Home made macerator

I made one last year. I had a TT parked on a piece of property I own (the lot has water and power but no sewer) and getting the trailer on/off the lot required backing up a long, steep driveway that is quite narrow, so I was using a blue boy tank for the black water, but loading the full blue boy into the bed of the pickup was a pain. The nearest dump station is about 10 minutes down a major highway so towing the blue boy was not an option.

When I was checking out prices for the Flojet 12 volt macerator (here in Canada the dealers want $350) I came across Steampunk's site and I got the idea. I picked up a brand new garbage disposal unit for $10 at a garage sale and modified it as per steampunk. I had to do a bit of grinding with a dremel tool to fit the 3" fittings, but it was pretty easy. Unfortunately, it would not pump with more than a 1 foot head, so I bought a water pump on sale at home depot and connected it to the outlet of the garbage disposal.

It worked great, about a 5 foot rise up into the blue boy in the box of the truck through a 5/8 hose, about 40 feet. I picked up a second blue boy so I have enough capacity to empty the black tank, plus about 5 gallons to flush out the empty black tank and another 5 gallons from the grey tank to clean out the whole system. Emptying the blue boys from the box of the truck is fast and easy with a 10 foot 3" hose.

I was a bit worried that the pump would not be able to handle the slurry that comes out of the macerator, but it worked really well. This is the pump I bought: HD pump

Francesca Knowles wrote:
Garbage disposals don't "pump"....

I think you would find that underneath the shredder table are vanes that act as vanes in a pump. They are a support for the shredder ring but also act as a quasi pump vane within the drain cavity of the disposal. At least every one I've dismantled has been like that. I would imagine they are built like that to afford evacuation of the drain chamber with enough pressure through the final drain opening.
It's easy to prove this to yourself. Fill the sink with water, making sure the disposal is clean, and observe the time it takes for the sink to empty without the disposal powered. Do the same procedure but with the disposal powered.

The Steampunk builder could have incorporated a clean out with his macerator by attaching a plastic irrigation valve and hose fitting onto the dishwasher inlet. I guess a guy could just rinse the 3" hose and disposer by directing water into the disconnected hose, also.

DIY Macerator, Steampunk Work Shop

The disposal pumped for the builder.

For what it's worth, I sourced a 1" ID hose and run it 100' with the standard Macerating pump available out there.. no issues.. not saying this is the cheapest way, but it's what I do..

When I visit my daughter, I use a garbage disposal unit adapted to the 3" drain to pump my holding tanks 100' and 5' uphill thru a 5/8" garden hose. Works like a charm. Even better that the 12volt macerator pump that I have.

Here is a link on how to build your own garbage disposer macerator pump.

http://steampunkworkshop.com/diy-rv-macerator-pump

Garbage disposals don't "pump"....