Macerator Hose Pin Hole

mkc

2017 LTV Unity 24CB
Here's a possible option for covering a macerator hose with a sleeve, courtesy of Entegra Coach https://www.entegracoachforum.com/index.php?topic=5.0 The covering is a Protec NHS-207 abrasion resistant sleeve. The "207" corresponds to the diameter; the sleeving appears to be available from hydraulic houses like this one (no affiliation, it just turned up in my Google search) https://www.hydraulicsdirect.com/Nylon-Sleeving-hydraulic-fittings-p/ngb.htm

The stuff is pricey, at over $4 per foot, though.

Michelle
 

kmay

2013 Unity MB
Could you please post a photo of this modification?
I am away from the coach for 4 - 5 weeks.

I think these fittings are more properly called barb fittings:

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23254&catid=465

UV resistant clear tube

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23579&catid=736

Your local hardware would have these items and the appropriate hose clamps. All parts are nominally 1 inch.

I rotated the outlet (barbed fitting also) on the macerator so it pointed up toward the utility bay. Our coach has a 3 inch white plastic fitting with a hose flap door right over the macerator. I used a hole saw to open a suitable hole in this fitting. Cut 3 - 4 inch section of clear tube connected to the macerator and then inserted the hose barb elbow in other end through the coach fitting.

I can bend over and see liquid in the clear tube as it comes out of macerator. If I added a clear extension inside the utility bay, I would not have to bend over. However, it would require an additional 1 inch barbed coupling and hose clamp which equals another potential leak.
 
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redwing

New member
Ok so , this is related to the problem of pin holes which I do not have but came up with a good solution , Actually two solution,s
The first one was mice problem , where do they enter . well you might be surprised , they have excess right there at the entry of the macerator hose . So here is the solution
I went to the plumbing shop and got a rubber reducer 3" to 1.5" which fits perfect over the metal ring that would cause the pin holes to begin with . So no longer do I have a mice problem and no issue,s with rubbing of that hose.
Hope this helps some of you
Redwing
 

Scarecrow

2017 LTV Unity Murphy Bed
FWIW, another Member noted that the red cap off a 20oz Coke Bottle will serve as a cap for the macerator, in a pinch.
 

kCE

New member
The potential for failure where the macerator hose passed into the coach, particularly at full extension, bothered my restless mind. Under varied pump speeds, I see a lot of movement especially at the bend entering the coach. After a trip to plumbing section of local hardware, I resolved the problem. Heavy duty clear hose, pvc bayonet elbow fitting and hose clamps and 20 minutes. I removed macerator hose and replaced it with a short clear hose and elbow. The elbow passes into the coach and is the only point of potential abrasion. plus, no longer have a bend.

I will likely add another clear hose section in the coach with a bayonet straight coupling to make it easier to see what's pumping.
I did the same thing with mine. No kink in the hose and doesn't hang down on the outside makes a neat looking job. Should have been done that way in the first place.
 

Normand

Member
With your macerator, do you pull it out directly from storage compartment to the sewer or take it out underneath to avoid the U path (the hose goes thru the white plastic hole first to the storage compartment)
 

mikeme

2015 LTV IB: 2015 3500 V6
With your macerator, do you pull it out directly from storage compartment to the sewer or take it out underneath to avoid the U path (the hose goes thru the white plastic hole first to the storage compartment)
I take the hose out of the compartment, (try to remember to take the cap off) and carry direct to the dump hole.

doing so lets me leave the end fitting on the hose. seems like you would have to take the larger fitting off the hose, and snake the whole hose through that fitting to do otherwise. and the hose is not likely to be sanitized inside, if you know what I mean.
 

CabinHal

2017 Unity MB
Just to close this out, I bought a roll of stretch and seal self-fusing silicone tape from Home Depot similar to what SSTraveler suggested (X-Treme Tape). Just had a chance to test it on a long-weekend trip, and it did the trick - no more nasty little fountains. The remainder of that roll of tape stays in our Unity.

Also, just to be clear, my pinholes are about 2 ft from the exit end of the hose and not near the pump itself. That's a good thing otherwise the leak could be inside the compartment rather than on the ground. When I looked for possible snag spots, all seemed smooth in the vicinity of the compartment entry area. That said, I do try to be more gentle now in taking it in and out.

I'm still glad we opted for the macerator.

I appreciate everyone's thoughtful (and humorous!) replies. Don't forget to take that cap off, everybody!
 

Tannys

2016 Unity TB Portland OR
I am away from the coach for 4 - 5 weeks.

I think these fittings are more properly called barb fittings:

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23254&catid=465

UV resistant clear tube

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23579&catid=736

Your local hardware would have these items and the appropriate hose clamps. All parts are nominally 1 inch.

I rotated the outlet (barbed fitting also) on the macerator so it pointed up toward the utility bay. Our coach has a 3 inch white plastic fitting with a hose flap door right over the macerator. I used a hole saw to open a suitable hole in this fitting. Cut 3 - 4 inch section of clear tube connected to the macerator and then inserted the hose barb elbow in other end through the coach fitting.

I can bend over and see liquid in the clear tube as it comes out of macerator. If I added a clear extension inside the utility bay, I would not have to bend over. However, it would require an additional 1 inch barbed coupling and hose clamp which equals another potential leak.
Thanks for your help. After developing multiple pinholes in the hose I finally got around to completing this project and I like it. I have posted a few photos below. The original configuration allows the hose to hang and rub where it enters the compartment upon expansion. I like having the clear segment of hose for observing the discharge when cleaning the tanks. I got 14 months of use out of the original hose and configuration before problems started. I have a brand new hose that I am hoping will last longer. As a new RVer I am liking my macerator and now I think I will like it more.
 

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SSTraveler

2014 LTV Unity Murphy Bed
IMHO, I don't have a macerator, so I'm not sure what liquid flows through that other small tube that goes to the macerator outlet, but that small tube is kinked somewhat and maybe some of that reinforced tubing, in a smaller size, should be used to open up the ID of that smaller hose. It just looks to compressed to provide good flow.
 

mikeme

2015 LTV IB: 2015 3500 V6
the small tube is a bypass to be used for gray water.

(if you wanted to leave the hose plugged into a drain at a full hookup park site, and leave the grey water hooked up for frequent showers and the like.)

Black water in this case should be let to accumulate in the black water tank until substantially full, and then drained.
 

alichty

2014 LTV Unity TB
IMHO, I don't have a macerator, so I'm not sure what liquid flows through that other small tube that goes to the macerator outlet, but that small tube is kinked somewhat and maybe some of that reinforced tubing, in a smaller size, should be used to open up the ID of that smaller hose. It just looks to compressed to provide good flow.
The small tube is the gray water bypass - it allows you to drain the gray tank without having the pump running. The flow is considerably slower but it does drain the tank. This is not something you would use at a dumping station but if you are in a campground with sewer hookups you can have unlimited gray water usage without turning on the pump. That tube is severely crimped in the image and likely won't work as intended.

Edit: mikeme beat me to explaining this.
 

Tannys

2016 Unity TB Portland OR
That tube is severely crimped in the image and likely won't work as intended.
Thanks for pointing that out. Even though I have never used the grey water bypass feature (and probably never will) I have replaced the crimped tube just in case I have an opportunity to need the grey water bypass.
 

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Flexcor

Member
The potential for failure where the macerator hose passed into the coach, particularly at full extension, bothered my restless mind. Under varied pump speeds, I see a lot of movement especially at the bend entering the coach. After a trip to plumbing section of local hardware, I resolved the problem. Heavy duty clear hose, pvc bayonet elbow fitting and hose clamps and 20 minutes. I removed macerator hose and replaced it with a short clear hose and elbow. The elbow passes into the coach and is the only point of potential abrasion. plus, no longer have a bend.

I will likely add another clear hose section in the coach with a bayonet straight coupling to make it easier to see what's pumping.
What is the diameter of the hose?
 

hoosierrun

Active member
How do you attach the 3 inch sewer tube to the macerator if the pump quits?

Macerator would have to be removed from black tank discharge port and standard dump hose twisted on. For most LTV's it involves disconnecting an electrical plug and loosening/removing a band clamp. I set up my aftermarket macerator to make removal as easy as possible while still maintaining a stable semi-permanent installation. I believe LTV includes the standard drain hose and storage tube under the body (mine does but check to be sure).

Rubber gloves and sanitizer are highly recommended because some residual waste will fall out of the macerator when it is twisted off.
 

hoosierrun

Active member
For the pin hole issue on the discharge hose, that is often caused by dragging a full hose across sharp gravel or even a rough concrete pad. Near the end of the dumping process, air and water spitting out can cause the hose to jump around causing more abrasion to this very thin corrugated hose. One solution is to fit on a flexible nylon sheath to protect the hose. Based on someone's recommendation, I did that and it has worked out very well. Here is a link to the product I bought on Amazon and some pictures of my installation below. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EOYZNU4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 

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mocker5354

2018 Unity MB, (2017 3500)
For the pin hole issue on the discharge hose, that is often caused by dragging a full hose across sharp gravel or even a rough concrete pad. Near the end of the dumping process, air and water spitting out can cause the hose to jump around causing more abrasion to this very thin corrugated hose. One solution is to fit on a flexible nylon sheath to protect the hose. Based on someone's recommendation, I did that and it has worked out very well. Here is a link to the product I bought on Amazon and some pictures of my installation below. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EOYZNU4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I assume you want to use the smallest diameter sheath so you can fit it all back in the wet bay. So I gotta ask, was it very hard to fish that limp noodle thru the sheath?:hmmm:
 

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