Bypass Macerating Toilet

[365vacay]

My class B has a macerating toilet that requires my inverter to be on and a button to be pushed to drain the black tank. Does anyone have a simple hack to drain the tank without using the macerator?

I do not poo in my toilet. It is only a mix of pee and shower water.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by 365vacay

My class B has a macerating toilet that requires my inverter to be on and a button to be pushed to drain the black tank. Does anyone have a simple hack to drain the tank without using the macerator?

I do not poo in my toilet. It is only a mix of pee and shower water.

Your profile says you have a Carado Banff. Looking at the specs for a Banff it says:
"Sewage disposal system – 12 V macerating toilet and gravity dump"

Don't understand why you would need the inverter to run a 12V macerator toilet? But I don't own this van so maybe I'm missing something.

You should be able to run the toilet off the battery and dump the black tank without electricity.

Good luck.

[Storysrvwego]

I think you want the macerator to run every time the toilet is used. Toilet paper alone will plug up sooner or later if you do not. I don't have a macerator so not speaking from experience. Someone else might counter this but its in the flow path, I'd think you want to spin that thing. And I agree with Boxter1971; surely that macerator motor is 12 volt and will operate without having 120 VAC from 12 VDC to 120 VAC Inverter, or from direct 120 VAC Shore Power.

StorysRVwego

[Macodiva]

I have a Banff. My macerator works fine without the inverter on or shore power. My tank will not empty without it.

[RossWilliams]

My tank will not empty without it.

Are you sure? I think there is usually an emergency cleanout somewhere underneath that allows emptying using gravity.

You definitely do not need to use the macerator every time you use the toilet. It is used only for emptying the tanks.

[Macodiva]

Thankfully i've not needed to try any emergency dumps as so far (touch wood) all is working well. The macerater is only used when dumping the tank. It would be a little hard to use otherwise i'd think, what with them being at opposite ends of the van lol.
When the sewage pipe is hooked up & the valve pulled open nothing will come out until you hit the macerator button.
I was just telling 365vacay that he shouldn't need the inverter on to use it.

[DLandFan]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

Your profile says you have a Carado Banff. Looking at the specs for a Banff it says:
"Sewage disposal system – 12 V macerating toilet and gravity dump"

Don't understand why you would need the inverter to run a 12V macerator toilet? But I don't own this van so maybe I'm missing something.

You should be able to run the toilet off the battery and dump the black tank without electricity.

Good luck.

Banff has both macerating toilet AND macerating black tank, requiring 12v for both functions. I have not found a hack for gravity dump of black tank.

However I have found that using a garden hose through the small port in the black tank cap has been much more efficient and easier to manage (and clean) than the large slinky.

[Macodiva]

DLandFan I was curious as to whether a small hose would work when dumping, i'd certainly imagine it would be less messy & easier to store. Is the macerator really that good at chopping stuff up?

[DLandFan]

Originally Posted by Macodiva

DLandFan I was curious as to whether a small hose would work when dumping, i'd certainly imagine it would be less messy & easier to store. Is the macerator really that good at chopping stuff up?

Yes, it seems to be. I don’t put TP in the tank anymore but even when I did everything discharged as a homogenous fluid.

This is my third try at posting a reply. Not sure what my prob is. Previous tries had more info though. So if you’d like more info please PM.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by 365vacay

My class B has a macerating toilet that requires my inverter to be on and a button to be pushed to drain the black tank. Does anyone have a simple hack to drain the tank without using the macerator?

I do not poo in my toilet. It is only a mix of pee and shower water.

Despite some other replies, the macerating toilet does two things. It liquefies the waste and in some cases (like mine), pumps this waste from the toilet location over to the holding tank. This second feature is necessary if the toilet is not installed directly over the black tank.

If you have both cases above, then I don't see a way around using the macerator toilet as it was designed. Mine works fine.

And just for additional information, there can also be a macerator pump at the external dump valve. Mine has that feature. So my macerated waste is macerated twice. At the toilet when flushing and again when emptying the tanks. No trouble with #2 or toilet paper so far. I buy my toilet paper at Dollar Tree. Better than the Thetford stuff at Walmart, yet dissolves very quickly. The Charmin we use at home is better toilet paper, but doesn't dissolve quick enough. The macerators could maybe handle it, but why find out the hard way.

Make use you keep hair out of drains and toilets as this has been reported to give macerators problems.