lazy macerator

[iwillmott]

Has anyone with a 40.5 had problems with the macerator priming? I have replaced mine but even the new one takes ages to prime and start to pump. WIth the macerator running I have opened the deck pumpout cap and there was a definite vacumm there . When it does prime after maybe one to two minutes the pump empties the tank just fine. Wonder if anybody reconfigured the location to make a shorter pull for the pump?

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Have you ruled out an electrical problem, e.g., bad connections or low voltage?

 

[Bill Roosa]

YES!
Mine is located under the seat at the nav station and it does take some time to prime when the tank is not full. If the tank is full it primes almost immediately. I looked into moving it lower and closer to the tank but there is not much room there.

 

[davidpackwood]

YES!
Mine is located under the seat at the nav station and it does take some time to prime when the tank is not full. If the tank is full it primes almost immediately. I looked into moving it lower and closer to the tank but there is not much room there.

My macerator is leaking, are they easy to take apart and add new seals or the impeller instead of buying a new one. The pump part seems to run fine.

 

[davidpackwood]

Has anyone with a 40.5 had problems with the macerator priming? I have replaced mine but even the new one takes ages to prime and start to pump. WIth the macerator running I have opened the deck pumpout cap and there was a definite vacumm there . When it does prime after maybe one to two minutes the pump empties the tank just fine. Wonder if anybody reconfigured the location to make a shorter pull for the pump?

I am having problems with my macerator, I also have a 40.5 (19 the 96) just bought it, I see their are 3 stop cocks under the sink in the aft head, do you need all 3 "Open" when you run the macerator??? What is the procedure to running the macerator, appreciate your help.
With regards to your problem I was told to pour a bucket load of water down the hole in the deck to prime the macerator pump ?

 

[artboas]

Not a great design

I am having problems with my macerator, I also have a 40.5 (19 the 96) just bought it, I see their are 3 stop cocks under the sink in the aft head, do you need all 3 "Open" when you run the macerator??? What is the procedure to running the macerator, appreciate your help.
With regards to your problem I was told to pour a bucket load of water down the hole in the deck to prime the macerator pump ?

The design of the mascerator on the 40.5 is not great.
It basically joins directly onto the deck pump out in a y configuration. Ideally, a mascerator should have its own tank fitting, or a valve to select it.
Pouring a bucket of water in wont do anything.
The pump is located under the chart table, and unless your tank is overfilled (yuk) you will have priming issues.
You need to be careful if you have a mascerator which doesn't have run dry protection. They burn out easilly.

I don't reccommend rebuilding these.
The impeller / seal kits are expensive, and even a tiny leak will stink up your boat.

 

[iwillmott]

I am having problems with my macerator, I also have a 40.5 (19 the 96) just bought it, I see their are 3 stop cocks under the sink in the aft head, do you need all 3 "Open" when you run the macerator??? What is the procedure to running the macerator, appreciate your help.
With regards to your problem I was told to pour a bucket load of water down the hole in the deck to prime the macerator pump ?

One thing i found the hard way is close the sink drain (head) before turning on macerator or it wlll back up into the sink. mine did while under sail . maybe the angle of heal did it dont know don't want to know again

 

[iwillmott]

Have you ruled out an electrical problem, e.g., bad connections or low voltage?

power is okay I found if i run for 30 secs or so until the air seems to stop- shut off then start anew and it primes faster- maybe a couple of times to coax it

 

[timvg]

Ours normally takes about 5 seconds or so to prime, but our tank is usually fairly full when we use it. We first purchased our boat in 2000 and the macerator didn't work, probably from lack of use by the previous owner. We have replaced it once since then and (knock on wood), it always has worked well.

 

[timvg]

David: I would recommend that you only have the macerator seacock open when using it. On our boat, it's the middle one under the sink.