Thetford Sani-Con Macerator

[mphair]

Has anyone used one of these macerator pumps?

I just purchased the portable Thetford Sani-Con so that I can dump at home.
My clean out is 50' away to the closest point that I can put the Solara and it is level without much of a drop. I dry fitted the pump into utility closet and it fits perfectly. The unit I purchased has alligator clips intended to connect to a 12v battery. I plan on installing a water resistant 12v marine grade cigaret lighter socket in the closet with a matching adapter on the pump wires. The pump comes with a switch and a fuse already attached.

Where is the easiest location for me to find a positive and negative terminal to tie into? I have a 2014 24S.

I do a lot of dry camping and I hate having to find a dump station to go to before coming home.

I will try to post pictures as I go just in case other are interested.

[mphair]

Finished the install of the macerator and it works great. I can now empty both of my tanks at home into a cleanout. It took about 1-1/2 hours to complete after I shopped for all the parts. I visited West Marine for some wire and a trolling motor quick disconnect. A cigaret socket will not handle the 20 amp required by the pump. One added bonus is that I can now empty some of my gray water into my black tank when camping without waste hookups. I simply open the grey valve and then the black valve until they equalize and then close both valves. My cleanout is about 50 feet away so I added a specific 3/4" black garden hose to the Sanit-Con hose.
Works perfect.

[devilsquid]

Great looking setup. It looks like you have a lot more room in your utility closet than I have in my 2013 S. I am ever hopeful that I can figure out how to mount a macerator by finding or creating the room for it. Where did you end up making your electrical hook up?

[mphair]

I wired directly to the house batteries with an inline 20A fuse located at the battery and at the pump. There is room to add it to the camper fuse box, but it looked very difficult to get access to. All the existing wires leading into the fuse box are pretty tight. I was worried that by pulling the fuse box out that I would pull on something that shouldn't be pulled on, causing a headache. The pictures show are at a right angle, so the hose shown is actually on the floor, not pushed up against the sidewall.

[Living_The_Dream]

Now that you have it installed and have used it, would you use it in place of the stinky slinky?

[mphair]

Yes.

Pros

1). Fast
2). Cleaner then typical hose, no drips
3). Can dump at home
4). Can convert back to slinky hose in seconds


Cons

1). A little extra weight
2) I have to leave the hatch open when using it because the end fitting will not fit through the marine hatch
3) Can't empty gray tank when boon docking without turning pump on.

[Living_The_Dream]

Thank you! Still it sounds like you can easily remove it and use a slinky to empty the gray. I'll have to look into that mod.

Have you considered making another hole for the hose that you could easily plug?

[mphair]

I have considered making another hole, but I don't like making holes unless absolutely necessary. Right now, it is no big deal. When it's time to empty the tanks I open the hatch, pull out the hose, connect it to a cleanout, open the valves (grey first), turn on the pump and reverse the order when tanks are empty.

[Living_The_Dream]

Grey first? I would think you would do the black first so the grey could flush it afterword.

Perhaps this is a learning moment for me.

[hkreck]

There's a complete video on the camping world web site showing the three different models how they work and installation. Just go to their web site and search Macerator. I'm going to look into it more after watching the video.

[Living_The_Dream]

Do you happen to have a link to that video? I searched but have not found it.

Thank you!

Edit: I found them on youtube

[Living_The_Dream]

He Devilsquid, did you ever try to fit on on your S? I just measured my clearance and it's just a fraction shy of the needed 9.5" they recommend.

[mphair]

Originally Posted by Living_The_Dream

Grey first? I would think you would do the black first so the grey could flush it afterword.

Perhaps this is a learning moment for me.

Your right, Black should be first. But with this setup, it's important to see if there are any leaks before turning the pump on with black water. If for any reason you need to remove the pump, there will be water between the pump and the valve(s).

I open the grey valve first, turn on the pump to see if everything is working properly. Then I shut the grey, open the black. When the black is empty (high pitch motor noise), then I close the black and flush it out with the grey.

All in all it's a very simple procedure that takes less time then the standard slinky setup.

I purchased the portable unit so that I could take it out to save weight if I felt necessary. It was also on sale at the time by $100, Camping World. It probably only weighs 20 lbs, but every pound counts on the Solara.

[devilsquid]

L-T-D, I bought the "boxed" model and based on their stated dimensions I thought it would fit...it didn't. I thought that I could mount it toward the back of the compartment. I even checked with the manufacturer about placing it an inch or three higher than the outlet (they said that as long as the elevation was not too great it would still work). I'm now trying to come up with a way to mount it outside of the compartment in an added box...any ideas anyone? Meanwhile I combined two 90 degree elbows together to move the connection outside of the compartment. I got tired of snaking a short tube from inside to outside every time I had to dump the tanks.

[Living_The_Dream]

That sounds like the way to go as far as operation. I just ordered the bayonet "permanent" version. With any luck it will fit and I will be set! I'll keep a slinky on hand just in case.

Thank you!

[Living_The_Dream]

Originally Posted by devilsquid

L-T-D, I bought the "boxed" model and based on their stated dimensions I thought it would fit...it didn't. I thought that I could mount it toward the back of the compartment. I even checked with the manufacturer about placing it an inch or three higher than the outlet (they said that as long as the elevation was not too great it would still work). I'm now trying to come up with a way to mount it outside of the compartment in an added box...any ideas anyone? Meanwhile I combined two 90 degree elbows together to move the connection outside of the compartment. I got tired of snaking a short tube from inside to outside every time I had to dump the tanks.

I measured 9 7/16" clearance so opted for the twist on model. I will post once it arrives. I think (hope) it will fit on mine. I looked at how the box version might work and it looked like it would be a tight fit. I think your external box idea is best. Keep us updated.

[Living_The_Dream]

I just did a test fit and the twist on version is just a hair too long on mine. I took the switch off and it will go on, but it's pinched between the wall and mount point. Anyone think I would be mad to cut some material from the wall so it would fit? I'm thinking 1/4 inch would do it.

[mphair]

Originally Posted by Living_The_Dream

I just did a test fit and the twist on version is just a hair too long on mine. I took the switch off and it will go on, but it's pinched between the wall and mount point. Anyone think I would be mad to cut some material from the wall so it would fit? I'm thinking 1/4 inch would do it.

Do you have a 24R?
My twist on fits fine on my 2014 25S

[hkreck]

I was measuring my 24S and I came up short for the twist on version. Not really sure it's worth the cost anyway.

[Living_The_Dream]

Mine is a 2014 24s. I'm sure there is some variance in the placement of the tank outlets. I took the two screws and cover off the back and I still have to wrestle with it but once it's on, there is clearance. I also moved the switch. Ill wire it to the battery tomorrow. I may yet take a hole saw and cut through the grey plastic compartment material opposite the dump to make it easier to get on and off.