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dumping, macerator or not.


packnrat

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i have and use at times a macerater pump.

but some have said that the tank does not get "cleaned out" using said pump, as the flow is not as great as just opening the dump valve.

not so much as in "clean" but more as not flushing all the stuff out. flow rates and all that.

aka: big hole makes a faster larger flow,

ver the pump is a smaller hole so slower rate out of the tank so stuff is not taken out.

 

this thought is everything as a easy down hill flow.

 

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Macerator is great if you need it, If you have water hooked up you can flush the tank by running water into tank for 5 minutes and running macerator again. It is a BLACK tank and does not have to be perfectly clean

Jim Spence

2000 Dodge 3500 1 ton QC 4x4 dually 5.9 diesel LB

BD exhaust brake, 6 spd manual trans

34CKTS Cedar Creek 5er, Trail-Air hitch

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clean is a subjective word here.

not as in a sanitizing. just getting most everything out. as in  have been told that the stuff is not brought down if not enough flow is there. aka 5/8 hole ver a 3 in hole for a drain.

yes i do try to "wash" remnants down to the drain. even to refill the tank (when possible) to do a "clean" dump.

dried stuff can be a problem for future dumps.

i am a bit picky here. as for now my rv can sit for months with no use. but this will change in a short number of years. retirement is rising, and it looks good.

but then i may dump this 5er (only a 24 ft) and get a class C. so i would want this unit to be in very good working cond. (trade in, sell value thing). seeing as it was built in 2001.

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When using  as long as you have several inches of water in it nothing will dry out. If you intend to store then find a dump station and do a thorough job of flushing. And keep in mind that drying up is a rubber seals worst enemy.

Jim Spence

2000 Dodge 3500 1 ton QC 4x4 dually 5.9 diesel LB

BD exhaust brake, 6 spd manual trans

34CKTS Cedar Creek 5er, Trail-Air hitch

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I use a macerator exclusively. I ALWAYS macerate out. I've been doing this for the past six years with no issue. I DO flush it well at least every other time by filling with water for three minutes, macerating, then repeating a few times. I've never scoped it to see how it is doing but I may sometime (I do have a sewer scope available to me). So assuming you do flush it out from time to time I'd say there is no negative effect from just macerating....at least in my experience. But I do use lots of water.

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We carry a portable Sanicon pump and use it on occasion.  Mostly I just use the Stinky Slinky.

I generally flush the black tank about every two or three dumps.  Now that we are full time, it is never a problem of leaving some liquid in the black tank.  Prior to being full time, we left about 5 gallons of water with chemicals in the black tank when stored.  For the winter, I made sure it was well flushed and drained.

Ken

Amateur radio operator, 2023 Cougar 22MLS, 2022 F150 Lariat 4x4 Off Road, Sport trim <br />Travel with 1 miniature schnauzer, 1 standard schnauzer and one African Gray parrot

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Its my non plumbers opinion a 3 inch dump will evacuate an RV holding tank better then a (ifffffffffff too slow ??) 1 inch or less dump. HOWEVER that's NOT to say use of a lot of water and occasional good flushings CANT STILL WORK FINE NO PROBLEMS EVER.   Its one of those things and personal choices of ease and convenience with no right or wrong answer in my opinion, but I still believe a three inch dump has to be better in theory then a (iffffffff too slow ??) 3/4 or one inch discharge.........I do recall when plumbing my home the slope is critical because if its too steep liquids pass by the solids versus if sloped correctly less the solids are carried out better along with the liquid, so perhaps a slower dump  could potentially have some advantage ?????.......Cold on the right hot on the left and ______ flows downhill lol

I'm NOT going to advise anyone to use a macerator dump or a full flow dump THATS YOUR CALL

Lots of water has to be a critical factor

Anytime I'm hooked permanent like at an RV park I fill n flush n fill n flush n fill n flush at least three times and use lotsssssssss of water. When dry camping I fill n flush less but as soon as I get to an RV park or a dump station I do like above 

John T   NOT a plumber

  

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John, the Macerator dumps is not as slow as just a 1" pipe.  It is a pumped flow with a high volume, low head grinder pump,  It is slower than a good old properly sloped stinky slinky.

I use the Sanicon grinder when I am too far from the connection, or have to pump uphiill slightly to get the stuff up there.

Ken

Amateur radio operator, 2023 Cougar 22MLS, 2022 F150 Lariat 4x4 Off Road, Sport trim <br />Travel with 1 miniature schnauzer, 1 standard schnauzer and one African Gray parrot

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1 hour ago, TXiceman said:

John, the Macerator dumps is not as slow as just a 1" pipe.  It is a pumped flow with a high volume, low head grinder pump,  It is slower than a good old properly sloped stinky slinky.

Mornin TX, I was in your great state until the first of December, had a good time EXCEPT Austin Traffic is baddddddddddddd.

Thanks for the info, Yep I knew the Macerator pumper under some pressure but still slower then the 3 inch gravity method was my "thinking" ??  I saw an interesting do it yourself macerator which used the 3 inch gravity feed that dumped into the top of a traditional under sink garbage disposal and then pumped under pressure out a 1 inch discharge hose. Just looking it seems it may do a better job then the macerators sold at Camping World which are much smaller lighter and Id bet far less horsepower ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT ??

Regardless of the method, 3 inch gravity or a powered macerator, I still think good maintenance, plenty of water and frequent flush outs is satisfactory.    

Since we sometime dry camp for extended periods with no access to a dump station I went with a Thetford Electra Magic 80 Marine Recirculating system and for two we can get by maybe 12 to 14 days before we need to dump. However a week is usually long enough and we may run short on fresh water by then and ready to move on down the road.......

Best wishes, fun chattin with you...

John T

1 hour ago, ARGO said:

We should get a hold of the tour bus guy that dumped going over a bridge for his opinion.

ARGO, I knew this "dude"  who if camped over thick grass or sand etc might have an accident and a bit of gray (Never black) water accidentally leaks out lol  

John T

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John, my Sanicon is a 12 volt rig.  If you go with the house disposal, it will be 120 volts.

Sure glad you enjoyed the Austin traffic.  I'll drive 2 hours out of my way to avoid Austin traffic.  Plus the people in Austin drive like they are crazy.

Ken

Amateur radio operator, 2023 Cougar 22MLS, 2022 F150 Lariat 4x4 Off Road, Sport trim <br />Travel with 1 miniature schnauzer, 1 standard schnauzer and one African Gray parrot

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oldjohnt.

in some back country areas it is ok to dump the grey water. but never the black.

 

the pump/grinder does push the flow through the hose. but was not sure is everything is brought out of the tank.

i do most of my dumping through mr slinky. but have had to pump it out at times. even the cw suit case unit is better then nothing when needed. and no i do not shop there any longer.

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10 hours ago, packnrat said:

oldjohnt.

in some back country areas it is ok to dump the grey water. but never the black.

 

the pump/grinder does push the flow through the hose. but was not sure is everything is brought out of the tank.

i do most of my dumping through mr slinky. but have had to pump it out at times. even the cw suit case unit is better then nothing when needed. and no i do not shop there any longer.

 Good Morning Pack, Indeed when that "dude" I know "accidentally" discharges a bit of grey water perhaps in a reasonably safe remote area away from others etc., its sort of a "don't ask don't tell" situation lol  Of course my advice is NOT to do it.

 I shop at CW now then mostly because they have things for sale you cant find elsewhere. I often find items on Amazon or E Bay etc. or Adventure RV etc. at a lower price.

 I don't  own a CW or other brand of Macerator, but having a 3 KW PSW Inverter plus an onboard genset I'm gonna research a modified 120 VAC home garbage disposal system macerator "believing" it may be more powerful and efficient then the small 12 volt units sold at CW (I'm NOT saying they don't work fine !!!). Even with that I would use lots of water and fill n flush a few times to help clean the black tank. Some folks dump ice into the black tank and then drive a few miles in hopes the sloshing of the cubes helps clean the tank.

Nice chatting with you, take care

John T

 

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