a nacerator.

Norm

Rather than go through the hassle of doing more wiring, I simply use a jumper cable - I connect it to the house battery on the other side of the RV, run it under the RV and hook it to the macerator.

One thing I found is that if you're just on battery power, the macerator doesn't run at full power. So, at home, I'm plugged into shore power so the jumper cable connection provides enough juice for full power.

wa8yxm wrote:
There is a rubber cap (or should be) on the other end of the motor, under it is the motor shaft with a slot, any flat tool, Screwedriver, Mending bar, Quarter, Can be used to TURN the shaft in the direction suggested by the outlet molding,, that fixes it, Do this before you hook up.

Which is described clearly in the FloJet owner's manual. ;)

F1bNorm wrote:
Those of you that use a macerator, what do you use for a power source?

I ran 12 gauge zip cord from the battery back to where the waste gates are located and terminated them with a standard 7-pin Bargman connector ...



... then wired the FloJet with a matching 7-pin Bargman.

This feed runs through a toggle switch I mounted on the battery box so even though the macerator is bayoneted onto the sewer outlet I can alternately control it's operation from the front of the trailer in a case while camping I might want to macerate and offload black water into containers sitting in the back of the truck.

fishhogg wrote:
Are they worth having? Do they empty faster? Thanks

Ok, Well, I have one, a Flo-Jet portable. When I need it, I NEED IT, when I dont' I use the old 3" stinky slinky.

Some folks do not like handling the 3" hose.. Personally. I do not mind, but I'm strange that way. For those the smaller Macerator hose might be more user friendly.

Macerator dumps (Via a 50' 3/4" black rubber hose in my case) at about 6 gallons per minute, six mintues to empty if the tank (36 Gallons) is full by stop watch.
3" hose in under 1 minute.

But I have had sites where the hole in the ground wasw 40-45 feet away, Where it is UP HILL and around corners. In all these cases the Macerator was a blessing.

NOTE: on mine, since I only use it when needed, every time the pump impeller is sized up.. There is a rubber cap (or should be) on the other end of the motor, under it is the motor shaft with a slot, any flat tool, Screwedriver, Mending bar, Quarter, Can be used to TURN the shaft in the direction suggested by the outlet molding,, that fixes it, Do this before you hook up.