Removed Seneca Macerator

Mark S · 11-02-2020, 03:33 PM

Since my sanicon macerator pump went bad I decided to just remove the unit. With inspiration and guidance from Rusty Nuts, it turned out better than I hoped.
I can now leave my dump hose attached while stored and have more storage in the compartment.

Jagiven · 11-02-2020, 03:39 PM

The compartment is nice and organized now! I like how they have all the sewer and potable water items all together

Mark S · 11-02-2020, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jagiven

The compartment is nice and organized now! I like how they have all the sewer and potable water items all together

Lol. I’ll have the bins covered and sealed and I have a plastic covering for sewer hose connector to seal it off. We don’t want the germs commingling.

EA37TS · 11-02-2020, 05:37 PM

Mark

What kind of mod was done to the outside shower? I. like that 90 degree bend that yours has.

Rustynuts · 11-02-2020, 06:35 PM

Looks good Mark, looks like yours was a lot easier than mine as your main drop was already centered in line with your outlet cover. I am not sure if your main white panel is the same as mine but there was a 2-3" gap at the top of it. I puled the screws on each side and was able to move it up to the main floor and screw it back in, giving you even more room to access that bay. Nice having that room there now isnt it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jagiven

I like how they have all the sewer and potable water items all together

That always bugged the heck out of me and when I removed my macerator I took the time to separate and re-plumb it to make some separation.

Mark S · 11-02-2020, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EA37TS

Mark

What kind of mod was done to the outside shower? I. like that 90 degree bend that yours has.

I found a 90 with the same thread and moved the quick disconnect. I can now close the compartment door with the shower hooked up.

MD3 · 11-03-2020, 12:06 AM

What is going bad on the macerators ?

I really like our macerator and ran a bayonet-style on our class A and toyhauler since we do not have a traditional RV dump at home. I use the macerator to dump/pump into the 1.5" cleanout on the side of the house. Works great but have to have the macerator and need to keep it working...

_

javamon · 11-03-2020, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD3

What is going bad on the macerators ?

_

Mine and RVermont's pump failed about the same time this summer and we both ended up buying a new pump because they are pretty much non-serviceable. It's curious that all three of these failures are on Seneca's that were built very close to each other (weeks) so I wonder if there was a manufacturing defect with these pumps. Just speculation.

RVermont · 11-03-2020, 06:47 AM

Seems like they either had a bad batch or these only last three years. Javamon, MarkS and myself all picked up our units in early 2017 and our sanicons all failed around the same time. I believe the overtemp circuit failed on my unit. I have not had time to pull the motor apart yet as I just replaced the whole unit. I have to pump up to my septic system so the unit eliminates a step while using the unit at home.

I see that dave was saying the same thing while i was writing mine response. Lol

Mark S · 11-03-2020, 06:58 AM

I rarely used mine and when I did it was to quickly drain the grey tank when we were doing one nighters and pumped the black tank maybe 5 times over the life of the pump, so the failure on mine was definitely not from over use or abuse.

MD3 · 11-03-2020, 07:19 AM

Thank you for the info !
Mine is a 2018 (built April 2017 IIRC)and I use it every time (2-3 times a month). I've never dumped without using it. Wondering if I am on borrowed time...
Also, wonder if mine does go bad should I eliminate the onboard system and maybe go back to the bayonet twist on style for just the dumping at home.

_

Mark S · 11-03-2020, 04:45 PM

[QUOTE=Rustynuts;911865]. I am not sure if your main white panel is the same as mine but there was a 2-3" gap at the top of it. I puled the screws on each side and was able to move it up to the main floor and screw it back in, giving you even more room to access that bay. Nice having that room there now isnt it!

Good suggestion Rusty. I was able to raise the panel 2” to close the gap at the top. And it does make a difference.

Bruceter · 11-04-2020, 10:05 PM

[QUOTE=Mark S;912077]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustynuts

. I am not sure if your main white panel is the same as mine but there was a 2-3" gap at the top of it. I puled the screws on each side and was able to move it up to the main floor and screw it back in, giving you even more room to access that bay. Nice having that room there now isnt it!

Good suggestion Rusty. I was able to raise the panel 2” to close the gap at the top. And it does make a difference.

Mark or Brian, just wondering is there enough play in all the plumbing that’s fastened to the back of the panel to just push the panel up and reattach? Or does the plumbing need to be adjusted at all?

Thanks
Bruce

Rustynuts · 11-04-2020, 11:38 PM

[QUOTE=Bruceter;912417]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark S

Mark or Brian, just wondering is there enough play in all the plumbing that’s fastened to the back of the panel to just push the panel up and reattach? Or does the plumbing need to be adjusted at all?

Thanks
Bruce

I was able to do it without any adjustments behind the panel. The crappy light they put on it may hit the top edge but you can just push the panel back gently, everything is pretty flexible. I ended up changing the light out for LED strips. I did have to cut out where the fuel filler passes through mine, I have an early build on the S2 chassis and they didn’t cut out much clearance, they did have a bigger cut out on later units.

Mark S · 11-05-2020, 05:01 AM

[QUOTE=Bruceter;912417]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark S

Mark or Brian, just wondering is there enough play in all the plumbing that’s fastened to the back of the panel to just push the panel up and reattach? Or does the plumbing need to be adjusted at all?

Thanks
Bruce

I raised my panel 2” and had no problem with the plumbing. Since mine is a M2 I did not have an issue with the fuel filler and my light is just below the top edge. It was kind of a pain holding the panel in the new place and staring the screw. A third hand would have been helpful.

Bruceter · 11-05-2020, 09:40 AM

Thanks guys,
I’ll have to add this one to the LIST!
As of yet I haven’t had any problems with the macerator system and quite happy with it using it regularly
One thing in that compartment that I’ve been looking at doing is remounting the water filter as when one removes the bowl for changing the filter or winterizing it’s awkward to get the treads started straight when reinstalling, as the bottom of the bowl is jammed on the wall of the compartment. It seems the poly liner of the compartment has a bit of a buckle in it.

Bruce

Crossingover · 11-05-2020, 10:11 AM

We are so spoiled with the macerator, haven't used the slinky since we got the Seneca. Not looking forward to eventual pump problems, but will get it fixed rather than do the slinky dance. We are careful not to run the pump when it whines after the water is pumped out, so maybe that adds to its reliability.

You may also like: