Black water back up

[Ketchum]

Black water is backing up into the shower in our '73 Trade Wind Land Yacht and it's leaking badly out through the skin in that area too. When we put water into the black water tank to mix chemicals it holds just fine but when water comes through the drain it somehow backs up the blackwater.

Any ideas?

Bob
Spearfish, SD

[overlander63]

Welcome to the forums.
From what you describe, it sounds like:
1- you have a leaking dump valve, and
2- you are leaving the drain cap on the trailer.
Your trailer doesn't have a grey tank, so the black water would back up directly into the shower when the drain pipe fills.

[Ketchum]

I can't find a drain pipe other than the black water drain and the black water dump valve is broken so I can't leave that off. Is the gray water supposed to drain through that same drain?

[pepper48]

Look up your dump pipe. If there is a small diameter pipe coming into the larger pipe after the dump valve, you don't have a grey water tank. If you don't have a grey water tank, you must remove the drain cap on the dump pipe to allow the grey water to drain.

I have a wet bath model and had a problem with back up into the floor of my bath when traveling. I purchased a drain plug similar to those used on boats. I plug the shower drain, it's in the bathroom floor, and it solved the problem. Your shower drain is the lowest drain in your grey water system and any back up will usually occur there first.

[Tom Nugler]

You say that the black water dump vale is broken. Is it broken open or closed?
In the Globetrotter, also without a gray tank, both sinks and tub drain into the fitting where you attach the sewer hose. If the dump valve is closed what ever goes down the drain backs up into the tub that is the lowest open point above the collector. I did this the first few times after I first got the trailer. It looks worse than it is.
If you can open the dump valve the gray water will drain into the black tank.
Run fresh water down one of the sinks and close the valve if you can. This will make hooking up the sewer or Blue Boy a bit less nasty.
If the valve is stuck open then the tank may be full or obstructed. This is were things get messy.

Hope you find this helpful.
Tom.

[waltero]

If your 73 Land Yacht is similar to mine, you have no grey tank, supposedly 74 was the year for both (beginning), a local repair shop told me to alway keep a plug in the shower drain, that will keep the black water from backing up,,,,another strange thing, the grey water will, at times drain to the ground, depending on how you have hooked up your black water drain, and it apparently was designed to work this way....we always take a blue boy along, some places don't want the grey water draining on the ground, although some do, particularly the southeast where it has been so dry....

[Ketchum]

It is as you people say. I took the cap off and it works fine. I even found that the dump valve is working for the most part. It leaks a little bit but not too bad. I just need to find why it leaks at all.

Thanks everybody! I'm a newbie and I'm finding that I know even less as I go on.

Bob
Spearfish, SD

[DEITZ645]

Ketchum,
From the sounds of things, you need to update your profile..."Currently Looking..."

Gongrats on the trailer and getting a solution to your drain problem.

[Ketchum]

Good point! I'll do that right now!

Bob
Spearfish, SD