Hymer black tank macerator project (1 Viewer)

[DavidG58]

We have broken something else

Our Hymer 800s is fitted with a black tank, a macerator sucks the loo empty, liquidises things and drops them into the black tank, allowing a gravity outlet of poo soup when dump options needed / available

Quite a nice system in that we have 100 + litres of collection before needing to empty, but emptying can be an issue as the MH needs to move and you need a low level dump point

We have previously had an issue with the vent pipe coming adrift, Hymer mistake poor fitting, stinking the MH now we have a leak from the macerator pump, started as a trickle, not nice but we could live with mopping up the little dribble daily. Now it dribbles a lot too much to live with and this weekend with much welcomed assistance from Martin @funflair the pump has been removed

That's all fine but we now have no loo actually we still have a loo but it is not connected to the black tank

Put a call into Chris at Reliance, highly recommended on here for Hymer related things and the same man who sourced my last headlight, despite al his Hymer knowledge he had never come across one fitted with a black tank and this macerator. But he is in contact with Hymer to price a replacement, although he doesn't expect anything quickly due to Hymer holiday and rarity

Time to do some thing a bit quicker either as a temporary fix or maybe even permanent, almost certainly better value

So blinkered by a flash of my own brilliance I logged into ebay and bought a macerator, some pipe adaptors and hose clips, all of which have turned up at a total cost of £160 or there abouts

Tonight nice evening decided to go out and fit it all together

to be continued .......

 

[Figaro]

Good luck with that, I admire your enthusiastic approach

 

[Neilfg]

Good to see you getting your hands dirty, obviously not literally

 

[DavidG58]

I started above after already hitting my first and blindingly obvious (now at least) issue

The chances of the inlet / outlet lining up with the existing pipe work was pretty much zero

As for how I am going to fix down around 1kg of spinning macerator I have no idea

What I do know though is the silicone bends are a very good fit, particularly now I know it needs to be straight not bent, it took 2 mins to get on and 30 to get off, I thought it might not come off again

So now going back onto eBay looking for a greater variety of silicone hose fittings

 

[dabhand]

Make sure you poo it ploperly!

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[Debs]

and stay off the gin while you're sorting it

 

[dabhand]

This might do https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suspensi...480905&hash=item5af65142b6:g:2wMAAOSwl~ZbO4Nb

 

[Taran_Las]

Were you pulling funny faeces trying to get it off?

​

Seriously, good luck with the fix​

 

[Kim H]

Quite a nice system in that we have 100 + litres of collection before needing to empty, but emptying can be an issue as the MH needs to move and you need a low level dump point

Unless your black tank has been modified from the original spec, I think you'll find it's 45 litres, not 100 litres.

 

[TheBig1]

for securing the macerator, i would cannibalise the old one for its mounting bracket and bend a piece of aluminium plate and drill suitable holes to join the 2

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[DavidG58]

Unless your black tank has been modified from the original spec, I think you'll find it's 45 litres, not 100 litres.

View attachment 246931

I was only guessing and making those lucky ones with carry away poo boxes slightly jealous

Now they are mocking me even more than before and I am even less inclined to fix it

But it does account for why it never seemed to last as long as would have thought

 

[DuxDeluxe]

and stay off the gin while you're sorting it

It might make him feel better but probably will not smell so good

 

[DavidG58]

another £63 very quickly and easily spent just on hoses of various shapes angles and sizes

current thinking is leave it all in the bag it arrives in take all to Lymington and ply Martin with a few large gins as bribe for assistance

I think best bet might be to wedge the macerator in place with an old cushion, will work well for sound insulation as well, might even become a permanent fix

But if I leave the door open with 100 MH's at Lymington I will no doubt get several ideas of how to best fix it, plus if I pull off my most gawmless face someone might offer to make me something

But semi seriously, before the new fitting arrive, I can still offer the pump up to the outlet and measure how high the bracket will need to be, we have a stainless steel fabricator he will knock me up a mini table to sit it on

 

[Lenny HB]

David, please, please stop using your van, every time you use something breaks.
Have you wrecked yours daughters van yet?

Being serious nice to see you having a go.

 

[csd4t]

sounds like a crappy job

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[funflair]

sounds like a crappy job

Actually it's a nice clean job now after he got me to take the old one out

Martin

 

[funflair]

another £63 very quickly and easily spent just on hoses of various shapes angles and sizes

current thinking is leave it all in the bag it arrives in take all to Lymington and ply Martin with a few large gins as bribe for assistance

I think best bet might be to wedge the macerator in place with an old cushion, will work well for sound insulation as well, might even become a permanent fix

But if I leave the door open with 100 MH's at Lymington I will no doubt get several ideas of how to best fix it, plus if I pull off my most gawmless face someone might offer to make me something

But semi seriously, before the new fitting arrive, I can still offer the pump up to the outlet and measure how high the bracket will need to be, we have a stainless steel fabricator he will knock me up a mini table to sit it on

Hi David

Once the new unit is in place it will be obvious what is needed to mount it and shouldn't be too difficult I would think some bits of B&Q 40mm angle alloy might be a good start if it's going to be done in a field (do you have a cordless drill in the garage?), it will be quite a bit higher than the old one with that being a "top loader"

Martin

 

[mitzimad]

im going to lymington i think i have a length of ally angle 40x40 ish size i can bring down if it helps? also some smaller 1x1inch
let me know can bring some tools rivi nuts etc?

 

[DavidG58]

mini update, extra bits ordered might arrive tomorrow or Monday now thinking I will take the whole lot like giant Jenga to Lymington

many thanks to offers of help from Steve @mitzimad and Martin @funflair

had a reply today from top advisor Chris at Reliance, even knowing he couldn't get any business out of me (this time) he has been in touch with Hymer who confirm like so many things they fit, the macerator is obsolete they suggest a version fairly similar to what I have bought, but Chris thinks the parts list would be close to £2000 from Hymer I don't think that will be happening, makes my spend to date of under £300 pretty good value they also suggest 21 hours to do now that I really doubt having taken ours out in less than an hour, really cant see it taking much more than 2 hours to put back together

One big fear I have it all still depends on the PCB controlling everything still, the fuse rating is identical so all good there, but we will not know till we try, sourcing a new control board could be fun if needed

so for now its porta potti at the ready, bag of bits will be packed, gin and beer to bribe the helpers and watch this space

 

[Gromett]

I thought on RV's the toilet just dropped straight into the black tank, then you attach the mascerator to the outlet?
Is this a possibility for your setup. I don't know if you have a straight run to the black tank from the outlet?

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[funflair]

I thought on RV's the toilet just dropped straight into the black tank, then you attach the mascerator to the outlet?
Is this a possibility for your setup. I don't know if you have a straight run to the black tank from the outlet?

That might be how RV's do it but Hymer macerate straight from the pan and then emptying the black tank is easy.

I don't think the drop to tank would work on Davids van.

Martin

 

[sallylillian]

I thought on RV's the toilet just dropped straight into the black tank, then you attach the mascerator to the outlet?
Is this a possibility for your setup. I don't know if you have a straight run to the black tank from the outlet?

My Yankee had macerating toilets and all the Europeans with black tanks that I have seen have macerating toilets. However many of the lower priced Yankees have toilets as you describe. I also have a mobile macerator too, which I can use to pump the already macerated output through a 1 inch pipe up to 100 feet.

 

[DavidG58]

I can use to pump the already macerated output through a 1 inch pipe up to 100 feet.

and I am already worried about the joints on a couple of metres

 

[funflair]

My Yankee had macerating toilets and all the Europeans with black tanks that I have seen have macerating toilets. However many of the lower priced Yankees have toilets as you describe. I also have a mobile macerator too, which I can use to pump the already macerated output through a 1 inch pipe up to 100 feet.

As long as the pipe doesn't kink

Martin

 

[sallylillian]

and I am already worried about the joints on a couple of metres

This is serious shit and needs experience

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[tacr2man]

My Yankee had macerating toilets and all the Europeans with black tanks that I have seen have macerating toilets. However many of the lower priced Yankees have toilets as you describe. I also have a mobile macerator too, which I can use to pump the already macerated output through a 1 inch pipe up to 100 feet.

My RV doesnt use a macerator unless I need to pump (very rarely) rather than gravity drop , and that holds about 250ltrs . Never have aproblem emptying . BTW macerating toilets a more modern rather than cost based option , also allows for smaller pipework , which is needed when less space is available ,which is possibly what needs the macerator.

 

[sallylillian]

My RV doesnt use a macerator unless I need to pump (very rarely) rather than gravity drop , and that holds about 250ltrs . Never have aproblem emptying . BTW macerating toilets a more modern rather than cost based option , also allows for smaller pipework , which is needed when less space is available ,which is possibly what needs the macerator.

Macerating toilets are circa £7-800?

 

[DavidG58]

My RV doesnt use a macerator unless I need to pump (very rarely) rather than gravity drop , and that holds about 250ltrs . Never have aproblem emptying . BTW macerating toilets a more modern rather than cost based option , also allows for smaller pipework , which is needed when less space is available ,which is possibly what needs the macerator.

our toilet outlet is only 38mm ID, no idea who did the maths but it is more or less the limit, based on my 5 year ownership survey, only had one that really struggled to go through

think your big trucks have much larger bore pipes

 

[DavidG58]

Macerating toilets are circa £7-800?

once it goes through Hymer it will not be

even a standard Thetford set up with cassette with cost you nearly that

or are you talking second hand

 

[tacr2man]

Macerating toilets are circa £7-800?

I was referring to your posting that they were only found on high cost RVs , which was a more recent factor rather than earlier top end units . They are as you say quite expensive
Some of the large units with twin toilets will have one macerator due to distance from black tank .

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[tacr2man]

our toilet outlet is only 38mm ID, no idea who did the maths but it is more or less the limit, based on my 5 year ownership survey, only had one that really struggled to go through

think your big trucks have much larger bore pipes

Yes about 75mm id IIRC