Im sailing a boat that has had years of very little use. My holding tank is about half full with just some bleach and water. When I try the Macerator, it doesnt necessarily sound to me like its pumping. But I am also not sure what that pump would sound like if it was working properly. Manual says it will change sounds when the tank empties, and it takes about 3 minutes. My plan is to pump 30 sec at a time, for about 10 times to see if it empties the tank. Is this a correct procedure??
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Peggie Hall/HeadMistress
First, replace the impeller in the macerator
If your boat has been sitting for a long time, it's 100-1 bet that the impeller has dried out, cracked, and will no longer pump anything. So first, have the tank pumped out through the deck fitting to get it empty, and then replace the impeller in the macerator. I'd also strongly recommend that you also rebuild the toilet at the same time, 'cuz all the seals and valves in it are almost certain to be in worse shape than the macerator. Both jobs are much more pleasant to do now than when your system is full of sewage. And I'd also recommend you read the articles in the reference library of the Head Mistress forum to understand how your sanitation system works and how to maintain it. Once the macerator is working properly, it shouldn't take more than a minute or two to empty your tank. However, you DO know that you must be at least 3 miles out to sea in order to use the macerator to dump your tank?
If your boat has been sitting for a long time, it's 100-1 bet that the impeller has dried out, cracked, and will no longer pump anything. So first, have the tank pumped out through the deck fitting to get it empty, and then replace the impeller in the macerator. I'd also strongly recommend that you also rebuild the toilet at the same time, 'cuz all the seals and valves in it are almost certain to be in worse shape than the macerator. Both jobs are much more pleasant to do now than when your system is full of sewage. And I'd also recommend you read the articles in the reference library of the Head Mistress forum to understand how your sanitation system works and how to maintain it. Once the macerator is working properly, it shouldn't take more than a minute or two to empty your tank. However, you DO know that you must be at least 3 miles out to sea in order to use the macerator to dump your tank?
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Chuck Graser
Possibly you should try your macerator again. Open your thru hull. Hold your hand on the macerator and have someone turn the switch on. Your macerator should really hum, and you can feel it pump. When the tank is pumped out, you can feel and hear the macrator run much faster. The way to be environmentally correct doing this is to pump out your holding tank first and then open your thru hull to pull some sea water through the system to flush it. Then run some water into your holding tank for your macerator test. You won't have to run the pump long to know if it is working or not. By the way, COLUMBINE'S macerator is stuck, and I still need to get down to the Bay to work on it. Good luck! Chuck
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jolie
Vacuum in Holding Tank???
So I checked the impeller and it was OK. There even is a slotted screwdriver attachement sticking out of the macerator that allows the freeing up of a sticking impeller. But everything turned out of. The Macerator makes sort of a grinding sound. And it pumped everything out. But it sure sounded smoother when I took off the filler cover and allowed air to enter the holding tank. But, the macerator manual says to keep the system pressurized. Sheez, I lost a fuel tank in my Porsche by it being under a vacuum. Any comments on that??
So I checked the impeller and it was OK. There even is a slotted screwdriver attachement sticking out of the macerator that allows the freeing up of a sticking impeller. But everything turned out of. The Macerator makes sort of a grinding sound. And it pumped everything out. But it sure sounded smoother when I took off the filler cover and allowed air to enter the holding tank. But, the macerator manual says to keep the system pressurized. Sheez, I lost a fuel tank in my Porsche by it being under a vacuum. Any comments on that??
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Peggie Hall/HeadMistress
Would one of y'all do me a favor and...
Fax me a copy of the macerator manual? You're the second person to post that it says the tank has to be pressurized or in "vacuum mode"...which makes NO sense at all! Either y'all are misreading it...or the same person wrote it who suggested that bottom paint in the inside of sanitation hoses would prevent odor permeation. So I'd really like to read it for myself. My fax # is 770-392-1935 Thanks!
Fax me a copy of the macerator manual? You're the second person to post that it says the tank has to be pressurized or in "vacuum mode"...which makes NO sense at all! Either y'all are misreading it...or the same person wrote it who suggested that bottom paint in the inside of sanitation hoses would prevent odor permeation. So I'd really like to read it for myself. My fax # is 770-392-1935 Thanks!
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Bradley Cavedo
Here is the deal
You can tell if it is pumping by whether you see brown water with flecks of white (tissue) either beside the boat, if you are not moving, or behind the boat, if you are moving. If the tank is empty, it will pump air and you will see air bubbles beside the boat. Lots of them. If you open the deck plate, it will not pump the tank but will pump air, because the open deck plate breaks the "vacuum" you are talking about because the deck plate feeds from the same pipe that the macerator is on. If it is not pumping out the tank, I have a possible solution. Your prior owner may of overfilled the tank. Get some needle nose pliers and pull the bug screen off or out of the air vent cap. Yes, there is a small screen in that cap. It may be blocked with tissue paper and stuff. You don't need the screen anyway. So pull it out. Then run fresh water down the air vent to wash it back into the tank. then try your pump. It takes less than three minutes to pump the entire 35 gallon tank. Usually about a minute and a half max for us, but we pump once a day. The pump sounds like it is working hard when it is pumping correctly, and when the tank is empty it sounds like it is racing, with high and medium pitch alternating sounds. If it is still not working, inspect your hose connection at your deck plate. Open the plate and use a powerful light to make sure the hose is connected. Mine actually came loose, even with two hose clamps! If it is loose you can reattach it, but it is hard. Access is through the starboard speaker and an access plate inside the forward cabinet above the small sofa. Good luck.
You can tell if it is pumping by whether you see brown water with flecks of white (tissue) either beside the boat, if you are not moving, or behind the boat, if you are moving. If the tank is empty, it will pump air and you will see air bubbles beside the boat. Lots of them. If you open the deck plate, it will not pump the tank but will pump air, because the open deck plate breaks the "vacuum" you are talking about because the deck plate feeds from the same pipe that the macerator is on. If it is not pumping out the tank, I have a possible solution. Your prior owner may of overfilled the tank. Get some needle nose pliers and pull the bug screen off or out of the air vent cap. Yes, there is a small screen in that cap. It may be blocked with tissue paper and stuff. You don't need the screen anyway. So pull it out. Then run fresh water down the air vent to wash it back into the tank. then try your pump. It takes less than three minutes to pump the entire 35 gallon tank. Usually about a minute and a half max for us, but we pump once a day. The pump sounds like it is working hard when it is pumping correctly, and when the tank is empty it sounds like it is racing, with high and medium pitch alternating sounds. If it is still not working, inspect your hose connection at your deck plate. Open the plate and use a powerful light to make sure the hose is connected. Mine actually came loose, even with two hose clamps! If it is loose you can reattach it, but it is hard. Access is through the starboard speaker and an access plate inside the forward cabinet above the small sofa. Good luck.
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Peggie Hall/HeadMistress
After reading Bradley's post, NOW I understand...
...what the Jabsco macerator instructions mean by "vacuum mode:" It has nothing to do with the tank VENT line. If there's no y-valve--only a tee or wye fitting--in the pumpout line, the pumpout deck fitting cap must be closed...otherwise, the pump can't prime because it will suck air through the deck fitting. If there is a y-valve in the system, wehther or not the deck pumpout fitting is open isn't an issue as long as the y-vavle is completely open to either the pumpout side or the "dumpout" side.. Although there's always the possibility of a blocked vent, 99 times out of a 100, when a macerator will run but won't pump anything, it means the impeller has failed. When an impeller pump is unused for long periods, the impeller--which is neoprene--can dry out and become brittle. It often sticks to the housing. The stress on the vanes when you try to run it again for the first time invariably cracks one of 'em...sticking screwdriver in it to free it often chips a vane...the friction heat from running it dry while you try to figure out what's going on with it "fries" the edges of the vanes...and unless an impeller is totally intact and all the vanes are a VERY tight fit against the housing, it can't impel anything to move through it. While some impeller failures are obvious and easy to recognize, others aren't...so you can't rely on "it looked ok to me." Impellers are inexpensive...if you're gonna take the macerator apart to look at it, replace it! In fact, once you've determined that the tank vent isn't blocked and/or the pump can't be sucking air, the only other possibility is the impeller...and it's always wise to keep a spare aboard...'cuz a clog or anything else that can cause a macerator to run dry for more than 2-3 seconds can cause even a brand new impeller to fail.
...what the Jabsco macerator instructions mean by "vacuum mode:" It has nothing to do with the tank VENT line. If there's no y-valve--only a tee or wye fitting--in the pumpout line, the pumpout deck fitting cap must be closed...otherwise, the pump can't prime because it will suck air through the deck fitting. If there is a y-valve in the system, wehther or not the deck pumpout fitting is open isn't an issue as long as the y-vavle is completely open to either the pumpout side or the "dumpout" side.. Although there's always the possibility of a blocked vent, 99 times out of a 100, when a macerator will run but won't pump anything, it means the impeller has failed. When an impeller pump is unused for long periods, the impeller--which is neoprene--can dry out and become brittle. It often sticks to the housing. The stress on the vanes when you try to run it again for the first time invariably cracks one of 'em...sticking screwdriver in it to free it often chips a vane...the friction heat from running it dry while you try to figure out what's going on with it "fries" the edges of the vanes...and unless an impeller is totally intact and all the vanes are a VERY tight fit against the housing, it can't impel anything to move through it. While some impeller failures are obvious and easy to recognize, others aren't...so you can't rely on "it looked ok to me." Impellers are inexpensive...if you're gonna take the macerator apart to look at it, replace it! In fact, once you've determined that the tank vent isn't blocked and/or the pump can't be sucking air, the only other possibility is the impeller...and it's always wise to keep a spare aboard...'cuz a clog or anything else that can cause a macerator to run dry for more than 2-3 seconds can cause even a brand new impeller to fail.
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