T3800 - Location of Macerator Pump?
- Thread starter jviss
- Start date
Thank you! I assume mine's pretty close to the tank. I don't have a quarter berth, the head is to port and aft; but the aft cabin bunk extends to port, under the cockpit and aft of the head. I haven't looked closely, but I think some panels may be removable, and might reveal the pump.
I am guessing you sorted this? I had mine replaced on my T3800 too - it is behind the holding tank. You may be able to access it by removing the hatch at the end of the quarter berth and leaning across the transom or in my case had to move the hot water heater in the cockpit locker .
On mine the motor was spinning but just wasn't doing anything. When I found out the location I cheated and had the yard do it!
Aft of the holding tank. If you go in via the quarter berth and remove the panel on the bulkhead at the foot (may have to remove the fibreglass cover over the steering gear at the bottom of the steering pedestal) and look across past the steering quadrant you may see the macerator pump - or part of it. The guy that replaced mine moved the new one further aft so I can reach it from the q berth without having to go in via the cockpit locker next time if needed. Not a lot of room though!
JVISS, I'm assuming you found the location of the pump? In our 3800, it is in the transom just in front of the rudder post, favoring the port side. It's a bit of a pain to get to. Mine is getting replaced this season as we are currently on the hard.
Really? Gee, I learn something new every day.
But, not so easy to trace a wire to the load on this boat. The wires from the panel just disappear, up into a bundle that's in a corrugated tube. And since mine doesn't turn at all, I can't search for the noise.
Thank you! No, I've been living without. I would only rarely pump the tank overboard anyway. Yes, that space is near impossible to reach. Do you know if taking off the teak ply panels in the aft bunk would expose it?
Yes, but a red and a black, probably 14 or 12 gauge, disappear from the panel up into that corrugated tube.
You told us you were an electrician.
You have a breaker that has two wires correctly color coded.
They come from the macerator pump breaker, if I understand your response properly.
Then they should go TO the macerator pump at the other end of the two wires where you claim you have limited space.
Is there any reason to believe there is anything else on those wires between the breaker and the pump?
What does the corrugated tube, i.e., conduit have to do with it at all?
If not, why not simply reverse the wires at the breaker to do what you want to do?
I'm not an electrician, I'm an electrical engineer.
I didn't know what you were getting at, Stu. I thought you were saying I could locate the pump by following the wires.
Yes, I wanted to reverse them to try to spin the motor backwards and potentially free it up, but the panel is tight where that breaker is, and it would be a big job to disconnect and swap the wires; and, I wasn't sufficiently motivated to do it, and it wasn't at the top of the priority list.