At-Home Macerator Pump Setup

[Steve Morris]

Not quite a DIY Modification, so I'll put this here in General Discussion. Mods, feel free to move as needed.

At-Home Macerator Pump Setup

Based on several posts and YouTube videos, I put together a reasonably inexpensive home macerator setup to dump our gray and black tanks into our septic tank. I know large quantities from the black tank are not recommended for a septic system, but the Oliver’s small tank shouldn’t be a problem. Plus, it is usually only whatever use occurs on our overnight boondocking drives home.

 

Components:

Kitvance RV 12V Macerator Pump Kit - $126.97 as of June 1, 2023. It did’t want to start when I tested teh motor before hooking it up to the trailer. But a couple of turns manually (with the power disconnected) got it going. This concerned me, but in testing, it seems to run okay, and is less than half the price of a JetFlow, with better reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09W5NMGMS?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

Valterra 10” Sewer Drain Extension $13.13 - To extend the fixed sewer connection outside of the bumper.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00303XGKU?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

Valterra Twist-On Waste Valve $18.91 - Because I want to have an emergency shutoff if something starts leaking downstream…

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BGHYJS?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

Valterra 45° Clear Sewer Adaptor  $15.53 - This is NOT the one shown in the photo. That’s the fancy Camco one with swivel connectors. This was the only failure to the entire setup. It leaked around both ends of the translucent (not clear like I thought I ordered) tubing. That one is going back to Amazon… (Returned - not surprisingly, they didn’t want it back.)

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T1026-1-ClearView-Hose-Adapter/dp/B000NCS7GE/ref=pd_bxgy_vft_none_img_sccl_1/135-4765513-9824152?pd_rd_w=YlcHp&content-id=amzn1.sym.26a5c67f-1a30-486b-bb90-b523ad38d5a0&pf_rd_p=26a5c67f-1a30-486b-bb90-b523ad38d5a0&pf_rd_r=DQQXVYARJ409X8BAT0C3&pd_rd_wg=0Yol3&pd_rd_r=2e06d500-19c7-4cc0-a074-95b6863b7d68&pd_rd_i=B000NCS7GE&psc=1

 

Harbor Freight Greenwood 50’ X 3/4” Contractor Garden Hose $24.99. I wanted a 3/4” hose to minimize back-pressure in the pump. And 50’ just reaches our septic tank from the driveway. They also sell a 75’ version.

https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/gardening-garden-tools/garden-hoses-nozzles-connectors/50-ft-x-34-in-contractor-garden-hose-63335.html

 

Total Cost: $199.53 plus tax.

The included power cord with inline switch assumes the use of a cigarette 12V outlet. I used the included alligator clip adaptor on a spare deep-cycle 12V battery in my garage, as the cables do not reach the battery bay. I’ll make a heavier-duty harness with switch to replace the one that came with the kit, but actually, the included bits never got hot or seemed undersized.

The pump ran quietly and never even got warm, let alone hot. This was on an 80° day in the shade, and it ran for several minutes straight. I did not time how long it took to drain. I had the nose of the trailer elevated a lot, and filled both tanks completely. Then flushed the black tank three times, even though it ran clear by the second flush.

The only leakage was around the Camco 45° swivel. The entire process was easy and clean. This is intended as an at-home system, but I can see the advantages of making it into a kit to take along if space allows. Our first time using a public waste dump had a 6” deep, 15’ diameter puddle around the drain pipe, due to heavy rain. I’d rather not repeat that mess! With this system, I could park a distance away and pump do the pipe without everything hanging into the water.

So far, I call this project a success!

 

 

 

 

This is what grows on top of the septic tank. It's well fed! 🙂 

[BBL]

Looks good Steve - I don't think it will be common to run across dump stations underwater.  This looks like a good home solution but it would have to pack neatly into a kit to consider it cleared for travel. 

Nice work and nice write up.

Brian

[Coddiwomple]

Yes!! I am going to do this.  Thanks for the info.

David

[SeaDawg]

Our personal experience:

Several of us installed maceration pumps in our Elites, back in the day. Paul rebuilt the first one when it failed (🫣) , installed a new one a year later, and we removed it a year later. Out of the two pumps, I think we got three, maybe three and a half years. Then, we gave it up and went back to a good quality black hose.

Probably will work better for you, since you're not bouncing it down the road in the small space of the bumper compartment.  Flush it out well with fresh water, when finished,  obviously. 

Btw, not had a problem dumping in our septic, over the years. And, many/most rv dumps are either septic or pump-outs vaults. The maceration pump is very helpful, though, if the tank is a great distance from parking pad. That was the original reason for our pump. When we built the new house, we put a dump port by the parking pad.

[Coddiwomple]

Thank you for that info.  Plan to use the regular sewer hoses as much as we can when we can.  Will only use the macerator setup when have to at home occasionally and it will not be pumping uphill.  I ended up ordering the Flojet macerator.

[Steve Morris]

7 hours ago, Coddiwomple said:

I ended up ordering the Flojet macerator.

That's what I was initially looking at, based on the reputation. But I got to looking at reviews on various sites, and found that they fail just as fast as the cheap pumps. I figured I can get three times the life from three $70 pumps as one $220 pump.