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How much water should a macerator use


man1nvan

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Ok

Our new boat has a Tecma macerator bog.  We have always had cassette type before.

On about two flushes a day it is emptying the fresh water tank into the black water tank and we have to pump it out then refill fresh water ever 6 days. It seems to use a collossal amount of water.

Is there something wrong here, can you adjust the amount of water it uses?  Or is this just what they are like?

The fresh water tank is a similar size to our old boat and a tankfull would normally last us 3 weeks of normal use.  

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3 minutes ago, man1nvan said:

Ok

Our new boat has a Tecma macerator bog.  We have always had cassette type before.

On about two flushes a day it is emptying the fresh water tank into the black water tank and we have to pump it out then refill fresh water ever 6 days. It seems to use a collossal amount of water.

Is there something wrong here, can you adjust the amount of water it uses?  Or is this just what they are like?

The fresh water tank is a similar size to our old boat and a tankfull would normally last us 3 weeks of normal use.  

On ours there’s a little knob hidden behind the control panel. Turning this anti-clockwise reduces the amount of water used for filling/flushing.

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On mine I have 4 little push buttons, one that I fitted just opens the water valve only  to get water when required, the other 3 on the control panel are 'big flush and suck', 'little flush and suck' and 'suck only' judicious use of these 3 allow good control of the water used. I also reduced the flow rate using the isolating valve, probably reduced the 'big flush and suck to 1 litre of water but I have never measured it, the valve now allows about a third of what it did when supplied as new default setting, and this has proved fit for purpose. Some times it is worth putting in a bit of extra water, before action, if marks are deemed likely. Two of us aboard full time fill our 200 litre holding tank in 3 weeks, we do occasionally use pub facilities in the evening though.

 

When we got the boat the tank filled in under a week, but we were newbies and 'went' before we went out, forgot to go before we left the pub etc.

Edited by Detling
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^^^^ What he said, plus...

There may be a setting to leave the bowl full or empty on completion - the latter is significantly more frugal on fresh water use and frequency of pump outs.

A target cross or stripe of toilet paper, judiciously placed before seating, will ensure the best chance of an easy first time flush and minimise any need for brushwork.  

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Ahh remember you are responding to a long term cassette user where the target is obligatory :-)    right I am off to spanner the bog    wish me luck!

Unfortunately I only have 1 big button so the panel is coming off....

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Two minutes later  panel off  it is like bozlite said  there is a dial behind which adjusts fill level,  now turned right down and if that doesnt fix it i can put a valve in line.   A lot easier than ripping the darn'd  thing out

Thanks all

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On 3/21/2018 at 22:19, man1nvan said:

Ok

Our new boat has a Tecma macerator bog.  We have always had cassette type before.

On about two flushes a day it is emptying the fresh water tank into the black water tank and we have to pump it out then refill fresh water ever 6 days. It seems to use a collossal amount of water.

Is there something wrong here, can you adjust the amount of water it uses?  Or is this just what they are like?

The fresh water tank is a similar size to our old boat and a tankfull would normally last us 3 weeks of normal use.  

I wonder if fresh water is leaking steadily into the pan? Does the macerator burst into life of its own accord?

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  • 2 weeks later...
3 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Because of this thread I checked with monsieur google and find that my stoooooopid maceraterising bog uses a gallon of water for two flushes :banghead:

Crikey, that's 5 metric pints a go! Surely it's adjustable? 

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6 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Crikey, that's 5 metric pints a go! Surely it's adjustable? 

2.2 to be precise but you know me. Its a sani jobby obviously not fitted by me. I googled and found it but it says nowt about being adjustable for this model anyway :banghead:

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2 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

2.2 to be precise but you know me. Its a sani jobby obviously not fitted by me. I googled and found it but it says nowt about being adjustable for this model anyway :banghead:

Maybe you should consider getting a composting loo that uses no water :P

 

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On 21/03/2018 at 22:19, man1nvan said:

Ok

Our new boat has a Tecma macerator bog.  We have always had cassette type before.

On about two flushes a day it is emptying the fresh water tank into the black water tank and we have to pump it out then refill fresh water ever 6 days. It seems to use a collossal amount of water.

Is there something wrong here, can you adjust the amount of water it uses?  Or is this just what they are like?

The fresh water tank is a similar size to our old boat and a tankfull would normally last us 3 weeks of normal use.  

I have a Tecma and you adjust the knob on the control unit so it fills to about 1/2" above the outlet hole. This equates to about 2 litres of water /flush. It sounds like you have a faulty control unit or an excessively high output water pump. What level in the bowl have you got after it fills ? The control box is only a simple 2 stage timer and has 2 relays switching the inlet water valve and macerator motor. If you turn off the water and operate the Tecma you should be able to hear the relays click on/off  in sequence. I suggest you turn the knob fully towards the minus arrow and operate the bog, you should get little or no water in the bowl, then gradually increase setting until it fills just above the outlet hole. If this doesn't happen then it is probably a faulty control unit.

Edited by Flyboy
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On 08/04/2018 at 11:04, Flyboy said:

I have a Tecma and you adjust the knob on the control unit so it fills to about 1/2" above the outlet hole. This equates to about 2 litres of water /flush. It sounds like you have a faulty control unit or an excessively high output water pump. What level in the bowl have you got after it fills ? The control box is only a simple 2 stage timer and has 2 relays switching the inlet water valve and macerator motor. If you turn off the water and operate the Tecma you should be able to hear the relays click on/off  in sequence. I suggest you turn the knob fully towards the minus arrow and operate the bog, you should get little or no water in the bowl, then gradually increase setting until it fills just above the outlet hole. If this doesn't happen then it is probably a faulty control unit.

thanks .  boat is in the yard at the moment ..... tank full :-(   i can try it as soon as i can get pumped out

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  • 2 months later...

Just thought I would update

 

The tips were good,  I got the water consumption down to something reasonable so thanks for the advice.

 

Then the muncher pump packed up.  I managed to fix it but I ended up taking the whole shooting match out and replacing it with a cassette,  no more anxiety about whether it is going to flush or not ?

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13 minutes ago, man1nvan said:

The tips were good,  I got the water consumption down to something reasonable so thanks for the advice.

 

Then the muncher pump packed up. 

The two events could be linked.

 

We used to have a waste disposal system under the sink - it made horrendous grawnching noises that sounded like it was going to explode, (unless sufficient water was run down whilst it was 'grunching')

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Oh dear, it's gonna be a lonely, albeit frequent walk with your new potty, matey. You see, this is a really decisive subject so potty people will have read the original post hoping to find your macerator had exploded covering you and the entire boat with unripened fertilizer, so they could enjoy your dilemma and feel smug about their own choice. When that wasn't the case, they marked you down as a pumper and so you're already fresh out with the potties and they won't revisit this thread since there was no dung related catastrophe involved. Meanwhile, you'd gained some kudos with the pumpers for not only being one, but also being willing to roll up your sleeves - they admired you, even if only from a safe distance.  Now, however, you're a turncoat to the pumpers so they think you're the worst kind of potty, and the potties think you're not only a pumper, but probably a smelly one too!

 

You're in a dark place.  I advise you post something about an encounter in a sanitary station to let the potties know you're no longer a pumper and try to curry some favour with your new cadre.  Good luck!  

 

;)

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1 hour ago, man1nvan said:

Just thought I would update

 

The tips were good,  I got the water consumption down to something reasonable so thanks for the advice.

 

Then the muncher pump packed up.  I managed to fix it but I ended up taking the whole shooting match out and replacing it with a cassette,  no more anxiety about whether it is going to flush or not ?

First class and sensible result. You will never again have a problem and when people mention having to walk down the towpath ( sea dog :D) with the cassette to empty it just inform them you can pull your boat up close to the elsan point just as you do with a crappy pumpout machine but the difference is you can never carry your boat to a pumpout machine if you need to.

Well done that man ?

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