Portable Macerator

[<<B-Guy>>]

While awaiting delivery of our PW, I am trying to get the various bits and pieces I think we will need with it - so far, bought a roll up table, Swing Hitch, RV approved Bike rack, and cargo carrier. I think that is most of the bigger $ items except for Weathertech mats. I will wait unto we have that as teh main Canadian Disributor for Weathertech is in the city where I live, so when I get the van I will go there to ensure they work well!

But I am also wondering about a Flotech portable macerator. There is one on our local Kijiji that looks like new.

Not something I would use often, but I am thinking it could be handy o dum tanks at home if we have accumulated waste on day trips - or evenon teh way home from camping trips.

Thing is - it seems most people have the ability to use these devices by dumping into "Cleanouts" in their home plumbing and I don't believe I have that option.

So what I am wondering is if I could use this to run a hose (3/4"? 5/8"?) under 50ft with a rise of maybe 4 ft from our van in the driveway, through the garage, and into and adjacent powder room toilet?

Anyone do that sort of thing? I suppose it would be a two person operation with GMRS radios and I would be fine with that - I just don't want to have to get involved in washing down the walls and repainting our powder room - if you get y meaning!

99% of the time we only use our RV toilets for "peeing" - if that makes any difference!

Appreciate any advice - should i consider buying this device?!

Thx ........ Brian.

[markopolo]

I'd say yes to the portable macerator for at home use but find a clean-out or other way to connect to your house waste lines.

It wouldn't take much of a mistake or problem to create a mess.

[CaDreamin]

The manual for my flojet says it will pump 50 ft with a 3/4 hose over level ground so probably its fine with such a small tank.

I wouldn’t want to be the person holding that hose in the toilet.

I would rig up a ‘no fail’ attachment for the toilet. A piece of wood attached to the toilet via a nylon strap might do it. Put a pass thru fitting through the wood attached to a length of pvc running under the waterline in the toilet.

[booster]

Remember that toilets have traps and flush by vacuum, siphon, or air pressure in most cases. Water and "stuff" likely won't gravity feed through the trap very quickly and may quickly fill the bowl before even starting to go down. If you were a long ways from the off switch it could turn out to be very messy.


Getting into a cleanout plug puts you right into a big pipe, so it will handle whatever you can pump in without having to go through a trap.

[CaDreamin]

Yes, and if it goes wrong it goes pretty goshdarn wrong.

I had a mainline get so clogged with roots that I had to get it dug up. I had a cleanout installed. I got lucky!

You could get a consult from a plumber, he might have some ideas.

[hbn7hj]

Can you put it down the pipe that takes the drain water from your washing machine? That is the way I do it and it is a one person operation. The hose will not pop out.

[avanti]

If you have drain pipes exposed in a garage or crawl-space, they often have accessible clean-out tees. I use one in our garage sometimes.

[jon]

I just went under my house to look where the main sewer line was. Sure enough there was a cleanout (hiding under the woodchips) conveniently located close to the driveway.
Now I need to get rid of my cassette and get a black tank.

[rowiebowie]

A toilet will not handle the flow rate from a properly working macerator. No, no, no to pressurized poo inside. If you try it, have someone stand a safe distance away and video. You'll be a Youtube sensation for all the wrong reasons.

Use a 3" or 4" clean out opening or actual dump station and you'll be fine (even uphill).

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by jon

I just went under my house to look where the main sewer line was. Sure enough there was a cleanout (hiding under the woodchips) conveniently located close to the driveway.
Now I need to get rid of my cassette and get a black tank.

jon, good find!

Wingeezer, have a plumber see it he can locate a cleanout or add one!

[markopolo]

One thing to be aware of is that the macerator and hose combo won't be empty when the job is done if there is any rise in the hose run. The longer the hose and greater the rise will result in more residual water left in the hose. You have to be able to drain that. It would not be that easy to walk the hose (empty the hose) with 4' of rise.

[<<B-Guy>>]

Thanks to all for your words of wisdom - maybe I won't try my toilet dumping idea after all - or if I do, I will rig up a long extension cord to the macerator switch so that I can control it from the toilet location!

I liked ths suggestion of maybe using the standpipe that our clothes washer dumps into - especially since I would have to route the hose through our garage and then through the laundry room anyway to get to the toilet I was thinking to use.

The issue of having to "walk" the full hose towards the drain after dumping was mentioned and I had realised that woud be an issue. Not much I could do about that I guess - although after dumping I had planned to refill and rinse the black tank after cntents were dumped so at least any spillage would be rinse water - small consolation! I do have an air hose in the garage - maybe I could just blow the line clear!

When all is said and done though O think I wall call our local wastewater treatment plant on Monday to see if they still have an RV dump station - I know they did years ago, but the whole plant has been redone since last I was there Sounds like that would be my best bet if they still off the service - it used to be free too!

Thanks everyone - Im feeling like I will likely pass on purchase of the lightly used flojet - even though it is about half price of new!


Brian.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by markopolo

One thing to be aware of is that the macerator and hose combo won't be empty when the job is done if there is any rise in the hose run. The longer the hose and greater the rise will result in more residual water left in the hose. You have to be able to drain that. It would not be that easy to walk the hose (empty the hose) with 4' of rise.

My (permanently-attached) macerator hose is essentially full of something all the time. In-season, it contains the last of the gray water (no doubt mixed with some air). After winterization, it contains pink-stuff just like the traps (the only places that stuff is even seen in my van BTW).

I guess with a long run, one might need a removable hose that would have to be drained. But for many, a permanently-sealed hose is the great pleasure of a macerator setup.

[CaDreamin]

My flojet has a backflush attachment that lets you inject fresh water. You can close the dump valve and clean the line with fresh water.

[markopolo]

Just some notes: You can cap both ends on a portable setup to prevent leaks and odor. The Sanicon hose on mine is always attached to the macerator. After draining both ends are capped for storage. The small cap goes on the Sanicon fitting and the large bayonet type cap goes on the macerator. Photos attached:

sanicon.jpg

bayonet cap.jpg

If the portable system in use doesn't have the backflush inlet the you can use one of these caps to give the macerator / hose combo a good flush out. (I don't know how much pressure it could take though)

rinse cap.jpg

[avanti]

Originally Posted by markopolo

just some notes: You can cap both ends on a portable setup to prevent leaks and odor. The sanicon hose on mine is always attached to the macerator. After draining both ends are capped for storage. The small cap goes on the sanicon fitting and the large bayonet type cap goes on the macerator. Photos attached:

My setup has exactly the same hose as Marko shows above. But, instead of the bayonet fitting on the upstream end, the stretchy hose is directly plumbed into the macerator via a barb connector.

If the "portable" setup was such that the macerator and hose could be left in place all the time and only removed if a problem occurred, I think that would be optimal. I believe that is what ARV does. It would be better than my setup in that it would be easier to replace a busted macerator (although I have never had to do that). If you had to remove the hose after every use, the ability to easily seal both ends would be a lot better than a slinky, but not as nice as just putting on the little cap after every dump.