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[Pax]

When the pinhole appeared in my hose I made a temp repair using a liquid type tape, let it dry and then applied another coat.  I then wrapped that with a bit of fusion tape.  It lasted a couple days before I could acquire a new hose.

 - Mike

[Barry-Sue]

Jim

Fusion tape is generally a self bonding, self fusing silicone/silicone rubber tape.  It is non sticky to the touch and needs no tools/heat to make it work.

[Bruce]

Update on the fix:
As Barry suggested previously, I called Thetford Customer Service today re the leaking hose.  All I needed to tell them besides describing the leak was to give them the serial number on the Twist-On unit that we have and the date we purchased the PC.  Since we are still within the one-year warranty period, they agreed to send us a new hose.
I call that great customer service!
--Bruce

[Jim Triplett]

I sent Thetford a email asking about a temporary emergency repair.  It is scary being out and have to dump and stuff squirting all over the place.  This is their reply:

"Well when the hose breaks or has holes in it we, as you said, suggest replacing the hose itself. But if you were looking for a temporary fix you can use any type of tape or glue that would stick to the hose. Personally, I would suggest using super glue or hot glue to seal it, if you were looking for tape I'd suggest duct tape or masking tape".

Kind Regards,
Consumer Service
Thetford Corp/Norcold Inc

[Bruce]

Ron,

The hose leaks seem to be happening at various points.  I found the leak in our hose about 5” inside of the storage bin in its relaxed state (about 12" from the end of the hose where it connects to the pump).  It was in the seam of the hose and looked like it had just split apart a little there.  That part of the hose would never make contact with the ground during normal operation even when it was fully extended.  So I’m thinking that it was a manufacturing defect that did not stand up to the pressure inflicted during dumping.  

Others have had punctures in the hose just outside of the storage bin.  The hose in ours goes through a hole in the end of the storage bin.  The hose is encased in a small plastic bushing there that protects it from the edge of the hole in the bin.  The plastic bushing is held in place at the end of the bin by two small screws--sheet metal ones with sharp pointed ends.  Some hoses have been punctured by contact with one or both of the sheet metal type screws.  While I was replacing our leaking hose I replaced the sheet metal screws with short machine screws and nuts that have no sharp points that could puncture the new hose.

I'll try to post two photos of ours:
One shows hose in storage bin going out to the pump.  Ours had a leak about 5" inside of the bin.
The other shows the hose coming out of the bin.  The sharp machine screws use to be on each side of the hose (where you might now see the machine screw heads).

--Bruce

[ron.dittmer]

Thanks for the pics and detailed explanation.  I know your situation better now, and will see if I have simply been "Lucky So Far".

[Bruce]

We've had no trouble with the macerator pump during this first year of owning our PC.  We had never owned an RV with one before and really appreciate having it now.

A nice feature with the way it is connected to the PC is that you can simply bypass the macerator if it were to fail to operate.  Just connect up a standard style sewer hose to what is known as the "emergency" dump valve at the rear of the coach and dump in the old fashioned gravity flow method. 

In fact, we carry a 15' hose to connect to dump gray water regularly when we're in an RV spot for more than a couple of days.  Since we only use it for gray water it never gets stinky in the storage bin.  Here is the one that we use:
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/rhinoflex-swivel-rv-sewer-kit/44151

When it's time to dump the black tank we just whip out the little macerator hose in place of the big one.  Love it!

Bruce and Sharon