Portable Macerator Pump

[chockwald]

Came across this "portable" system for pumping out your "black water":

http://www.maceratorpumps.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=28

Richard mentioned he was going to put together something like this. This doesn't seem too expensive. What say ya'll??

[encantotom]

i dont know if i would want to go to the hassle of having a poop pump to clean up and store.

i have one hard plumbed in, and if i didnt and wanted one, i would likely hard plumb it in as well.

here is a picture of mine.

tom

[Richard and Rhonda]

As soon as my poop pump gets here, I'll post some pics of the install.

I think it will be the best of both worlds, in that it will be a semi perm install with quick connect for reversion to the standard gravity dump.

I also think I am going to have about 250 0r less in the entire setup including hoses, which is considerably less than the kits are selling for.

Stay tuned. I don't know if I can keep Tom's std of documentation, but I'll try.

[prestadude]

Tom, what is the switch labeled "Odor Control"?

[encantotom]

when you flip that switch, all the odor in the neighborhood goes away....

it is supposed to run a current through the tank and kill the odor. to be honest, i have no idea if it works or not and have not spent any time on it. i know clarke and michael and a few others have and i believe say it works.

gee, someone actually looks at the pictures....impressive.

tom

[chockwald]

I have the same switch, and it works wonderfully....NEVER any odor. I leave it on all the time. The label on my switch is IONIZER. I, to, am impressed. I didn't get close enough to read the labels when I opened the pictures, but sure enough, they are readable!

In the picture my "IONIZER" is the little black box located about 3/4 of the way down on the left bulkhead in front of the fresh water tank. It has an on and off switch, and a "test" switch, which when depressed will blink indicating it is working....it is working.

Richard, are you ordering the components separately and putting them together?

[folivier]

So should the switch be up or down?
Don't know if mine works or not, did find a burnt fuse when I was wiring up some docking lights.

[fulltiming]

The switch should be in the up position to be on.

The manual says that some water should be added to the tank and a little salt. Then every few minutes, the system should cycle in for a few minutes. When it is on, the manual claims that the tank lights will all glow dimly. Mine never has so maybe mine doesn't work either.

[Richard and Rhonda]

The way that deodorizer works is this. If there is some salt in the waste tank, then applying a slight current across the tank causes some of the NaCl to deionize into Sodium and Chlorine. Actually it creates Sodium Hypochlorite, but the effect is the same as pouring some Clorox in the tank.

The same tecnology is used by the military for treating drinking water, and also by some high end swimming pools to keep the water free of algae.

Yes, Clarke, it is a DIY project on the macerator.

[folivier]

Wow, didn't know my pool was "high end"!
This system is pretty popular in our area: salt water pools.
Didn't realize the odor control worked the same way. Better go put some salt in mine.

[Wally Arntzen]

Mine works wonderfully. No oders and I had it checked a couple of years ago when at Newell because I really did not know if it worked and it checked out good.
I am not aware of anything in my coach that does not work at this time, but I am a fanatic about everything working.

[prairieschooner]

Is the system that you are referring to as an Ionizer labeled SANITRON? I would like to get my SANITRON system up and running.
I do not have a manual and cannot find anything with google. Could someone send me a copy of the manual prairieschooner@verizon.net
As I understand the System, there are probes in the Holding Tank and that the SANITRON applies current that "Zap" the water and that minimizes the odors? Is the system 12 Volts DC?, that I can check to see if there is Voltage.
Richard, could you go through that a little slower?

[encantotom]

it is basically a chlorinator. you can generate chlorine from salt water using an anode and cathode...basically positive and negative.

my pool is a salt water pool with a low level of salt, (about 3000 ppm) that then passes through a grid that has current applied to it that then generates the chlorine for the pool.

to be honest i have no idea if mine is workable, as i have not put any salt in the system, but it should be easy enough to check with a voltmeter. i will put that on my list....

same concept here.

tom

[prairieschooner]

OK but is it a 12 Volts DC System or a 120 Volts AC System?

[folivier]

Since the terminals on the probes are "bare" I would think it is 12 volts. Oh, I found a fuse burnt in the compartment just forward of my water bay that was marked "odor control" and it was a 12 volt fuse.

[Wally Arntzen]

Forest is correct it is a 12 volt system. My information says it needs a little bit of water in the tank to work and that adding salt to it enhances its operation. I don't know what you check to prove that is working. They checked mine at Newell and said everything was working and it works fine.

[Richard and Rhonda]

I finally had time over the T'day break to work on this. As usual there were a few challenges. The first was that I did not have room in either bay to semi-permanently mount the macerator to the existing discharge fitting. I also had very limited room to cut into the existing drain piping to do a permanent install. You can see what I am talking about in the picture of the bay.

I wanted to install the pump on the existing fitting so that I could easily take it on and off. I really only need the macerator when emptying the tank at home.

The second issue is that my rig has the discharge fittings that Newell sourced from Dupree products. They are not the Airstream variety nor the standard Thetford version either. To quote Tom " WHAT is that?" when he saw the fitting in Austin. I was able to get some fittings from Dupree although they do not list them on their website.

I took the fittings and the pump to Home Depot and Camping World to find something hopefully that would bridge the two. The solution also had a secondary benefit. It turned out that a Thetford coupler just fit over the Dupree 45 and was a hair too big for the pump. By installing the Thetford fitting on the Dupree fitting I now can use Thetford style fittings in a pinch.

Anyway, that's the physical hookup. For the electrical, I found a fuse panel in the adjoining bay already labeled and fused for macerator. It was as simple as pulling 10g wire to the water bay. Since the pump is not a perm install, I used a simple two way DC plug so that I could disconnect the pump. I used a 40 amp toggle switch. I thought about using a heavy duty relay, and would have if I were doing a permanent install.

The thread was originally about cost. Here is what I spent:

Pump 149.00 on Ebay
Wire compliments of Richard's garage
Toggle Switch 4.99
Discharge adapter for pump 1.79
Fitting for hose 2.99
Thetford adaptor 4.99
Three hose clamps 1.78

My out of pocket was 165.54

I will go to Northern Tool and get two 25 ft sections of 1" Discharge hose so that I can pump to the house. I had too much head pressure trying to pump using old garden hose.

That hose is 33 bucks a section. So if I add 66 to the total, that brings the total cost to 231.54, which is considerably less than the best prices I found on the packaged units.

In hindsight, I could not have used the packaged unit any way, since I did not have the space to mount it.

[encantotom]

richard, you will love the macerator.

good work.

tom

[chockwald]

Richard...what brand pump is that.....Jabsco?

[Richard and Rhonda]

It's the FloJet. I only went with it because the OD of the pump inlet is very close to the ID of the discharge, so that cobbling up a transition piece would be easy. And it was easier than I thought.

[chockwald]

I acquired a Jabsco self priming one on Ebay for $51....and you are right, plumbing the transision from the discharge will be interesting....I think I've got it figured out, but will have to wait until I get back from our trip.

[Summersgal]

I love those glasses in the last pic! :-)

Pam

[Richard and Rhonda]

It's OK, your day is coming for the dreaded readers.

[chockwald]

Richard, are you going to post any pictures of your portable macerator project? Brining the coach home today and will be finishing my portable macerator project and posting pictures of what I came up with later.

[Richard and Rhonda]

Clarke, see page 2 of this thread. Those are all the pics I took. My install is not fancy since I did not have the room to permanently mount the pump without major renovation.

I ran 12V wiring with quick disconnect for power, and you can see how I adapted the pump to the existing discharge. I just have to hook it up when I need to use it. Takes all of a minute.

I did find that the one inch discharge hose did not work out. Oh it folds nice and flat, but it tends to collapse and form pinch points that the pump is not strong enough to overcome. I ended up getting two lengths of 3/4 ID garden hose. A ten foot length for using in the parks, and a 50 foot length that will reach from the street to the drain cleanout at my home.

I have used it about four times now, and each time gets easier.

I will say, as Tom, and others have commented. You better do a check of all your fittings and where the hose is aimed before you hit the go button. It pumps a lot of poop in a short period of time. It will blow the discharge hose out of the drain if you don't secure it. Trust me on that one.

[encantotom]

i bought a 3/4" heavy duty hose to use for the poo pump. i guess i should label it as it is in the garage.....

tom

[folivier]

... yeah, you don't wanna use that one to siphon gas...

[encantotom]

or more likely....wash the car with it and the take a cool refreshing drink.....

tom

[chockwald]

Thanks Richard.....I see the date you posted the pix conincides with our long trip in November/December.....must have missed them. Thanks. I'll post mine tomorrow. Glad I read the additional posts about the 3/4" hose...I was leaning toward the 1" tubing, but will go with the heavy duty 3/4"!

[madson95]

i was able to buy 100 ft 3/4 hose from tractor supply for about $60.00 and it has worked well for me

[chockwald]

OK....here are pictures of my Rube Goldberg contraption....lol! Actually, I'm quite pleased with the final result. Total out of pocket cost less than $85! The most expensive items were the macerator pump ($46) and the contractor's hose ($26). Next task will be to test it out. My blackwater holding tank is currently empty, so the next time I bring the coach home (in 2 weeks for a President's Day weekend trip) I will fill the tank with fresh, clean water. If anything happens to go wrong I will not end up standing in 2" of liquified poo!

Below are the first 4 pictures showing the Jabsco self priming macerator pump completely assembled. The white fitting on top is a Thetford fitting that came with my coach. The rest of the parts were purchased at Home Depot and Lowe's. Total cost including the pump was under $85. I got the pump on Ebay for $46! The hose cost $26. I purchased a contractor grade 3/4" inside diamter hose.....the normal garden variety hose is only 5/8" inside diameter.

The rest of the pictures will appear in the subsequent post.

[chockwald]

The rest of the pictures....I already had the threaded cleanout attachment shown in picture #1 to which the female end of the hose is attached after being screwed into the cleanout.

[Richard and Rhonda]

I'm sure Elaine was thrilled to have the kitchen counter as the workbench for the poop pump :-)

Seriously, is the fitting in the very last picture threaded? the part that fits into your home drain is what I am asking about. If it's not, or not a snug fit, then prepare for a shower when you turn on the pump.

Good idea to test the system with clean water. I was glad I did, I had a few unanticpated surprises.

[chockwald]

The fitting in the last picture is not threaded on the bottom, but it is a very tight fit. The plastic PVC coupling slips over the outside of the riser. If it doesn't hold then I'll have to rethink that part. The riser pipe is cast iron, I believe, or something like that. Actually, I assembled it on the workbench in the garage, but brought it inside for the pictures to get better lighting. But, once that puppy has been used you can believe Elaine will never allow it to pass over the threshold of our home again....lol!

[prairieschooner]

Hey Guys,
Follow this link:
http://www.sewersolution.com/
it is a much simpler way to do the job. I have seen it work and it is worth looking at...only one moving part!

[chockwald]

Do they have it with a Thetford connector?

[prairieschooner]

I am using an Adapter that I bought from Al's RV in Yuma so I am 99.9% sure that it would work. I now use the VALTERRA Hoses with the Bayonett Fittings and have my THETFORD stuff laying idle.

[chockwald]

Where's the fun in buying something so simple....LOL!d?? Most of the fun is finding the stuff to build the portable pump and then assembling it...haha!

[prairieschooner]

another though is that since this system uses Water Pressure to Macerate and move the un-wanted Waste...the Hose(s) have clean water when finished instead of the stinky and un-sanitary stuff.

I just had a second thought, imagine 50'-100' of Hose that goes uphill with sewage in it, yuk!

[prairieschooner]

just curious, how is the Poop Pump Plumbing Proceeding?

[chockwald]

Finally got the chance to use my "portable" macerator pump yesterday. We dry camped this past weekend down at Temecula at a soccer tournament. I hooked everything up, and flipped the switch, heard the pump come on, but only a trickle of the black stuff was coming out the other end of the hose. Well, that is the Hockwald way....nothing is ever easy....LOL! I fiddled around with it for about an hour. I unhooked everything, filled up the intake plumbing so I could watch the "clean" water and see what happened....lots of sound, but very little water discharge....hmmmm...

Well, I had to get to work, so I looked at it again this morning. I unscrewed the 4 bolts holding the intake housing in place, and discovered immediately what the problem was....the gasket was installed incorrectly covering the opening that lets the water into the pump to be discharged.....I'm amazed that anything came out at all. I then reinstalled the gasket in the correct position, and put it back together, and sucess...water came out like a fire hose! So, I'll bring the coach home again this Friday and attempt, once again to empty my black tank.

[chockwald]

Great news......brought the coach home this morning (getting it washed, and heading out to Temecula again tomorrow for another soccer tournament), hooked up my portable macerator pump, and emptied the black tank in about 4 minutes....yahoooo!!! Worked flawlessly! Didn't take any pictures of the "process" as I'm sure no one here needs that image in their brains today...lol! No runs, no drips, no errors as Johnny Bench used to say in that Krylon commercial years ago. No black water on the black top. Filled up the black tank twice with clean water and pumped it back out as is my practice.

[fulltiming]

Great news Clarke!! You are now the master pooper pumper on your block!!

[chockwald]

Yes I am, but I'm not advertising..haha!

[express1]

Hey Clarke, I've been trying to follow this post, but I'm really slow....
What does this do for a Newell or any coach owner?
Gets rid of waste?
I thought we already could do this?

[chockwald]

The macerator pump allows me to dump, in this case, pump the waste from my tanks at home using my "sewer cleanout". If I have been dry camping, like I was last weekend, I don't have to search for a dump station on my way home, or on my way back to storage. Now, I can come home and dump both my tanks at my leisure. Since my sewer cleanout is about 4 feet higher in elevation than the street where my coach is parked I need the pump to push it up the driveway to the cleanout.

Ironically, my coach came with a macerator pump hooked up to the gray water tank, but there is no way to use that to pump out the black water tank. Not sure why that choice was made during construction.