BCM Community
Bus Discussion => Bus Topics ( click here for quick start! ) => Topic started by: Knuckles on April 19, 2020, 07:39:45 AM
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Just wondering how many of the full timers have switched to macerater toilets as i have. Two years ago i got tired of rv style toilet and as mine needed replacing i switched to a 12volt johnson pump marine toilet at first I couldn't figure out itjust kept pumping water an i put a 12 volt solenoid on the water line and it only turns on water when the flush button is pushed. The discharge hose just goes into blackwater tank when boondocking and when I'm staying for any time longer than a few nights i stick it into gray tank and leave tank open and grey all the grey and black discharge drain constantly out the pipe that way both tanks stay empty and when i decide to go i justclose the valve roll op the hosecand leave. I know they now use them in high end trailers like airstreams But do not know if anybody else has tried them yet. I can't tell you how much i love this toilet anddhave had no troubles at all in two years plus. You can use any kind of toilet paper but have to make sure nobody puts any feminine products in it or it will jam impeller. Would like to know if anybody else has trieddthese toilets and any problems you've had
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Nothing more reliable than a gravity toilet.
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Macerater toilet, webasto furnace, instant water hearer, heat pumps...they are great items when they work as designed. But then issues crop up out on a camping trip after working flawlessy for a couple years. Sort of takes the fun out of having a bus conversion. Keep simple and reliable, must be reserved for us old seasoned campers, I guess.
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I prefer having the macerater located just past the slice valve. If it jambs up I'll just take it off and slap on a stinky slinky until I get another one. Jack
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I did the same kinda thing . I used a clear slinky 45% connector that goes to a 1/3 HP washing machine pump and then into a 1 1/2 " fire hose in 50 ' length's that will pump uphill to 10 ' and fast . if it craps out all I have to do is undo the clear slinky pipe fitting and install the old slinky .
dave
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I kind of think offmy macerater toilet and hot water on demand as reliable. Both being 12 volt iwould rather replace a fuse than try to break up a solid mountain of crap in my black tank and the only thing i have ever had go wrong with hot water on demand was running low on propane which is my fault. Just because they are a new way of doing things doesn't make them unreliable if done correctly. Sometimes us old guys have to try to make things easier and better
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I just replaced my 2-10gal electric water heaters after 26 years of use. I doubt that can be beat. Good Luck, TomC
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My first camper had a macerator toilet that quit so I had to fix it. I PROMISED i would never have another.That was 40 years ago and I have faithfully kept that promise. :)
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Masadisposerator the only way to go. Stainless steel 3/4 hrp pumps up hill so far to 145 ft in length through a garden hose. :)
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How do you end up with a solid mountain of crap? Is this sitting in one place most of the time? Everything should be breaking down sufficiently in your black tank.
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Best way to build a mountain of crap in your black tank is to keep the discharge valve open all the time while you're connected to sewer hook ups. The liquid will go away quickly, but there is not enough flow to carry the solids with it. Much better to let the tank get at least 1/3-1/2 full before dumping to make sure there is enough liquid to move things through.
Of course, on our combined gray/black tank we never have an issue with too little liquid.
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We have a 3" slide valve on both gray & black tanks & another 3" slide after those two independent slides come together. That enables us to flood/flush the black tank with the gray tank. Works great.
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Ditto on that. Jack
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I was kinda toying with the idea of routing the gray water through the black water tank to flush, with a smaller water hose fitting to drain the gray into the grass. Anybody see any issues with that?
Jim
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There are endless ways to route things, but for something like this I've always found that tried & true works. No need to reinvent the wheel for something as simple as draining tanks. If you are planning to use the gray water to flush out the black tank, then the standard Y adapter that many use works fine to flood the black tank - dump the black, flood the black tank with gray water, then dump the gray water.
Ours is even more simple, with a combined black/gray tank. Unless one is planning to dump gray to the ground, there is not a good reason to have them separated IMO. If you are planning to dump gray to the grass, be aware that the practice is not allowed in most places/campgrounds/etc. You can do it on your own land, but even then the practice is questionable unless it's done correctly.
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Imho separation of gray & black tanks is a must! It's pure advantage to have them separate and to be able to flood flush grey into black as an option. On our acreage we always dump gray. When we were boondocking on our Alaska property establishing our utilities the grey water was feeding the garden. Black - not so much! Black needs to be separate. In some instances we dump our grey and utilize both tanks for black. Ya just can't dump black anywhere like you can grey. We also run our grey washing machine waste on the ground in our own forest - it relieves the septic. Black not so much... That's our story & we're sticking to it. 8)
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If you are planning to dump gray to the grass, be aware that the practice is not allowed in most places/campgrounds/etc. You can do it on your own land, but even then the practice is questionable unless it's done correctly.
Just do it very very quietly lol ;D
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They allow dumping of grey water in most US Government Bureau of Land Management parks here in the Southwest
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Mine has separate grey and black. Open valve between between grey and black flushes grey into black, black has valve to dump. Never thought about dumping grey directly, could add a T-valve between grey and black easy enough.
What I like is the pooperator like Dave shows. Who needs a dump station, just run the hose into any toilet and pump away. lol
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They allow dumping of grey water in most US Government Bureau of Land Management parks here in the Southwest
Not everywhere. For example, Arizona apparently has regulations prohibiting the dumping of gray water, regardless of whether on BLM land or otherwise.
Besides, I've seen gray water that was just as stinky as a black tank. Not sure I'd want it dumped anywhere near where I'm camping/hiking/etc.
I'm sure it's done all the time, but that is a separate conversation than whether it's permitted.
If one had a combined gray/black tank, it would still be possible to use a diverter to send the gray water to the ground if desired. Would only take a few extra pieces of plumbing.
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If one had a combined gray/black tank, it would still be possible to use a diverter to send the gray water to the ground if desired. Would only take a few extra pieces of plumbing.
Now, that sounds interesting, how does some pipe separate the poop balls from the sink water?
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Not sure if it would work on all installs, but it seems pretty simple to have all the gray water drains go to a common pipe before feeding into the tank. A simple diverter valve on that pipe could send the gray water to the ground before it ever hits the tank.
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Not sure if it would work on all installs, but it seems pretty simple to have all the gray water drains go to a common pipe before feeding into the tank. A simple diverter valve on that pipe could send the gray water to the ground before it ever hits the tank.
Thus the reason for separate grey & black tanks. Our grey tank has three taps - bath sink, shower, kitchen sink in different places. no need to reinvent the wheel - separate tanks with the ability to dump either or flush one with the other in any order although we prefer to flush poopy with gray water. If you're gray water ever is stinky - 1) not using enough soap, 2) it's sitting for way too long.
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My first RV had separate tanks and it worked fine. The first bus I bought had a single tank but had a gray water bypass that allowed you to send the gray water into the tank or out that drain valve. I found it just as good. This bus has a similar arrangement and it works fine. If I do not have hookups, I will divert the gray water out a hose that feeds some local shrubbery. If I did have hookups, I used to let the gray drain into the sewer and dump the black as needed. Now I tend to let the gray drain into the black and just dump more often, but with excellent flow.
I do have a macerater that has the mounts to attach to the drain valve. I use it very rarely. I have to fill it with oil after using it so it won't be frozen the next time a pull it out. It's just not as easy as the larger sewer hose.
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What I like is the pooperator like Dave shows. Who needs a dump station, just run the hose into any toilet and pump away. lol
Never done the toilet with the hose. At home when we come in I just pull off the sewer cap cleanout fitting and use that. On the road any dump station works. In an RV park in Missouri they had signs that said please let your grey water only drain to our trees and planting areas.
It is easy to take the P-trap off the shower drain and get the type with a threaded fitting on the lower side of the trap. You put in a pex or similar fitting to accept a hose and install a solenoid with switch near the shower. When you take a shower just hit the switch and the solenoid opens and the shower water drains to the ground of hose if you want it somewhere else. :)
When at friends Mooch-docking there is always a sewer Cleanout in the front or side yards generally in the bushes and that always works well.