Macerator Woes

Jul 5, 2011
702
Oday 28 Madison, CT
Over the years we have had a lot of discussion about these beasts. I have a Jabsco 18590-2092 (2007 purchase). Am I correct when they start to leak (not at the fittings of course) they are all done and need to be replaced? Is getting 8-12 years about all one can expect, not that this is so terrible mind you......
 
Dec 2, 1997
8,709
- - LIttle Rock
Jabsco has a rebuild kit for it, but you'd better off replacing it. 8-12 years is an amazing lifespan for a Jabsco macerator pump...it's earned a funeral and decent burial!
--Peggie
 
Jun 15, 2012
694
BAVARIA C57 Greenport, NY
You are lucky. I have a boat built in 2011 and both macerators have already failed a while ago. Jabsco sure builds a quality product. The bronze threaded rods that hold the unit together are thin in diameter and guaranteed to break. If the seacock that the output hose is attached to is open, you can imagine the result. Beware that a Jabsco "accessory", stainless steel replacement bolts were too long for my macerators and did not work. Amazing that they offer at extra cost a bolt that might solve this problem.
I am replacing with a Seaflo unit which I hope is longer lasting. It comes with a 4 year warranty, vs 1 year on Jabsco.
 
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Jul 5, 2011
702
Oday 28 Madison, CT
Thanks to you both. Not going to rebuild. Will probably stay with the Jabsco as it did well for me and the mounting holes line up and the wiring will work out etc. Plug and play vs. the unknown, you know?
 
Jun 15, 2012
694
BAVARIA C57 Greenport, NY
Seaflo unit will line up perfectly with Jabsco unit. Already installed one on my other boat.
 
Dec 29, 2008
805
Treworgy 65' LOA Custom Steel Pilothouse Staysail Ketch St. Croix, Virgin Islands
We've been lucky to get 2 years out of them. They start locking up, and eventually won't even start after repeatedly manually turning them with the screw under the cap.
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
Get yourself a diaphragm pump and it will be the last time you need to do that crappy replacement. Just say no to macerator pumps. Macerator pumps are a bad idea doomed to fail. They clog up, rot from the inside, can’t be run dry without damage (but you don’t know just when the tanks is completely empty).
 

MitchM

.
Jan 20, 2005
1,011
Nauticat 321 pilothouse 32 Erie PA
we've had jabsco macerators on 2 rv s and 3 sailboats. about 2012 these things started to break every 18 months or so --which is pretty bad for week end use only , 9 months of of the year for the rv s or maybe 2 macerations a year for the boat. we went to a manual gravity pump on the rv s and use only paid marina pump outs for the boat. we carry a hand pump for black tank 'emergencies (but never had to use it...)
 
Dec 2, 1997
8,709
- - LIttle Rock
we've had jabsco macerators on 2 rv s and 3 sailboats. about 2012 these things started to break every 18 months or so --which is pretty bad for week end use only...
That's about when ITT spun Jabsco off to a company who makes every Jabsco product sold in the US in Mexico with materials and components sourced from China and other Asian countries.

--Peggie
 

CarlN

.
Jan 4, 2009
603
Ketch 55 Bristol, RI
I'm with Captain Larry. Macerator pumps are a bad idea. The 12v diaphragm waste pumps are quiet, don't clog, aren't destroyed by an accidentally flushed bit of metal, are easy to repair, and can run dry without damage. Jabsco makes a good one. As does Dometic, Whale and Johnson. The only caveat is your through-hull needs to be the same size as the hose from the head (1 1/2").
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
I'm with Captain Larry. Macerator pumps are a bad idea. The 12v diaphragm waste pumps are quiet, don't clog, aren't destroyed by an accidentally flushed bit of metal, are easy to repair, and can run dry without damage. Jabsco makes a good one. As does Dometic, Whale and Johnson. The only caveat is your through-hull needs to be the same size as the hose from the head (1 1/2").
You’re right, but mine is reduced to 1” and it works just fine. I did that because I changed out the macerator for the diaphragm pump mid-season and didn’t want to haul out to enlarge the thru hull. I know I should have changed it over the next winter but I didn’t, and at this point it’s been working more than 5 years without any issues. (So why fix it?). Yes I realize I’m not getting rated output from the pump, but my holding tank is only 18 gallons so it doesn’t take long.