Flojet macerator: is it reliable? Maintenance issues?

[profdant139]

(I searched the archive for this topic but came up empty. Please forgive me if this has been discussed previously.)

I'm seriously considering a Flojet sewer pump -- several public dumps in our area have closed, and we need to be able to clean out the tanks at home. And my sewer cleanout is just a few inches uphill from my tank valves, so gravity and my old slinky won't do the job.

Yes, the Blue Boy method works, but it is a tedious task to dump a partial load in the tote, dump the tote into the cleanout, rinse and repeat. So I am leaning toward the Flojet as a less-burdensome alternative.

But before I pull the trigger on this expensive item, I want to know if there are any reliability or maintenance issues. This is not an item that I want to play with on my workbench, if you know what I mean.

Thanks in advance for your comments -- I would especially appreciate hearing from those who have first-hand experience.

[learntorv]

profdant139 wrote:
Well, I have unboxed it and am examining the contents of the package. And to answer my own questions, yes, there are procedures in the manual for repairs and maintenance to be conducted by the end user. But they are not simple tasks -- this is not something I will do until I have to.

As far as I can see, there is no required annual maintenance.

The instructions do not expressly say "this can be powered directly by an ordinary deep cycle battery." But since it requires a 12 volt power source, and it is designed for RVs, I think the answer is yes, direct-to-battery is OK.

They also say that if the cable run to the battery is more than 10 feet, use 10 gauge wire, rather than the 12 gauge wire that they provide.

Finally, they say that if you use alligator clips (presumably to the battery??), they have to be rated at 20 amps. So don't use a spare pair of flimsy clamps (which is what I was planning to do until I read the little manual carefully). 😉

I will admit, I don't think I ever opened the instruction manual. I had a buddy help me slap some alligator clips onto a cord and a quick connect on the other side and went to town. I've since made a replacement cord when I got to my in-laws but didn't have my cord with me - I sacrificed a cheap extension cord.

Yes, you can clip it directly to a battery. I've used my camper batteries, my truck battery, and even my in-law's SUV battery (because it was closest in the driveway).

Like OB, I've never had to twist the end of the pump though I've heard of others who say they need to.

Yes, it's easy and pretty painless to open the pump up. We're a family of Wookiees so hair gets wrapped around the impeller.

The only tip I didn't see mentioned is I have a gate valve that I twist onto my sewer outlet first. This lets me isolate the pump from the tanks that I'm emptying. I then have a shut-off on the hose closest to the pump so that if there's a problem, I can isolate the hose from the pump and then would "walk" the hose to empty it into whatever my receptacle is.

I also use quick connects everywhere on my hoses. It reduces the diameter but lets me connect/disconnect easier (and cleaner?).

I've pumped from the camper sewer outlet to a bladder in my truck bed. I've probably pumped a couple thousand gallons of wastewater over the past 4 years. I've often pumped out friends and have become the honey wagon at rallies. The farthest I've pumped is probably 150' of hose to take care of 2 rigs without moving my truck.

Now, for reliability- there are a handful of pumps that go into "overheat protection" prematurely. It shuts down the pump for a couple of minutes. I have had 3 friends who have had it happen to and have read of reports online of the same thing. Flojet will replace the pump under warranty if it happens. Crazily, 1 of my friends had to have his pump replaced twice because of it.

[wa8yxm]

The "Guts" consist of two stages.

The first stage is a set of "Blades' like a blender that break up stuff a bit and that is where hair and other stuff needs to be removed. You look down the "Throat" of the thing and you see them. And a backing plate.

The Real "Guts" is the pump and that's below the plate. but other than Stiction (Which I think I mentioned above) that usualy is no tribble at all.

And the Stiction is "Cured" by giving the other end of the motor shaft a twist using a flat bladed tool or even a quarter or washers work well. before you hook up.

[profdant139]

Well, I have unboxed it and am examining the contents of the package. And to answer my own questions, yes, there are procedures in the manual for repairs and maintenance to be conducted by the end user. But they are not simple tasks -- this is not something I will do until I have to.

As far as I can see, there is no required annual maintenance.

The instructions do not expressly say "this can be powered directly by an ordinary deep cycle battery." But since it requires a 12 volt power source, and it is designed for RVs, I think the answer is yes, direct-to-battery is OK.

They also say that if the cable run to the battery is more than 10 feet, use 10 gauge wire, rather than the 12 gauge wire that they provide.

Finally, they say that if you use alligator clips (presumably to the battery??), they have to be rated at 20 amps. So don't use a spare pair of flimsy clamps (which is what I was planning to do until I read the little manual carefully). 😉

[profdant139]

mtofell, thanks for that tip -- I did not realize that the "guts" of the machine would be accessible without disassembly.

And yes, we have no intention of getting rid of our dear old slinky. I will use the Flojet at home (because the slinky won't work uphill), but we will use the slinky while traveling.

[mtofell1]

I absolutely love my Flojet macerator and it's been trouble free in the 3 years I've used it. The one thing I do make sure to do is each time I use it I reach down inside of it with a needle-nose pliers and remove hair and debris from around the blade. Like anything mechancial there always could be a problem so I do carry a backup "stinky slinky" but feel it's unlikely I'll ever need it. If a failure is a huge concern I think you can get a replacement motor to carry as a spare for roughly 1/2 what the full unit costs.

[profdant139]

Does anyone know if the manufacturer recommends maintenance at a specified interval?

My macerator just arrived today -- probably won't get to unbox it tomorrow due to family obligations. Maybe the manual will shed some light on maintenance requirements.

It's really quite a reflection on the mindset of an RV enthusiast that I am so excited about this sewer pump. I am sure that most non-RV folks would think that I have lost my mind.

But by making it easy to clean out the tanks at home, this new toy will mean that we can much more easily use the trailer as a "guest room" when we have company visiting us. And we can stop using public dumps as frequently as we used to.

OK, back to holiday preparations!!

[handsome51]

I have had mine for 14 years. I use it to dump the tanks at home every time we get back from a trip. I have never disassembled the head . It has worked with no problems for 14 years.

[wiskeyVI]

D.E.Bishop wrote:
I made my own out of a garbage disposal. Here is a link...

LINK

I can't tell you how many times I've thought of doing this..
Well done and thanks for sharing.

[profdant139]

Thanks, OB!

[Old-Biscuit]

I've never had a 'stuck' impeller not have I even given the shaft a twist before had...just hookup/power up and use it

Disassembling is easy....and not messy
I only do it AFTER running clean rinfse/flush water thru it

1. Remove the 4 acorn nuts at the top of the pump assembly
2. Pull the top sewer adapter away from the pump (be careful with the the gasket)

At this point remove anything wrapped up around the chopper blade. This may be all you need to do.

3. Remove the chopper blade assembly by gripping the motor shaft under the blade with a small pointed vice grips and remove the nut holding the chopper blade.
4. Now remove the pump assembly, being careful with the next gasket. Examine the rubber pump impeller. Replace if it has damaged vanes.


Reassemble in reverse


20 minutes R/R



Sister place......Sister home in FL

[2oldman]

The extremely dry vegetation at Quartzsite could use your gray water.

[mbopp]

profdant139 wrote:
9/32?? What an odd choice by the designers -- not a quarter or five-sixteenths? Very few standard wrench sets include a 9/32 wrench.

Oh, well. If I ever have the need to do that repair, I'll use your workaround!

The wrench goes across the flat on the shaft under the impeller.

[hotpepperkid]

I have no problems with mine. I only us it when I return home for a trip to really clean things out. I get every thing all hooked up get my chair and a couple of beers and flush away

[profdant139]

9/32?? What an odd choice by the designers -- not a quarter or five-sixteenths? Very few standard wrench sets include a 9/32 wrench.

Oh, well. If I ever have the need to do that repair, I'll use your workaround!