The Full Poop Story of the RV Mascerator on the Motorhome

So many folks have asked more questions about how Steveio adapted the marine mascerator, both off list in emails and on our Safari group.


(NOTE: A mascerator is a machine that grinds up poopy waste from the black holding tank and pumps it out in a long skinny 3/4" hose, even uphill, to dump at far away locations like our septic tank, and then follow up with the grey water from the sinks and shower to rinse out the dedicated hose) 

Steve chose a marine grade mascerator, made by ITT Jabsco, because it has metal impeller parts instead of plastic like many of the cheaper RV grade models. 

Soooo here are more detailed instructions on his adaptation:

Steveio took a standard drain cap that goes on the bayonet mount of any RV drain pipe.  He cut an inch and quarter hole in the middle of the cap with a holesaw bit on the drill.  That allowed the cap to fit right over the opening on the bottom end of the mascerator in the pic above (he removed and discarded that grey elbow fitting in the photo)

He also drilled four small screw holes in the cap to line up with the four holes in the housing, using screws to hold it tight, along with a bead of silicone between the cap and the housing.

The discharge end on the left side of the machine has a 1 inch barbed fitting.  He attached a 1" piece of clear plastic hose (to be able to see the "progress of material" going through the hose)  At the end of the clear hose he attached a piece of threaded hose fitting to screw a black 3/4" hose that is 50ft long that goes into a septic, drain hole, sewer system etc. That long black hose is dedicated to dumping only, never to be used for anything else. Coils up in a 5 gallon bucket for storage in the motorhome basement.

The electrical line of 12 volt power was wired up to a 12volt plug cigarette lighter type with an ON/OFF switch on the line.  He installed a 12 volt powered outlet in our compartment near the drain valves to power the mascerator when in use.

Now the mascerator can hook onto the bayonet mount of the RV drain pipe when in use. It can then be removed and stored in a tote in our basement compartment when not in use.




Here is a photo of it being used on our friend's fifth wheel for the first time. (Yes, Steveio was a Mascerator Virgin until now!) ... they have a clear section on their drain pipe to also allow one to view the "progress of material"  (yuck)

Once the black tank contents are done running through, the motor changes sound in pitch and it's done. Close the black tank handle.  Then the grey tank (shower and sink water) valve is pulled and run through the machine.  This also helps to rinse the hose out before storing it away.  It is a good idea to screw the two ends of any hose together during storage to prevent leakage or intrusion by insects. 

Just look at these two guys!  They are having fun???  I guess so! 

Because of the lack of a 12 volt outlet near the dump bay on our friend's fiver, 

Steve hooked the mascerator up to the battery on our riding lawn mower!!!  LOL 

You can see the edge of the lawn mower on the lower half of the photo below. 

Our septic outlet pipe is about 100 feet from our driveway.  We can now empty our tanks after camping weekends right at our own home.  Saves on dump station fees each weekend on the way home to go 10 miles out of our way to dump the tanks.  Not to mention the fees to dump just a weekend's worth of waste.  Our tanks hold 50 gallons each.   Driving 10 extra miles on a Sunday at 8mpg that can add up at today's prices of diesel fuel.

A mascerator is great for many situations, besides saving on dump station fees:


-Many RV sites with sewer provided are only designed if your RV is backed into the site.  But our motorhome has a solid back wall in the bedroom.  If there is a pretty view, we may pull in forward so the view is out our front windshield in the living area of the rig.  That puts the sewer opening on the wrong side for us.  The mascerator can help with that, especially if we are doing laundry in our onboard washer/dryer.  The laundry  piping on a Safari does NOT empty into either our black or grey tanks, it is piped to only go right out the drain hose.  This will be important once we go full time in the RV.


-Or if sitting in someone's driveway it can dump tanks into a septic or even a toilet. (seen that)
-Or if at a poorly designed dump station that is too slanted to dump properly by gravity. (seen that)
-Or if at a campsite with sewer available but the sewer pipe is a foot off the ground (seen that)
-Or if at a curved road dump station and no way to line up 40 foot rig at their hole (seen that)




We do not use the "blue" RV holding tank deodorizers anymore as they can introduce bacteria-killing products into our septic tank.  Septic tanks and sewer systems need certain bacteria to keep them running properly.  We pour in a few tablespoons of RidX liquid septic tank treatment into our RV tanks to keep them working properly until they are dumped.  No danger of harming our household septic now.


And that is the full poop story on the mascerator....



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