Flo jet macerator issues.

Hello.  Been searching information on here and decided to sign up in order to get some help!

I've been living in my trailer for 8 months while building a new home.  We recently had to move the trailer to a new location and I'm relying on a flo jet macerator pump for my sewage disposal.

I struggled off the get go with this.  Went back to the Internet and did some digging.  I'm now using 150ft of 3/4" discharge line.  Pumping uphill maybe a total of 2-3 feet.  I also started using a clear 45 to get a visual of what's going on in there and ensuring the pump doesn't run dry.

I've had issues with the pump turning itself on and off from day 1.  Assumed it was an overheating issue.  Upgraded the size of the discharge line to 3/4".  Still shuts itself off.  Went back to the Internet and read about voltage drops being an issue.  I was running 12 gauge wire to the battery on my pickup (dual batteries) with the truck running.  Should be plenty of juice.  So then I thought the length of wire was to long.  Shortened it.  Issue persisted.  I then ran 0 gauge jumper cables from the truck directly to the pump.  Pump sounds like it's running with more power but issue still persists.

I'm fairly certain that it is not an overheating issue.  When it starts turning itself off its not even remotely warm nevermind hot.

I have run into issues with my wife and kids putting stuff down the toilet that shouldn't be.  But I'm pretty diligent in watching the clear 45 and clearing it out in a timely manner.

Any help?  I need to rely on this for the next 4 months.  Thanks in advance.

Just dumped my tanks.  Went inside,  wrote that^^^^^.  Back flushed my black tank.  Took the pump off.  Took the blade end apart to make sure it was clear.  Put it back together and hooked it up to the trailer.  Went to dump.  Same story.  Shutting itself on and off.  Runs for 8-10 seconds then shuts off for 15 seconds.  Does that for a bit,  then stays running for 8-10 seconds and shuts off for 30 seconds.  Took 15 mins total and 31 "cycles" to drain the tank that was mainly water.

3/4" hose doesn't provide much flow, especially at 150 ft. I think the motor is pulling too much current trying to push through the skinny hose and is shutting down. You really need 1" or better yet 1.25" at that distance and uphill. 

You can get cheap plastic hose (the corrugated type) at Lowes or Depot. It's low pressure, so you don't need anything strong.  Or just run some PVC pipe, since this sounds like a semi-permanent set-up for regular use. For dumping the RV tank occasionally at home, I have about 30 ft of 1.5" PVC pipe that gets fairly near the RV and then use a 1.25" poly-plastic hose to bridge to the macerator outlet. Works fine.

I agree with Gary that 150 feet of 3/4" hose is probably too much for the FloJet. OTOH I don't understand why it's not popping fuses. The higher load = higher current, which should blow the fuse. I have only 50 feet of hose, and the fuse occasionally blows. But I've never had it shut off for thermal overload.

Using continuously-increasing diameter hose or pipe should resolve your problem.

I too run 50 feet of 3/4" black rubber hose.. Occasionally I add 25 feet of Gray to that for gray water only (Makes sense if you think of it)  and the only time I've had an issue blowing fuses is when I forget to free up the rotor before I hook it up.. Mine is a portable, and I only use it on rare occasions so I need to give the shaft a twist (slot provided on the non-pump end of the motor) before hooking up to break it free cause the impeller sticks to the housing after first use.

I do not know why it's shutting off.  Oh, I use 10 ga wire. (What I had in stock at the time)

Are you using anything to break down the waste in your tank? Is it possible some solids are causing the impeller to stop? Have you checked all the wiring and connections? I had a problem like yours a few years ago and I seem to remember that it was a wiring deal. The vibration with the motor running caused a lose connection.

So,  in order to investigate the idea of the discharge line being to small I did some experimenting tonight.

Since I just dumped the tanks yesterday I decided that I would fill them up with water and take the discharge line off the pump all together.  Dumped both tanks right onto the ground.  Pumped turned itself off 3 times during this process.  No discharge line.  Very minimal solids.  99% water.

If the impeller turns freely (by hand) and there's no play in the bearings/bushings, the motor might have a partial short in the windings. They're relatively easy to take apart to service, but you may still end up replacing the motor or the entire pump.

Pumped turned itself off 3 times during this process.

Click to expand...

Well, that sure makes the loose connection or bad winding theory attractive!

Now I'm wondering if I should add something like this at 75 ft in order to help it push.

http://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/metal-drill-pump/A-p5770250e

I could leave it inline and just hook up a cordless drill to it when I dump.  Shutting off 3 times is a hell of a lot better than 30.

I removed the motor from the pump.  Motor ran without issue for 20 mins.  Not sure what that proved,  if anything.  A electric motor without load runs well, doesn't really tell me anything does it?

Not much. It draws very little current without any load, and you also eliminated the pump vibration and any possible wiring issues internal to the macerator housing.

That's what I figured.  This was the guy at flo jets way of proving the motor is fine.

What happens if you re-attach the motor to the pump and disconnect the hoses?

This was the guy at flo jets way of proving the motor is fine.

Click to expand...

"Fine" may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it's a quick check to demonstrate the motor is in basic working order, even though it doesn't guarantee it is perfect. It would be enough to have me looking elsewhere, though, trying to rule out some of the other things that have been suggested as possible problems. If everything else checks out, then you can come back to the motor for further testing under load, but that takes more equipment and effort to "prove".