Home Pump Out -- Easy

Sundancer said:
I tried this last fall and I couldn't get a good seal between the macerator and the deck fitting. What did you use to assure a good connection?
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My deck fitting has 1-1/2" FPT. The mac has 1-1/2" MPT. It was just a matter of screwing it in enough. I really didn't even screw it in that hard - just snug. I did not use any pipe dope or teflon tape. I think the male, non-threaded part of the mac was also bottoming out inside the deck fitting. That would help the seal, but I'm not positive that it was doing that.
 
I can think of 5 people just off the top of my head that would go for a setup like that, given the type of boating they do…looks slick. Is a patent coming in the near future?
 
So a 3/4" garden hose is large enough to handle the volume while pumping? I have been contemplating this setup myself, but would have a decent length run to get to a septic hookup. A 3/4" garden hose would make it easier. Guess I could also consider on of the RV dump stations in my area once I have this setup to pump it out of the tank......

-Ryan
 
Presentation said:
Are you serious?

Highest by us is $5. Self-serve is free at our marina. Several marinas include a pump-out free if you buy gas.
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Yep, I am told that was the charge at the dock last summer. Most dump at sea or have portta potties that they take home.

But then again gas is still $3.89 with diesel at 4.05
 
FYN409 said:
So a 3/4" garden hose is large enough to handle the volume while pumping? I have been contemplating this setup myself, but would have a decent length run to get to a septic hookup. A 3/4" garden hose would make it easier. Guess I could also consider on of the RV dump stations in my area once I have this setup to pump it out of the tank......

-Ryan
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Yes, a regular macerator (not T-pump) actually chews up the stuff and is a postitive displacement type pump (like a boat's raw water pump.. impeller). It is not nearly affected by reduction in hose size like the T-pump.

With my set-up, I think gravity was helping - at least somewhat. According to the mac's specifications, it emptied the tank in accordance with the published gpm. So, it seems that the way I had it had absolutely no ill effect on the mac's performance.

I actually think there would be some performance drop (at least in comparison to the 3/4" hose) if I used 1" hose the entire way as the amount of liquid the mac was pushing would be heavier.

Now, how much further could one go? That I couldn't say. If the run coming out of the boat basically goes down hill the entire way to the dump point, I don't see why you couldn't extend the length of the hose quite a bit, if not indefinite.
 
Four Suns said:
There is no freekin' way I would ever stick a shop vac on a sewage outlet. I've done some messy stuff in my life but having some whirling blades atomizing sewage and blowing it out the exhaust is just ridiculous.
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Yet you let your dogs lick you on the face.......and we all know what else they lick......:grin:
 
I want to build a system like yours. I went to buy a pump yesterday. The only pump they had was a Johnson pump for a 100.00 bucks. I told them what I was doing and they said I needed a dry start pump. Is that what your using. A dry start pump is about 150.00.
 
How about using a portable 120v utility pump from Home Depot. It has 1" inlet/outlet. Not sure if it would get clogged but I was thinking of giving it a try one day.


Just a thought.
 
khaynes said:
I want to build a system like yours. I went to buy a pump yesterday. The only pump they had was a Johnson pump for a 100.00 bucks. I told them what I was doing and they said I needed a dry start pump. Is that what your using. A dry start pump is about 150.00.
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I'll assume the "dry start" means "self-priming". The pump I used is a self-priming pump. Supposedly it can self-prime up to 5'. I wasn't able to get it to do that, hence the reason I had to unscrew the garden hose from the clear hose and fill the clear hose with water (and re-attach the garden hose). The idea is you have to keep a bit of water in the mac for it get a good suction going. I then turned the mac clockwise a bit just so the weight of the effluent wouldn't kink the clear hose. I used a "kink-free" garden hose.

I would say you should be fine with the $100 pump.

This picture, while crude, gives an idea of an easier way to b e able to prime the mac w/o having to unscrew anything. Using the quick-connects (link in first post) to attach the mac to the deck fitting allows the mac to be placed in any angle w/o regard to threads.

NOTE: The "T" connector in picture is (and should be) actually a "Y" connector.

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Manny: I thought of using a general purpose pump from HD , as well. The downside I could see is that the inlet is 1". Which means you have to transition from 1-1/2" to 1" before the pump (which makes an area for possible clogs). Whereas with a mac, it's inlet is 1-1/2" and then discharges it, already chewed up, at 1". Then there is the question of how well the general purpose pump will even chew the stuff up to avoid clogs. I guess that, in that regards, it might be OK... unless someone has been crappin' bricks! :lol:

I think I'd stick with the mac to avoid the "divorce factor" :smt001 Thanks go out to Frank W. for teaching me that term!
 
This is exactly what I've been looking for. I used a vacuum pump and a plastic 5 gallon bucket. It did work but it collapsed my bucket to where it only would hold about 2.5 gallons. It took a long time. I trailer my boat and don't always want to make a trip to the marina and pump out before we go back to our boat ramp. Thanks for the info. I am definitely going to do this. Thanks again.
 
good idea. I have used a shop vac, it works but isn't a lot of fun! Never used it on the solid stuff though.

It's just a big pain to take your boat to the marina, pay the twenty bucks, negotiate the docks, wait in line, and take the time to pump out if you trailer the boat for a weekend or single night out. We don't all have five dollar pumpouts at our slip.
 
LmannyR said:
How about using a portable 120v utility pump from Home Depot. It has 1" inlet/outlet. Not sure if it would get clogged but I was thinking of giving it a try one day.


Just a thought.
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LOL:smt043:lol::smt043

This reminded me of the movie "RV" when he is trying to dump the holding tanks.

A clog would not be good as then you get your hands dirty........
 
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