Pump Details: The Modern Macerator

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Pump Details: The Modern Macerator

Most of the macerators that PS looked at for this test used a variation of the centrifugal pump/macerator design introduced by Tecma in the 1990s.

1. Spinning vanes on the Thetford-Tecma Silence’s convex macerator impeller sling emulsified liquid to the outside of the pump body.

2. Heavier material is broken down as it is forced past metal blades in a center of the macerator body of the Thetford-Tecma Silence.

3. The bronze macerator on the Raritan Atlantes was the most robust in our test group.

4. The closely spaced stainless-steel blades on the Dometic macerator do an excellent job of cutting up waste so that it can be passed into the holding tank.

Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Supported entirely by subscribers, Practical Sailor accepts no advertising. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him by email at practicalsailor@belvoir.com.