1972 grey water bypasses the holding tank

[aaryno]

so... how does this work, the grey water just fills up the pipe until you open the drain plug?

[aaryno]

Originally Posted by aaryno

Attachment 392846

so... how does this work, the grey water just fills up the pipe until you open the drain plug?

ok now having read some of the many topics on this, yes, they great water system just dumps on the ground. some people open the black tank valve and use a solid terminator cap but when you dump, the poop shoot will be full of waste even which has to be caught in a bucket. yuck. as it is, we are removing the toilet and going composting so we may just do that.

[1972]

I added a valve to the gray water so I can remove the cap water free when hooking up the hose but the shower pipe only holds 1 gallon before backing up ! Good luck finding the right adaptor I think a external tank is the short answer . I’m doing a redo of my 72 argosy fo that Reason

[dbj216]

Around 1975 the RV industry agreed to add a grey water tank to their rigs. Many older vintage rigs were not built with a grey water tank. Almost all parks and commercial RV parks do not allow dumping of grey water on the ground.

The easy solution is a portable tank to hook up and drain grey water into. They you wheel it over to a dump site and drain the tank. Blue boy is one such tank.

The hard solution is adding a grey water tank to your trailer. I've done this to my former 66 Trade WInd, my 75 Overlander, and just did it to our 69 Globe Trotter. The tank costs about $250 shipped, the the labor cost is big, but I work for free.

Composting toilets aren't a panacea. You still have the urine container to dump in someone else's toilet, and you still have a bag of "compost" to dump. The waste doesn't just magically disappear.

So as you renovate your Sovereign, give serious thought to upgrading your waste water system. It will pay back handsomely.

David

[Minno]

Airstream added grey water holding tanks starting in their '73s, so that year models may or may not have grey water tanks. We added 2 grey tanks to our '72 that my hubby built, ganged together. Prior to grey tanks, grey water was dumped on the ground. Not politically or legally correct nowadays. Some states have very strict laws! If you're going with a composting toilet, you could potentially convert your black tank to a grey, but it will be smaller than a conventional grey tank. You will always have more grey than black water unless you never use the sinks!



Kay

[aaryno]

thinking about a separate grey tank - i haven’t taken the floor up and had not yet wanted to. could i just bring up the floor in the bathroom (the plastics are kind of a brittle mess
back there and a PO brutally dismantled the shower and used about a gallon of brown silicon adhesive and two dozen machine screws(!) to put it back together... if i did, what would the recommended setup for adding the grey tank? i have no idea how large the black tank is or what it’s span is in two dimensions. i saw the freshwater tank is pinned under a cross member. is there a place in the back that would fit another tank between frame crossbars? you know this already but in case it helps, it’s a 72 sovereign, twin rear bath.

ps. dave, my wife has seen some
of the photos of the polished airstream from your friend and wants me to do that too(!)

[aaryno]

ok now i see the photos you posted. both tanks sit between crossbars, resting on the frame on either side. i’m supposing i would have to remove floor all the way up to the closets - maybe even to the wheels?

[Argosy man]

Dave is correct on the Blue external gray water tank. It is the only way to deal with this without major modifications.

On our 1973 Argosy- we hook up the sewer line to the trailer and the blue tank, and close the black water valve. We then have approx. 20gal capacity gray water and the 10 gallon black water tank in the trailer. When camping is complete; we just attach the blue tank to a hook I have installed on the back of the bumper and haul it to the dump (sewer) tanks- dump the blue tank first, then open the valve and rinse the black water tank.

Of course an installed gray water tank would be more convenient- but we arent going for the major modification of the trailer- and we are used to it now

Good Luck
Shawn

[dbj216]

Morning arryno: Installing tanks is from the bottom of the trailer. No need to remove subfloor, except where it is rotted. The belly pan is removed, the old insulation is removed, the frame is inspected and repaired if needed, and the new tanks are installed with adequate supports.

Here is a photo of a 35 gallon black tank I installed under the rear of my Overlander. I went with a larger tank as I am draining the vanity sink into it also. See photo. I installed a 30 gallon grey tank in the next frame bay forward in the Overlander. It was a big project sure, but I had rear end separation and considerable frame repairs to make. The original grey tank in my Overlander was maybe 15 gallons. A bunch inadequate unless hooked up to a sewer line. See photo of original tanks I took out of the Overlander.

David

[aaryno]

Originally Posted by dbj216

Morning arryno: Installing tanks is from the bottom of the trailer. No need to remove subfloor, except where it is rotted. The belly pan is removed, the old insulation is removed, the frame is inspected and repaired if needed, and the new tanks are installed with adequate supports.

Here is a photo of a 35 gallon black tank I installed under the rear of my Overlander. I went with a larger tank as I am draining the vanity sink into it also. See photo. I installed a 30 gallon grey tank in the next frame bay forward in the Overlander. It was a big project sure, but I had rear end separation and considerable frame repairs to make. The original grey tank in my Overlander was maybe 15 gallons. A bunch inadequate unless hooked up to a sewer line. See photo of original tanks I took out of the Overlander.

David

interesting. at this point it will be just as easy to install a grey tank later as it would be to install it now, which is the good news. i’ve read about rear end separation and i don’t get it when i jump on the back bumper but the subfloor is definitely completely rotten across the back end. when i saw the 74 overlander reno superstar’s subfloor photo i saw it looks exactly what mine probably looks like in the back (https://www.airforums.com/forums/att...7&d=1609093751). i’m inclined to go with the tote and still unsure about the composting toilet right now. could use that money in the electric...

[Minno]

We THINK our original black water tank was about 19 gallons, we increased it a little when we rebuilt the tank. Our bathroom sink also drains into the black tank. We needed that liquid to prevent the black tank "volcano". We put the new tanks into place from underneath after replacing the entire subfloor. Our grey tanks are on top of the axles and in front of the axles (one each). If you go with a black tank, you will want it directly underneath the toilet. Grey tanks can go wherever there's room. We also have a rear bath 31ft. Sovereign...


Kay

[dbj216]

I have to mention that adding a grey tank also involves new drain plumbing lines and connections to the new tank. Usually the cabinets over the drain lines are removed to do this. Your tub drains maybe to the rear of the trailer, but the new drain may very well be toward the wardrobe. So out comes the tub, and out comes the wardrobe. The whole grey tank project depends on what else you are planning on doing with your trailer.

I don't like all the subfloor penetrations Airstream made in the plywood subfloor at the rear of the trailer. Goodness, there are vent lines, low point drains, dump valves and other items going through the plywood floor. This weakens the floor and exposes more "end grains" for moisture. The rear subfloor it tied to the rear body mount, so it is an important part of the structural strength of the trailer.

Fixing your rear subfloor is an important project.

David