Macerator compartment modification on RT

[Barman]

I have recently modified the macerator compartment on our 2006 190 V. The reson for this is because of a couple of reasons. First reason was that the size of the opening to put the hose in and take it back out is just to darn restrictive, and when you try to put the valve into the compartment it was even worse. After only one year of use my hose split three times while on a roadtrip last month. I'm sure this happened because you have to put the hose under too much stress when putting it in and taking it out. I decided rather than to just put on a new hose and have the same thing happen all over again, I would address the real problem. I removed the bulkhead that seperates the macerator side from the storage side of the compartment, and was able to move it 3 inches farther aft. To do this only took very minor modification, and I re-installed the bulkhead in the new location just as it was in the old location. By doing this I have nearly doubled the size of the opening you have to work with, and it is much easier to put the hose in and out, and the hose has much less stress on it. Only time will tell if this extends the life of that hose, but at the very least it makes it much less of a chore to use it. I also learned on that trip that having a roll of duct tape along is a must. Even though the hose split three different times in three different places, I was able to duct tape it and be able to use the hose for dumping with no mess. The hose would split while putting it away, and it was reasonably clean as we flush with the gray water last. Even the RT dealer liked my modification when I took it back to them to put the new hose on. It was still under warranty for the hose or I would have done that myself also. If anyone would like more info on the process, feel free to contact me.

[bobojay]

Scanning several "B" forums, this seems to be a common problem with RT's new factory installed macerator hose.
Maybe you ought to send pics of the mod to RT for their consideration to modify the factory setup.

[markopolo]

I'd be happy to add a photo of your modification to this thread. Email it to me if you want.

Sounds like a great idea to me.

[markopolo]

Here are photos of Barman's macerator compartment modification:

These are the pictures of the macerator compartment modification I did on our 2006 190 Versatile. As seen in photo with tape measure, I now have almost 8 inches of opening, and before the mod I had less than 4 1/2 inches of opening.







That looks much easier to work with. Thanks for sending the photos.

[Barman]

Hey bobojay
I did send an e-mail to the engineering department at RT on the mod I did, but I didn't think about the pictures. I was told by RT that my information would be reviewed, but they did not know how long it would take.

[Photog]

We just bought a 2009 190V. Nothing has changed. Still a small opening.

I may have to do this same mod.

Thanks for posting it.