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RE: Gray and Black water tanks

Started by MtnCamper, Apr 03, 2003, 08:37 AM

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jackgoesthepopup

 Our new camper is the first one we have ever owned that has waste water storage tanks. The other camper used a porta pody. Both of the tanks were cracked and broken around where the drain pipe comes out of them. I had to repair the drain lines. This was a pain but i got it fixed. Now between the 2 tank is a line that has the 2 gate valves and then there is a tee that then goes to 3 inch line that hooks on to the sewer line. My question is and I have read that the proper way to drain the tanks is to open the black taank first. and let it drain .Then open the geray tank line and let the water from the gray tank help flush out the black tank. I was thinking and this is when i usually get in trouble. {don t tell Linda i said that.}.If you leave the valve open to the black tank when the water from the gray tank is released it will flow in the black tank and then on the return flow couldn t  solid waste flow back into the gray tank. Sense i am going to replace all the piping I was wondering if it would not be better to keep the drains seperate and but a clean out on the tank so i could flush it that way. I think it would be more sanatary. If you didn t do it this way why have 2 separate tanks.
 

MtnCamper

 jackgoesthepopupTim, I think since the BW tank is all ready open and draining, when you open the valve to the GW tank, it s just flows in, no  pressure is involved. The water level wouldn t get high enough to back-flow into the GW tank. Does the hose go into the top of the BW tank, or the bottom? If it s the top of it, I wouldn t worry. If it s the bottom of the tank, I would rinse it separate. But that may involve dragging a hose into the bathroom.[: (] Or you could add a inlet for the hose separately into the BW tank. Is there a way to just add water to the BW tank only, from outside the TT?

campingboaters

 jackgoesthepopupIf it s anything like the setup on our hybrid, there are two valves - one for the black water and one for the grey.  We open the black water first until that tank drains.  Then we close the black tank valve and drain the grey water to rinse out the hose, not the black tank.
 
 If you want to rinse out the black tank, you need to put water down your toilet to fill the tank or get one of those backwash thing-a-ma-jigs.  http://www.campingworld.com/browse/skus/index.cfm?skunum=20522
 
 Also, you should not just leave the valves open when camping, because the tanks would not drain properly.  The drain system counts on the gravity of all the water to get things flowing and remain flowing.  Only drain the tanks when they are over half full - if possible.  We run water into ours to get them near full so we can drain them before leaving the campsite.
 
 

jackgoesthepopup

 jackgoesthepopupWhen i first hooke water up to the trailer to see how bad the plumbing would be. Only had 3 leaks .One was on the toilet flush valve. Thats sprayed water all over the wall. At first i though the damage to the wall behind yhe toilet was from the window leaking. Nope from the toilet spraying water on the wall.  Took the toilet to waok and fixed it. Now no leaks there anymore. But both gray and black tanks were not holding water the drains lines were craked and just setting inside the tanks.  When we bought  the trailer i asked teh dealer if both tanks held water and he said yes. I guess he didn t understand me. I gues he thought i ment does the watrer go into the tanks and that answer is yes . But it also comes out as fast as it comes in. And i have looked at the price of replacemwent tanks.  Talk about sticker shock. I am really thinking about makeing replacement tanks out of stainless steel. and getting rid of those ABS plactic drain lines and replacing them with copper. I can t stand plastic pipe. The piping in our trailer is polyproperlene hose which i believe was banned by the federal government.  Next fall I may repipe the trailer with copper piping also and put some drains to make it easier to drain and set up for winter storage.