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Macerator maintenance [message #332632] Sun, 27 May 2018 09:59 Go to next message
Scott Nutter is currently offline  Scott Nutter   United States
Messages: 782
Registered: January 2015
Location: Houston/San Diego
Karma: 4
Senior Member
Is there any recommended scheduled maintenance required on a macerator? I have a twist on unit, and it seems that after each trip I'm pulling hair out of the cutting blades. Probably not a bad idea to completely dissemble and clean every year?
Any ideas or advice besides washing hands and not chewing finger nails?
Scott.


Scott Nutter 1978 Royale Center Kitchen, Patterson 455, switch pitch tranny, 3.21 final drive, Quad bags, Dave Lenzi super duty mid axle disc brakes, tankless water heater, everything Lenzi. Alex Ferrera installed MSD Atomic EFI Houston, Texas
Re: [GMCnet] Macerator maintenance [message #332634 is a reply to message #332632] Sun, 27 May 2018 10:25 Go to previous messageGo to next message
James Hupy is currently offline  James Hupy   United States
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
Karma: -62
Senior Member
Don't wash your hair in the shower. Keep it cut short. Oh, you meant
maintenance on the mascerator. Shoot. I got confused. Do not let it sit
over winter with "stuff" in it. Some people flush the tanks after dumping,
some don't bother.
Most of them fail in the pump section, not the motors. Use big
electrical conductors and heavy duty switches. Plumb them so that they can
be isolated and removed with "stuff" in the tanks. I personally hate to
work on black tanks and drains, so I keep a spare mascerator on hand so i
can swap it out. As far as the plastic tanks go, some people have a fair
bit of success patching them. I have not.
If they are undamaged from running into things, then the failures I
have encountered have been to the top of the tanks where the top and bottom
parts are joined along the seam/flange where they are mounted to the coach.
Also around the welded in pipe connectors, I frequently see cracks that
leak when the tank gets nearly full. That usually means that the tank has
lost most of the plasticizers that keeps them flexible. Time to replace the
tank when they get that way. Plastic is not supposed to last 40 years.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 GMC ROYALE 403

On Sun, May 27, 2018, 8:00 AM Scott Nutter wrote:

> Is there any recommended scheduled maintenance required on a macerator? I
> have a twist on unit, and it seems that after each trip I'm pulling hair out
> of the cutting blades. Probably not a bad idea to completely dissemble and
> clean every year?
> Any ideas or advice besides washing hands and not chewing finger nails?
> Scott.
> --
> Scott Nutter
> 1978 Royale Center Kitchen, Patterson 455, switch pitch tranny, 3.21 final
> drive, Quad bags, tankless water heater, everything Lenzi. Alex Ferrera
> installed MSD Atomic EFI
> Houston, Texas
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
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>
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Re: Macerator maintenance [message #332637 is a reply to message #332632] Sun, 27 May 2018 10:55 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Carl S. is currently offline  Carl S.   United States
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
Senior Member

I guess it depends on how much use it gets. I have taken mine apart twice in the ten years I have had had the coach when it has started to operate slowly or freeze up occasionally. The main problem seems to be hair around the shaft. Putting a hair filter of some kind in the drain would probably help with that, and we have tried that. The trick is to find something that works and stays in the drain during showering. I have found that I end up pulling the screen out of the drain somehow, with my foot. The drain placement is not ideal in the standard wet bath.

We recently got one of these:

https://www.tubshroom.com/

I'm not confident that it will stay in the drain either (we haven't used it yet), but I'm hopeful.


Carl Stouffer '75 ex Palm Beach Tucson, AZ. Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
Re: [GMCnet] Macerator maintenance [message #332638 is a reply to message #332632] Sun, 27 May 2018 10:50 Go to previous messageGo to next message
USAussie is currently offline  USAussie   United States
Messages: 15912
Registered: July 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
Senior Member
Scott,

Well if you can talk Sidney (SP?) into cutting her long blond hair that would solve the problem? ;-)

Here's a link to a sequence of photos that show what's inside a Jabsco macerator:

http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/g6005-macerator-innards.html

Here's a sequence of photos that show what's inside a SeaFlo macerator:

http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/g6769-seaflo-macerator.html

I'd just keep doing what you're doing; disassembling might result in "fixing it till it's broke." ;-)

Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808


-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces@list.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Scott Nutter
Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2018 10:00 AM
To: gmclist@list.gmcnet.org
Subject: [GMCnet] Macerator maintenance

Is there any recommended scheduled maintenance required on a macerator? I have a twist on unit, and it seems that after each trip
I'm pulling hair out of the cutting blades. Probably not a bad idea to completely dissemble and clean every year? Any ideas or
advice besides washing hands and not chewing finger nails?
Scott.


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Regards, Rob M. (USAussie) The Pedantic Mechanic Sydney, Australia '75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428 '75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
Re: Macerator maintenance [message #332670 is a reply to message #332632] Sun, 27 May 2018 19:00 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Scott Nutter is currently offline  Scott Nutter   United States
Messages: 782
Registered: January 2015
Location: Houston/San Diego
Karma: 4
Senior Member
Rob was right.. I "fixed it till it was broke"...... mine is the Flojet quick disconnect. While UNBOLTING the 4 BRASS studs that hold it all together, one of them twisted right in half..... with no more that about 4 lbs of torque...
Seems that I read somewhere here where they replaced the brass studs with stainless steel studs. Well, right now that sounds like a hell of a good idea..
Scott.


Scott Nutter 1978 Royale Center Kitchen, Patterson 455, switch pitch tranny, 3.21 final drive, Quad bags, Dave Lenzi super duty mid axle disc brakes, tankless water heater, everything Lenzi. Alex Ferrera installed MSD Atomic EFI Houston, Texas
Re: [GMCnet] Macerator maintenance [message #332681 is a reply to message #332670] Mon, 28 May 2018 07:19 Go to previous message
USAussie is currently offline  USAussie   United States
Messages: 15912
Registered: July 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
Senior Member
Scott,

McMaster-Carr sells 316 SS all thread you can use to replace the brass studs:

https://www.mcmaster.com/#threaded-rods/=1d1c0ti

They also sell 316 SS nuts:

https://www.mcmaster.com/#hex-nuts/=1d1c25a

https://www.mcmaster.com/#acorn-nuts/=1d1cbg6

I'd guess that they are 4/40 or 6/32 thread pitch; if you have a set of verniers and measure the diameter of the studs I can figger
out the thread pitch.

Earth Energy sells repair parts for the Flojet:

Tiny URL: https://tinyurl.com/ybzylkm6

Full URL:

https://earthenergy.us.com/index.php/pump/macerators/macerator-parts.html?limit=24&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsYSOvK2o2wIVyLjACh3GmwjNEAAYASA
AEgLJwPD_BwE

I would suggest you consider:

1) Impeller kit:

https://earthenergy.us.com/index.php/pump/macerators/macerator-parts/6303-0003-flojet-jabsco-macerator-impeller-kit.html

2) Wear plate gasket kit:

https://earthenergy.us.com/index.php/pump/macerators/macerator-parts/jabsco-18596-1000-macerator-wearplate-gasket-kit.html

2) Four blade chopper kit:

https://earthenergy.us.com/index.php/jabsco-37056-2000-chopper-plate-kit-for-macerator-pumps.html

I would suggest you get the parts and when you and Sidney come down to John's for the BBQ we spoke about bring it and we'll rebuild
it.

AFTER WE EAT! ;-)

Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808


-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces@list.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Scott Nutter
Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2018 7:00 PM
To: gmclist@list.gmcnet.org
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Macerator maintenance

Rob was right.. I "fixed it till it was broke"...... mine is the Flojet quick disconnect. While UNBOLTING the 4 BRASS studs that
hold it all together, one of them twisted right in half..... with no more that about 4 lbs of torque...
Seems that I read somewhere here where they replaced the brass studs with stainless steel studs. Well, right now that sounds like a
hell of a good idea..
Scott.


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Regards, Rob M. (USAussie) The Pedantic Mechanic Sydney, Australia '75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428 '75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
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