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Old 10-14-2012, 08:11 PM   #1
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Unhappy My grey water tank fills when I turn on city water

I bought a 2013 Classic Limited 30 Friday, and took it to a campground Saturday. I hooked everything up the same way I did my previous Forest River Wildwood 28RLSS trailer. When I turned on city water, the grey water tank filled and no water would come from any faucet. What am I overlooking?
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Old 10-14-2012, 08:17 PM   #2
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There is a check valve in the water pump to prevent that. Sounds like a warranty trip to the dealer for a new pump. I would think you'd get a dribble out of the faucets though.

Wait! gray tank or black. Are you hooked up to the black inlet or the white inlet in the outside compartment?
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Old 10-14-2012, 08:21 PM   #3
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I think you are hooked up to the black tank flusher.
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Old 10-14-2012, 09:13 PM   #4
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Welcome to the forums.
Sounds like you have hooked up to a tank flusher. Take a look at it in the light.
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Old 10-14-2012, 09:27 PM   #5
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Tank flush hook up. Been there done that. Just be grateful it didnt overflow through your shower and onto your floor!
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Old 10-15-2012, 12:34 AM   #6
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It's a real shame that dealers don't go through the unit and show the new owners how things work. Just sine here and it's yours. Good luck and thanks for the business.
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Old 10-15-2012, 04:37 AM   #7
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The dealer did do a walk through. I am hooked up to the city water. The Airstream guy showed me everything in that little compartment. I know the black tank flush is a white hookup on the left. There is a brass spigot with a red handle in the middle I assume for hooking up another hose to wash your feet, clean fish, etc. on the right to the side is the city water hookup with a short piece of hose to dangle out of a hole in the bottom of the compartment to hook up to city water. It is the grey water tank that is filling...or how is it labeled? Auxiliary holding tank? I think I am correct on this. There has to be a valve somewhere inside the trailer or a defective part. I did have the dealer install a t fitting for winterizing the trailer. That should have nothing to do with it. There is a white plastic valve by the water heater that I do not understand. It looks like the water would travel the same way regardless of the position of the valve. Help!

It did! I had told my wife before we left that she had too many towels. We used every single one to mop the floor.
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Old 10-15-2012, 05:04 AM   #8
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The only way I can think of for city water to go directly to the grey tank is if the city water is connected to the termination cap at the dump valve, and the valve itself is left open.
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Old 10-15-2012, 06:52 AM   #9
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You have it backwards. The white hookup on the left is the CITY WATER HOOKUP. The black hookup on the right is the BLACK TANK FLUSH HOOKUP. There is no gray tank flusher. Dealer told you WRONG! Main tank is black....Auxillary is gray.

There is no physical connection between the gray tank and supply plumbing except through the sink and shower drains. Additionaly, there is no connection between the black and gray tanks except if both release valves are open (then they would both fill equally while hooked up to the tank flusher) ORRRRRR, the black tank fills completely and fills up to the level in the vent stack and backflows into the gray tank. (IF this is the case...DON"T FLUSH THE TOILET...you'll have a nasty suprise.

I THINK your AS owner manual discusses thes labls and hookups.
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Old 10-15-2012, 08:08 AM   #10
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m.hony: suggestion, why don't you give the dealership a call this morning and double check your connection and valve locations with them. Airstream should maybe consider actually labeling all connections and valves. It might just help stop some of the confusion new owners have.
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Old 10-15-2012, 09:28 AM   #11
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Here is a pic of the hookups. On the left is the white city water hookup. It says "City Water" molded in the plastic flange. The Black tank flusher is around the corner and is black in color.

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Here is a pic of the valves. Unless they have your labels on reversed, the Main (black tank) is on the left. The Gray tank (Auxiliary is on the right.)

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Here is a pic of the Black tank label (Left one)

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Here is a pic of the Gray tank label (right one)

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Old 10-15-2012, 09:31 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m.hony View Post
It did! I had told my wife before we left that she had too many towels. We used every single one to mop the floor.

Up through the toilet??????
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Old 10-15-2012, 11:24 AM   #13
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M.Honey Please listen...

This is important.
You have connected your water to the "Main Tank" flush. just as dznfog is trying to tell you.
The fresh-water connection is the female connector with the white plug, the "white hook-up on the left" as you call it.
Please quit insisting that the dealer gave you correct information.
Some dealers don't know squat.
You must not use that hose for fresh water. It is now contaminated with fecal matter.
Your health and the health of your family depends on listening to what we are trying to tell you.
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Old 10-15-2012, 11:42 AM   #14
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I second all the above.

Before you do anything else, dump both of your waste tanks. You will have a disaster on your hands if you overflow your holding tanks by screwing around with this - the only place excess water can go is up through your shower drain and out on your bathroom floor.

Then go out and buy a new white fresh water hose. You can buy them at any home / garden center, walmart etc. Only get the white hose.

And from now on, only connect the white fresh water hose to the white city water inlet on your trailer.

The white fitting is colored that way to remind you of cleanliness - nice clean fresh water. Same goes with the hose.

The other fittings are black for a reason - as in black like poo.
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Old 10-15-2012, 12:24 PM   #15
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It seems there's still a question of why the black-tank flush system is filling the gray tank (and the OP says it's backup up through the shower drain, so definitely seems to be filling the gray.) Unless the dump valves are open with the sewer cap on tight, I don't see how the black-flush system would be putting water in the gray tank, or does it flush both holding tanks?
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Old 10-15-2012, 12:41 PM   #16
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From re-reading the above, I am not sure it's entirely clear that it's the grey tank that is filling. In my trailer, the grey and black tanks are not connected, except at the dump valves.

In any case I don't think it really matters - it's pretty clear he's connecting his city water supply to the wrong inlet on the trailer.
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Old 10-15-2012, 01:01 PM   #17
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I did the same thing before I caught it. I've since used a label maker to mark everything in plain english..black dump, gray dump, city water, black tank flush. I don't know why it 'isn't so' already.

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Old 10-15-2012, 01:03 PM   #18
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From the 2012 Classic owners manual on the airstream website...

Black Tank Flush
Inside the underbelly utility compartment is a water hose connector for the “black tank flush”. To use, hook up a hose and turn it on full force. Within the tank a head with multiple holes will spray the interior surface of the tank. A vacuum breaker and one-way valve is located inside the trailer above the exterior connection to prevent the black water from escaping to the hose connection. In most models this will place them under the lavatory.
The gate valve should be closed for the first couple of minutes, and then opened to let the water out in a rush. Close the gate valve and repeat as needed.
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Old 10-15-2012, 01:16 PM   #19
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Quote:
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From re-reading the above, I am not sure it's entirely clear that it's the grey tank that is filling. In my trailer, the grey and black tanks are not connected, except at the dump valves.

In any case I don't think it really matters - it's pretty clear he's connecting his city water supply to the wrong inlet on the trailer.
It could fill the gray tank, I believe ONLY after the black tank is full, toilet closed, and under city pressure back up into the gray/black tank SHARED vent stack and then flow down into the gray tank.....BUT the black tank would be over full as well as the gray tank full.

When both get full water could come out the shower drain....but if you try and flush the toilet, water will rush up into the bowl rapidly due to the head built up in the vent stack and some pressure in the black tank.
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Old 10-15-2012, 01:32 PM   #20
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That would make sense if the black and grey tanks are connected at a shared vent. In my trailer, a 1999, there are separate vents for black and grey, and no connections between the two tanks other than at the dump valves.

It would actually makes sense for Airstream to plumb this way, as part of adding a black tank flushing system - running the black tank flusher for too long would completely fill the black tank, which would then overflow into the grey tank, and then the grey tank would overflow into the shower stall, where you would see and smell the water. Better than the black tank just overflowing out of the top of the toilet - which would be a disastrous mess. But I have no idea if it actually works this way. I am sure someone here knows for sure.
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