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The 2008 Roadtrek 210 Versatile -- Water System
By Ronald Boyd
The Fresh Water System consists of two Holding Tanks. One tank is located in the vehicle’s interior; the other
tank is located on the vehicle’s exterior. The purpose of the dual tank system is to provide a fresh water system
that can be used during moderate sub freezing conditions. The system, therefore, can function in either one of
two modes – I will call them, for the sake of simplicity, “Summer Use” or “Winter Use.”
Furthermore, this Roadtrek model is equipped with a water system that can be either completely self contained
or fully dependent on an outside source of water.
This Roadtrek model is, in addition, equipped with a Waste Water Storage and Dumping System that will
provide adequate and effective storage and dumping of waste water.
This Waste Water System consists of two waste water tanks; the Grey Waste Water Tank is for waste water
from the sink and Interior shower and the Black Waste Water Tank is for sewage from the toilet. Both tanks are
equipped with separate dump valves so that each may be dumped independently.
The Waste Water Dumping System uses a device called a Macerator to expel the fluid from the tanks.
Macerator Pumps are very compact and lend themselves to installations short on space. Matter to be discharged
passes through a bronze cutter which reduces the waste particle size, and is then pumped by the flexible
impeller pump, discharging through a 1" (25mm) hose. The macerator cutter will usually not handle rags, hard
objects, sanitary napkins, etc.
• Macerator pumps break up solids, which minimizes clogging. They can, also, be used to pump into a
holding tank.
• Less water is required for flushing with a macerator.
• Macerator pumps can require up to 10 or 15 amps of power and cannot be run dry
Macerator Pumps are designed to empty your holding tanks when fitted onto the plumbing in recreational
vehicles (and boats). The function of the pump is to suction the solids and liquids from the lines connected to
the holding tanks and grind the effluent with the rotating cutter head down to a small particle size for simple
discharge of the waste. Eliminating gravity as a method to empty the tanks allows the user to lift the waste to a
convenient receptacle either above or below the pump elevation.
Electric pumps can pump the waste from holding tanks and certain types of toilets. The term “macerator” refers
to the action of the pump that grinds the waste as it enters the inlet of the pump. Most Macerator Pumps are
self-priming, which means the pump will lift the waste solids and liquids up to the inlet of the pump and then
lift the discharge above the pump to empty into holding tanks. Macerator Pumps help prevent clogged lines due
to the function of grinding up the waste and smaller discharge lines are permissible once the solids are
macerated.
Typically, Macerator Pumps are not designed to be run dry of liquids. The impellers will wear and the pump’s
capacity to discharge the liquids will be lessened. The most advanced designed Macerator Pumps will
automatically shut off if the pump runs dry of liquids. This Roadtrek model does not have an Automatic Shut-
off.) The run dry protection is not designed to be used as a means to automatically shut off the pump. The 20-
second delay will, in fact, cause wear to the impeller of the pump.
