I have guests staying in my Foretravel while it is parked at my house.
In order to solve the waste water problem I bought a macerator pump to pump the sewage through a 3/4" garden hose out to my home sewer system. This system works GREAT!
My problem is the Valterra to Thetford adapter that I need to mount the pump at the end of my Foretravel sewer outlet.
The Valterra part is NOT what I would call a HD part. Even when just using the adapter for the normal sewer hose connection I have had the flimsy plastic attachment hooks break off, plus the gaskets always fall out and the adapter leaks. With the addition of the weight of the macerator pump (braced on the end to relieve weight) the extra leverage when putting it on and off breaks the plastic coupler hooks.
I looked to see if any other manufacturer other than Valterra makes an adapter but it seems Valterra has a lock on the market. I considered gluing the adapter on the thetford outlet but hesitate to permanently glue the cheaply made adapter to the coach.
Anybody found a good solution for the adapter, THANKS.
How about a short hose connection to the macerator?
Cut off the Thetford fitting and glue on a Valterra fitting. It's a pretty easy change.
I added a third valve and all fittings are Valterra style.
Another option is to install the Drain Master fitting. My understanding is that it is a good fitting. It will require the expensive Drain Master hose. The hose is very good. I have the Polychute hose, which is like a Drain Master, but has Valterra fittings. I found out a couple of weeks ago that Polychute is out of business. I called the number for Polychute and a woman answered. She explained that her husband had died and Polychute folded. They sold remaining parts to Drain Master. Drain Master was able to supply the o-rings I need for my Polychute hose.
I believe that Drainmaster is now owned by Lippert technologies. They are even carrying them at CW now.
Don
You're right, the adapter is not up to the job. I got an extra Thetford connector and glued the Valterra adapter to it. Simple solution and works fine.
Sounds like a great idea. Let me get this straight though.
You bought a Thetford extender that attaches straight to the original Thetford drain. You permanently glued the Valterra adapter to it. This way if the valterra fails you can just build another without damage to the original Thetford outlet.
Where did you purchase the Thetford part?
THANKS!
My suggestion was to cut the sewer pipe just above the OEM Thetford connector. Glue a Valterra fitting to the sewer pipe. If you are adapting to Valterra fittings, I suggested that you quit using the Thetford connector and adaptor. Put a Valterra fitting on the sewer pipe as a replacement for the Thetford fitting..
I've never experienced a failure of the Valterra fitting on the end of the sewer pipe. I have had the "ears" fail on Valterra caps fail. I've also had the o-rings slip out of place. Those are relatively easy and cheap to fix or replace.
I offer best wishes for a satisfactory solution that works for you. When you find the best solution that works for you, share it here. The sharing of solutions is one benefit of this great forum.
Yes, I just glued the Valterra adapter to the Thetford. By gluing it, the stress is transferred to the Thetford attachment arms and since that's the weakest part of the Valterra the chance of failure is reduced.
You can get the Thetford adapter on Amazon, but I've also seen it carried by parts at large RV repair shops. Google "Thetford 01665"
Thetford 01665 - Google Search (http://www.google.com/search?q=Thetford+01665&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&ie=&oe=&gws_rd=ssl)
Also there are several different types of adapters. Google "Thetford to Valterra adapter"
Same thing, cut off the Thetford and glued on the Valterra. Clear third valve Valterra works great. Has a hose connection on it.
Keep it simple, make a short sewer hose for use between the Foretravel fitting and the pump. That is how we always connect our macerator. Black tank valve is only open and macerator run periodically when holding tank is near full, so it is not used all the time.
A 3/4" macerator output hose or even better (& lots cheaper) a larger diameter length of PVC pipe will speed things up. Connect to the ends of the PVC with flexible hoses.
What kind of glue did you use?
I think it was a two part epoxy that works on plastics. I tried it out first on a outside area and it held great.
The correct glue is Oatey ABS, 5 bucks at Lowes.
I would not bother with primer, there is no pressure to worry about.