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Old 03-02-2014, 07:29 PM   #41
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Sorry, very new to many things RV. I see references to 'stinky slinky' here but cannot find any when I Google them. Is this something that is made by the RVer? I have seen pictures, they seem to be a piece of PVC pipe that is used to clean out the sewer line, maybe tank, of the RV.

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"Stinky slinky" is what the waste hose is commonly called. This hose connects your trailer's waste output (black or gray water) to a sewage system designed for it.
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Old 03-02-2014, 07:59 PM   #42
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Ken.

I think that you could adapt your unit to perform like my RV Sani Con macerator that does have a grey water bypass.

I bought my unit from Lanny, the inventor, before he sold out to Thetford. He probably sold his patent on the bypass to them.

To give you some idea of how this works you can find a drawing on the Thetford site under PARTS. I can’t copy and paste it because Adobe wants to be paid for that but access it this way:

Google RV Sani Con.

Open the Thetford site

Click on Parts

Open the pre- 2011 models and go to page 7 which is MODEL 62-5800.

I don’t know the Flowjet macerator outfit you are showing but if you can mount it with the flush inlet port at the side instead of at the top as shown, a 90 degree turn and with the outflow from the pump then facing down, there is no reason why you couldn’t invent a grey water bypass.

You just need to find hose and fittings to go from the flush inlet to a T inserted at the pump outlet.

You can better understand by looking at the Thetford drawings.

You don’t need to go to all that trouble either. Why can’t you just mount the device as I’m suggesting and run a discharge hose from the green plastic inlet? The secret is simple: water won’t pass through the macerator pump unless it’s powered. If you attach a hose and open your grey water valve the water will drain out naturally.

Sergei
Thanks for the reply and good information. Actually I prefer the Thetford unit, but the price is significantly greater. The one I pictured is $207 on Amazon, and can be had at a lower price with a bit of shopping. The Thetford unit with bypass is $340. Since I am not sure what the ultimate solution is going to be, I'm trying to be on the cheap side. I am currently using a sewer solution, but am not happy with the amount of water wasted, even when it's not mine. If I end up using your suggestion, I will cap the regular outlet just to be safe.

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Old 03-02-2014, 08:01 PM   #43
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"Stinky slinky" is what the waste hose is commonly called. This hose connects your trailer's waste output (black or gray water) to a sewage system designed for it.
Thanks, Aage, one more question. I've been looking at the products available for this wonderful chore, one of which is the Camco 45 degree clear elbow and the Valterra end caps. Both of these products state they are for 3" diameter hoses/connections. An Airstream owner was asking if the inside diameter was 3.75". Are the AS hoses of a different size? I would think the hoses would be of the same 3" standard.

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Old 03-02-2014, 08:12 PM   #44
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An Airstream owner was asking if the inside diameter was 3.75". Are the AS hoses of a different size? I would think the hoses would be of the same 3" standard.

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Any Airstream I have seen has a 3" outlet. In fact, I haven't seen any trailers with anything bigger than that. Not saying they don't exist, but just that IMHO they are not common.
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Old 03-02-2014, 08:14 PM   #45
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... Are the AS hoses of a different size? I would think the hoses would be of the same 3" standard. ...

Vintage Airstreams and many other brands from an earlier time often had fittings that are different than what is readily available off the shelf today. The good news is that a simple adapter is available to permit connection of modern sewer hoses to the other style connector.
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Old 03-02-2014, 08:19 PM   #46
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Vintage Airstreams and many other brands from an earlier time often had fittings that are different than what is readily available off the shelf today. The good news is that a simple adapter is available to permit connection of modern sewer hoses to the other style connector.
You are referring to the Thetford type fitting. It is a different style of connector, but it is the same size (3").

I agree it is a good idea to keep an adapter from one to the other on board. You never know what you might run up against.
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Old 03-02-2014, 08:27 PM   #47
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Sorry, very new to many things RV. I see references to 'stinky slinky' here but cannot find any when I Google them. Is this something that is made by the RVer? I have seen pictures, they seem to be a piece of PVC pipe that is used to clean out the sewer line, maybe tank, of the RV.

Thanks
It is only called the "stinky slinky" by those that have bad smelling poop.

We call ours the "Spring Flowers Toilet Water Hose"

Here are all the pictures you will ever want.

https://www.google.com/search?q=rv+s...w=1366&bih=586

Ken
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Old 03-02-2014, 08:33 PM   #48
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It is only called the "stinky slinky" by those that have bad smelling poop.

We call ours the "Spring Flowers Toilet Water Hose"

Ken
Very funny Ken
I hope to keep ours as daisy fresh as yours.

BTW, you aren't kidding about it being all the pics I could ever want. I've been looking at the youtube videos too; very informational. I can't wait for my first time.
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Old 03-02-2014, 08:40 PM   #49
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Thanks, everyone, for the information on the hose diameters. In the videos I've seen that 45 degree clear elbow seems to be the tool to have so you can monitor the, uh... clarity, if that's a good word.
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Old 03-03-2014, 03:34 PM   #50
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In the videos I've seen that 45 degree clear elbow seems to be the tool to have so you can monitor the, uh... clarity, if that's a good word.
Yes, well, if you're the type that likes chainsaw monster horror movies, what you see through the clear 45 degree elbow will fascinate you.
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Old 03-06-2014, 04:20 PM   #51
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Does anyone see a reason why the flush connector on this flowjet macerator pump could not be used as a grey water bypass by using a hose Y connector to merge it into the pump output hose?



Ken
I ordered one of these and it arrived today. It looks like the answer to my question is yes, I will be able to bypass gray water through the flush fitting. However I won't know until I try it. I've not decided if I would want to leave it in place anyway as I only dump the black water tank when its near full or we are heading home.

I paid $155 with free shipping. If anyone wants contact info for the source, send me a PM.

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Old 03-07-2014, 07:30 AM   #52
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I bought a Flow Jet Macerator so that we can empty our black tank into the septic tank when we get home. It works great, ends the need to go by a dump station, and we are able to flush and clean the black tank at our leisure. We still use the slinky to dump when we're not at home. I'll definitely try bypassing the gray water through the flush fitting next time. I would suggest being very careful what goes into the tanks if you plan to use a Flow Jet or any other macerator, I'm not sure it would digest a paper towel or sanitary wipe.
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Old 03-08-2014, 08:42 AM   #53
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I bought a Flow Jet Macerator so that we can empty our black tank into the septic tank when we get home. It works great, ends the need to go by a dump station, and we are able to flush and clean the black tank at our leisure. We still use the slinky to dump when we're not at home. I'll definitely try bypassing the gray water through the flush fitting next time. I would suggest being very careful what goes into the tanks if you plan to use a Flow Jet or any other macerator, I'm not sure it would digest a paper towel or sanitary wipe.
Will any of these macerators pump uphill? Max distance says 50' over flat ground. I have about 25'-30' but it's uphill to the sewer cleanout plug for my house (outside plug).

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Old 03-08-2014, 11:08 AM   #54
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Will any of these macerators pump uphill? Max distance says 50' over flat ground. I have about 25'-30' but it's uphill to the sewer cleanout plug for my house (outside plug).

Thanks
They don't have a lot of lift. What elevation difference are you looking at? If it's only 4~5 feet or so, you should be okay pumping ground-up solids, but for higher lifts up to about 10 feet it wouldn't do so well with solids though it could pump graywater that high. The higher you try to lift, the slower it pumps, as well.
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Old 03-08-2014, 03:50 PM   #55
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They don't have a lot of lift. What elevation difference are you looking at? If it's only 4~5 feet or so, you should be okay pumping ground-up solids, but for higher lifts up to about 10 feet it wouldn't do so well with solids though it could pump graywater that high. The higher you try to lift, the slower it pumps, as well.
Between 4-5', probably closer to 4, over about 30'. I'm thinking I could run the hose into the sewer through the clean-out just outside the front of the house, but it does sit 4-5' above the street.
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Old 03-08-2014, 07:44 PM   #56
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As pro stated, It's not the length of the discharge hose, but the difference in elevation. If the point you are pumping to is 10' higher than where you are pumping from it would mean you are pumping against a hydrostatic head of 4.33 psi with water. You will have some pressure loss inside the hose which increases according to length. From what I have experienced with the flow jet it would still work but at a reduced efficiency. I normally pump through 50' of hose on level ground. I will test it the next couple of days as to volume on a 10 and 20 ft lift.
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Old 03-09-2014, 10:34 AM   #57
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Camping World says manufacturer information is the max distance for a 3/4" hose is 50', 5/8" hose max is 25'. It doesn't address height or at least not in the Q&A.
FloJet RV Waste Pump Kit - Xylem 18555000A - Drain & Flush Systems - Camping World
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Old 03-09-2014, 07:36 PM   #58
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The weather here was great today so I got a chance to de-winterize and check out all of the systems on the AS. Also checked out the flow jet. Pumping clean water out of the gray tank through a 5/8" 50' long hose it pumped 6 gallons per minute. I then tried it pumping to a height of 10 ft, also 6 gallons per minute. Still pumping through the 5/8" 50' long hose I elevated the end of the hose to 18' high. I was not able to measure the rate but the flow was still quite acceptable, as per the photo. Bear in mind this was with clear water, not black fluids. With the proper amount of fluid in the mix I don't think it would be a problem to pump to a lift of 20', it might just be somewhat slower.
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Old 03-09-2014, 07:52 PM   #59
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The weather here was great today so I got a chance to de-winterize and check out all of the systems on the AS. Also checked out the flow jet. Pumping clean water out of the gray tank through a 5/8" 50' long hose it pumped 6 gallons per minute. I then tried it pumping to a height of 10 ft, also 6 gallons per minute. Still pumping through the 5/8" 50' long hose I elevated the end of the hose to 18' high. I was not able to measure the rate but the flow was still quite acceptable, as per the photo. Bear in mind this was with clear water, not black fluids. With the proper amount of fluid in the mix I don't think it would be a problem to pump to a lift of 20', it might just be somewhat slower.
Thanks for taking the time to do that. This is good to know and useful information.

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Old 03-09-2014, 07:59 PM   #60
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Since I now have a sewer solution and a macerator, for different circumstances, I am going try to make the proper fittings to allow me to use the sewer solutions hoses with the Macerator.

Ken
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