Macerator broken

[booster]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

If you are dealing with a failed Roadtrek macerator, how do you replace it without wearing the backed up sewage?

Leave the dump valves closed and you will only have to deal with what is in the piping to the macerator.

[Roadtreker357]

If your macerator does not turn when the switch is pressed, it can be any of these problems:

1. No 12 V to it. Check the fuse, check at the macerator for 12V
2. Bad ground wire connection at the macerator
3. The macerator has failed. Sometimes caused by water getting to the motor from the pump.
4. Something is stuck in the macerator

[roadtrekkies]

Our maceration gave up on our 2007 roadtrek 210 , the cause, my wife's hair around the propeller. We started using a dishpan and throwing the water on a much deserved plant, no problems since.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by booster

Leave the dump valves closed and you will only have to deal with what is in the piping to the macerator.

If there are solids in the dump valve opening, will the valve blade fully close?

[booster]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

If there are solids in the dump valve opening, will the valve blade fully close?

Normally, yes from all I have heard, but have not tested that I suppose if you poop boulders........



This could be and added reason to do the after dump and adding water valve pull to fill the pipe with clean water and additive that I mentioned earlier. It is so easy to do there is no reason not to do it.

[Davydd]

if you open your valve you might not get it closed after you find out your macerator is not working. It doesn't take much to block it. I know from experience. Also, since my wife washes her hair about every day we put mesh strainers on all our drains. The hair was the culprit.

[avanti]

DW's hair is the bane of our Roomba, too.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

If you are dealing with a failed Roadtrek macerator, how do you replace it without wearing the backed up sewage?

There is an auxiliary gravity dump connection on our Roadtrek RS Sprinter to use if the macerator fails, I think this is pretty standard on Roadtreks, at least most seem to have them.

[JohnnyFry]

Mascerator pump costs about $125, a decent shop can install in an hour, depending on labor rate about $125-$150 for a total of $275 plus or minus.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by JohnnyFry

Mascerator pump costs about $125, a decent shop can install in an hour, depending on labor rate about $125-$150 for a total of $275 plus or minus.

I just bought one for $112.99 with free shipping on Ebay. IMO, having a spare is a no brainer.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by booster

Normally, yes from all I have heard, but have not tested that I suppose if you poop boulders........



This could be and added reason to do the after dump and adding water valve pull to fill the pipe with clean water and additive that I mentioned earlier. It is so easy to do there is no reason not to do it.

While it might prevent pump rotor sticking, over the long term could this practice flood the isolation chamber between the pump and motor? Are the seals designed for constant immersion?

[booster]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

While it might prevent pump rotor sticking, over the long term could this practice flood the isolation chamber between the pump and motor? Are the seals designed for constant immersion?

If the seal is bad or has dried material on it, the intermediate chamber would get the leakage, but with the drain hole in the right place it would come out before doing any damage, and would let you know that there was a leak.



I don't recall exactly what position the offset of the pump impeller is in the chamber, but it is also possible that in the upside down position the pump housing doesn't get completely emptied, so there may be water in the pump anyway. Of course, it could also be the other way and not completely cleared when right side up as they want some liquid on the seals and vanes of the impeller.



Most pump seals are preferred to be wet all the time rather than to dry out between pumping cycles as if the dry you can get things building up on them that are abrasive or big enough to cause leaks. In a macerater there are lots of "stuff" to dry out on surfaces.


They call the pump "run dry capable", but in reality it is never a good idea with this kind of pump because the vanes need the lubrication on them so they don't heat up and stick or even melt. The fresh water pumps can be run dry without as much worry as they are diaphragm style pumps.

[GeorgeRa]

An Impeller in a raw water pump on I/O boat motor could have more torturous life due to much longer running periods but it is pumping cleaner sea water. Most folks replace them every season for safety.
https://www.boats.com/how-to/inboard...oling-systems/

[avanti]

A member over at Sprinter-source just reported a macerator failure in their almost-new LTV van. Cause: Weep hole pointed up. Guess RT isn't the only guilty party.

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=74811

[booster]

Originally Posted by avanti

A member over at Sprinter-source just reported a macerator failure in their almost-new LTV van. Cause: Weep hole pointed up. Guess RT isn't the only guilty party.

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=74811

Not surprising, though, as the pump manufacturer says it is OK to mount in any position, even though they didn't always like that. I talked to them years ago about the Roadtrek mounting and they said it was a problem and then quickly backtracked, probably when Roadtrek threatened them. I think they changed their story to match competition claims, too.

The van builders don't seem to know, or care, that there is an issue an it is easily addressed by using the reverse mount version of the macerator. Get a minor leak in the pump seal from a dried goop in an upside down pump, and the whole unit will be junk instead of a couple of bucks for a seal. Truly ridiculous IMO. I would encourage everyone who has an upside down mount to grab the cordless drill and a 3/32" bit and pop a whole in it, then put a dab of silicone on the top hole.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by booster

If the seal is bad or has dried material on it, the intermediate chamber would get the leakage, but with the drain hole in the right place it would come out before doing any damage, and would let you know that there was a leak.

Can the correct drain hole be drilled in place or does it require removing the pump?

[booster]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

Can the correct drain hole be drilled in place or does it require removing the pump?

At least in Roadtreks I have seen, it could be drilled in place, but you have to take off some protective sheet metal covers. Can't say about other brands, but likely the mount up so the motor is hanging clear below it.

[booster]

Here is a link to the original thread that showed the issues, with pix, which certainly should help see how things are built.


http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f5...ions-3249.html

[Kyronecks]

Hey, Y'all! Getting ready for the first (belated) road trip and the macerator (not used since last summer) won't turn when the button is pushed. Dead silence. Fuse is OK. Can that "hand crank" break it loose? If so, is there any way to reach and turn it without taking the van (2007 Pop190) to a garage lift? If that doesn't help, what are further troubleshooting steps? House batteries may have problems, but we're hooked to shore AC. TIA

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Knit

Getting 10 years out of a macerator pump even with low use sounds like a pretty good lifetime considering it’s job. I had to rebuild mine at 4 years.

10 years is a long time. I have a 2012 and it recently failed..... depending on how much you use it...I suppose your mileage and time will vary...

Just replace and move on.

I also agree with everything Avanti said on this subject.
If you wanted a gravity dump you would have purchased a different model....

Finally, if you change the original design... you might not like how it works and selling it later to someone else who expects the macerator will be an issue....