Shower problem

[jaminalee]

Hello all! I have a 23ft 1970 Land Yacht Safari and I've gotten a lot of work done to it. Just recently I discovered that my shower water is going into my black water tank.... Unfortunately I discovered this when some of the black water came up into my shower on the way to the dump station... I've tested it and it is definitely the shower water going into the black water tank.

First of all is this normal? Should the shower water be directed to the black water tank? Second of all, if it shouldn't be...

HELP ME! I'm having a hard time finding where I can get to the shower pipe so I can direct it to the grey water. ANY suggestions and insight is welcome please!

Do I need to take out the shower drain? If so what is the best way to do that?

Maybe this is a push bc I've wanted to re do the shower...

[Rich W]

Does it even have a gray water holding tank? Some of the older AS have only one tank for both, or so I've read here in the past.

[thesignlady]

you only have one tank...Here's your easy fix...

Shower Drain Plug

This strong expandable rubber plug prevents gray water from backing up into your shower. Unlike regular stoppers, it holds with mild to moderate back pressure. Whether you have a gray tank or not, this is a very valuable accessory to have on hand to save you a mess.

Many people store gear in their showers while traveling. Don't let your gray tank or pipes backup into your tub when you go up a mountain road.

It features a brass cam and plated steel hardware. It has a smooth rubber design and can quickly be installed or removed.

By turning the bass cam, it can be adjusted to fit openings from 1.63” to 1.82" diameter. It perfectly fits our 2" sink strainer (VTS-817) but does not work with the elongated shank version (VTS-819).

Description from the 1970 (pre gray-tank era) Wally Byam Store catalog:

"This unique Snap-Tite stopper lets you use the trailer drain pipe system as a limited, temporary holding tank for wash water. This is very important in certain state and national parks, or on other occasions when you have to park your trailer where you cannot drain off the refuse water. The snap-tite stopper is adjustable from 1-5/8" to 1-7/8" and prevents water or dust from backing up into tub or lavatory. Recommended for use by the Around The World Caravnanners."

[jaminalee]

Thank you for clarifying! I feel better about the shower being connected to the black tank. Although we do have a grey water tank that the previous owner put in, I thought maybe this was standard, but I guess he upgraded a bit.

After looking at it and testing it some more, I think the problem is that the drain is leaking possibly into the sub floor somewhere... Looking at it from underneath (after opening up the belly pan), it seems to be leaking somewhere between the inside shower drain and the bottom pipe that connects to the shower drain. When I ran water from the shower none of the main pipes underneath showed any leakage, but the subfloor was definitely wet. Does that make sense?

I will definitely get that plug for future use. But if you have any advice about fixing the drain and getting a drain out, please share. Thanks again!

[thesignlady]

I haven't had to pull the drain on mine but I am sure someone who has can pipe in with advice :-)

One totally unrelated but cool thing I learned recently that may or may not work with your model year is if you open the back bumper hatch, if you use a mirror to look up you can see the underside of your plywood subfloor to see what condition it is in. In my 69 I can see the plywood under the tub and it is prisine so I'm not touching that tub

[HiJoeSilver]

"After looking at it and testing it some more, I think the problem is that the drain is leaking possibly into the sub floor somewhere... Looking at it from underneath (after opening up the belly pan), it seems to be leaking somewhere between the inside shower drain and the bottom pipe that connects to the shower drain."

Makes sense, water may be leaking around the metal sealing ring on top of the drain between it and the shower pan. You'll need to unscrew the drain from below, may be difficult but be gentle so you don't crack the shower pan, put some plumbers putty between the top drain and shower pan, pull it back down and tighten it back down. 30-40 year old plumbers putty is prone to leak. Would result in the wet you're describing. Hope that makes sense.
If there's a p-trap under there, you may want to replace with a HEPVO trap, it stops the back flow, but backing up with a stopper wouldn't hurt.

[jaminalee]

Thanks for the advice! I was about to tear apart the bathroom! Unscrewing the drain from the bottom seems a much safer and cheaper way to fix it. I really did not want to have to replace the shower pan. Well, I actually would love a new bathroom, but at the moment it's out of my budget both financially and time wise. So I'm going to try fixing it from underneath and hope that is the problem!

Thanks again everybody

[TG Twinkie]

Do you know if the PO installed a dump valve for the grey water tank he installed? The grey and black tanks share the same outlet for dumping. There should be a dump valve for each (grey and black tanks). These should be kept closed until you are ready to dump a particular tank.
If the black tank requires dumping it should be dumped before the grey tank.
Where is the grey tank located?


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