Which Sewer System?

[Sr Fox]

Which would you choose?  Have you had experience with these?


Valterra SS01 Sewer Solution System
http://www.amazon.com/Valterra-SS01-Boxed-SewerSolution-System/dp/B00CCYWJQK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419980139&sr=8-1&keywords=sewer+solution+kit+for+rv

or

Thetford 70246 RV Sanicon Tank Buddy
www.amazon.com/Thetford-70246-Sanicon-Tank-Buddy/dp/B002SSIE32/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1419985726&sr=8-3&keywords=thetford+sani-con

I heard from a customer today that the Valterra was a great system.  Comments?

 

[jdq1986]

I had the opportunity to see a few of these demonstrated at an RV lot one day while I was shopping for my first fifth wheel.  In my opinion, the small line systems like those did not work nearly as well the traditional 3" line.  The water seemingly creates positive pressure in the tank and prevents full drainage of solids.  The tank flush features do nothing whatsoever with the valve open, and backfill the tank at best with it closed.  Most effective system is a true tank flush, a nozzle mounted to the top or side of your tank you run a water line to in order to rinse the tank and provide some level of agitation. The "Tank Tornado" or something like that is my favorite, and it's what I installed in my tank. 

Here is a great YouTube video with similar demonstrations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfTd0Slt_cU

Another one from the same guy featuring the sewer solution and I think other similar devices: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYJCLzGaaB8

 

[ArdraF]

We used the Sewer Solution for many years at our previous home and it worked just great.  We needed it because we had a slight uphill slope to reach the sewer dump in our front yard.  Jerry would back as far up the driveway as he could and then dump.  We were very happy with it and never had any issues with it not being able to empty the tank.

ArdraF

 

[HueyPilotVN]

I have the Thetford unit.  The one that I have is a slightly different model and does not have a carry case.  It is made to permanently mount in the plumbing bay although it is very easy to remove and it does store in the extra room I have in my plumbing bay. 

I use it when I visit one of two relatives that have places to park but require me to use thier cleanouts to dump the tanks.

For use as an alternate method when you do not have access to a 3 inch dump station it works very well.  I use a 75 foot hose in conjunction with the expandable black hose that comes with it.  I have marked that hose with yellow tape at intervals and clearly label it "Sewer Hose".

A few comments about the system. 

It takes longer to dump using the macerator pump as the outlet and hose is of a smaller diameter.

There is a procedure described in the documentation that comes with is about how to use it to rinse the tank.  Basically you dump with a full tank of gray water and after dumping  the black water tank you shut off the macerator which seals the outlet and then you open the gray water tank and the gray water rushes in to the black water tank to dislodge and cause turbulance in the black water tank.  You then close the grey water tank valve and dump again to empty the black water tank.

I also have a rinse built in to my black water tank that allows me to add water to flush the tank.

In my opinion if you have access to a normal dump station connection, the regular 3 inch hose works much better and faster.  However if you need to reach an alternative location such as a clean out at some distance away then the macerator offers a great solution.

I hope this helps.

 

[John From Detroit]

I have choices, and believe choices are good.  Will cover all three systems

3" stinky slinky, Very fast,, and not all that messy,  This is the system I use most often...  There are issues if the hole in the ground is higher than the outlet on the motor home though, or if it is too far away.

Macerators (Sani-con, Flo-Jet) Mine si a portable flo-jet,  Eats some battery power to pump out the tanks, can pump up hill, also up to 100 Feet.. NOTE: not all that much battery power..  Uses a 3/4" or larger garden hose,, Very nice, and this is my back up system for when I need it, and from time to time, I do need it.

Sewer Soultion:  Fresh water is fast becoming a precious resource, it is not all that abundant, and this system uses gallons of it to pump out your tank, roughly doubling the load on the wast disposal system and though it is small, and looks good on paper. I would rather not run up the parks' water bill that much when a few watts of electricity do the job better.

But the 3" drain hose is still my favorite,, Dumps a 30+ gallon tank in just a minute or two,  V/s perhaps six GPM for the macerator (never timed a Sewer Solution but can't believe it's more than 5GPM)

 

[Foto-n-T]

We're currently on our second season using the Thetford macerator pump.  Our daughter and son-in-law purchased a new house last year with a 60' level driveway.  Their sewer clean out unfortunately is approximately 12' above the grade of the driveway and 75' away.  We researched macerator pumps extensively last year before we left Wyoming for the winter and decided on the Thetford model, we couldn't be happier.  It will dump 40 gallons of black water in five minutes or less even with the grade difference and distance.  We haven't had any problems with solids build up but I do rinse several times using the onboard flush system.

Last year when we arrived in Arizona at the kids house I ran 75' of 1" Schedule 40 PVC to the sewer cleanout then used 1" I.D. vinyl hose to jump from the macerator pump outlet to the PVC so I can see what I'm pumping.

There are some things to consider though:

If your sewer output is under a slide (ours is) you'll want to wire in a remote switch so you don't have to crawl under the slide to turn the thing on.

Depending upon your setup you may or may not be able to permanently mount the unit.  They're a little heavy not to mention expensive so ours bayonets on/off and doesn't stay in place during transit.

Bi-monthly maintenance isn't a bad idea, especially if you or your spouse have long hair.  Macerator pumps DO NOT like hair!!  Ours does have a grey water bypass on it so shower water doesn't have to go through the pump.  It's best to pull the unit every couple of months, let it dry out for a few days then "glove up" and pull the barrel and macerator blades.  It's relatively easy and if the pump is dry it's not a bad job but should you fail to do the maintenance and it gets enough hair in it to stop the impeller...let's just say it will not be a good day for the person who gets to fix the problem.

The Thetford is the more expensive of the two units you listed but in my opinion you really can't go wrong with it.

 

[Sr Fox]

Thanks for all the great responses. 
You guys are what makes a forum a great forum!

 

[rtluft]

I have the Valterra Sewer Solution which I used to empty my tanks when the sewer access was slightly uphill from the RV.  It worked very well for this.  I rarely use it when the sewer access is downhill because the 3" regular hose is easier and faster.

 

[Mopar1973Man]

None of the above for me just a drain hose.

As for my maintenance I dump the tanks and reload with fresh water and leave stand. Then dump again. No fancy flushers.

 

[Foto-n-T]

Even though we use a macerator pump I do tend to agree with Mopar1973Man.  If it weren't for the fact that the sewer clean out at the kids house was 12' above us I'd happily still be using the venerable "stinky slinky".  The 3" hoses do provide a lot better flow and are a lot less of a hassle to set up but in some circumstances you either learn how to pump excrement up hill or you hook up and drag the rig down the road to a local campground and pay $$ to leave them your presents.  A couple of years ago we boondocked in the Idaho panhandle for the summer while I drove log trucks.  Every two weeks we had to hook up and drive 25 miles to a state park to unload.  If I'd have had the macerator pump then I could have spent more of my off hours relaxing and teasing the cows by BBQing their brethren in front of them and less time driving to the dump station.

 

[Mopar1973Man]

Some time back some one posted all the fancy tank flushers and dumping solutions. Fun part was most of them didn't do so hot. Still in all my method of just refilling the tank full of fresh water and dumping a second time works the best. To this day I've never had issues with my tank gauges or poo pyramids. It's so clean I never have any odors from the toilet even dry. No fly issues no smells, no problems.

With both my old 1976 Dodge Jamboree and my new 2000 Jayco Eagle I've never had any dumping issues like plugging up. Etc. As for toilet paper I use the very same stuff I use in the house. What does it matter since I'm dumping my waste in the very same septic tanks than my house toilet does.

Another trick to helping things along is at the start of a trip I dump a 5 gallon bucket of fresh water in the black tank. Now I don't have to waste a huge amount of drinking water on flushing. The other part is the sloshing action does help to break down solid waste as you travel. I think this is another reason RV park people have such problems with black holding tanks and poo pyramids. Things are allowed to settle and setup and with a lack of water I can see it getting semi-solid and thick in a hot summer temps. I'll admit dumping the black tank isn't exactly a fun choir to do.

 

[fredbon]

Some time back some one posted all the fancy tank flushers and dumping solutions. Fun part was most of them didn't do so hot. Still in all my method of just refilling the tank full of fresh water and dumping a second time works the best. To this day I've never had issues with my tank gauges or poo pyramids. It's so clean I never have any odors from the toilet even dry. No fly issues no smells, no problems.

How do you refill the black tank, how many gallons and how do you normally use your unit?  FHU or Dump Stations?

Fred

 

[Rene T]

How do you refill the black tank, how many gallons and how do you normally use your unit?

Fred,
Many of the RV's today have a flushing connection which when hooked up, it just flushes the interior of the black tank. Once I dump, I usually shut my drain valve and run the flush for about 3 or 4 minutes then I dump again. Then I'll shut the drain valve again and run the flush for a minute or so to put in 5 to 10 gallons of water in the tank. 
Others  sometimes just run their hose inside and using a special flushing adaptor on the end of their hose, they're able to flush the tank that way.