First Trip & Grey Water Issue

[RichHog]

Originally Posted by bike_addict

Well last Thursday I dropped my trailer off at Bob Jones RV Repair here in Houston. After meeting them and speaking to them I was very confident that I was at the right place. It definitely helped that when I pulled in I saw about 5 other AS in the lot, varying age models. Took a tour and they had various projects going on with them from complete restorations to skin repair. They were working on a skin repair when I was there. They were replacing a panel that was damaged during a blowout.

But they seemed very knowledgeable and made me very comfortable that they had the ability and very importantly the desire to get my problem figured out and fixed.

Hopefully I hear back from them tomorrow or Tuesday with a prognosis.

I had Bob Jones /Chris there do a lot of work on my 72 Tradewind. Good people and always treated me right.

[gtc6452]

Did this ever get resolved?

[bike_addict]

Yes thankfully it did. Funny thing is that they don't know what they did that worked. They blew out the vent pipe first thing and then never could duplicate my issue. And I've had the trailer out for a 5 day trip and had no problems. So we're working under the theory that something was in the vent pipe. And as Chris over at Bob Jones RV Repair said, "I'd rather be lucky than smart any day."

My monitor panel is still not accurate so we've still got address that.

[pattonsr]

Do you get any small water backup in the shower that quickly drains away when a sink full of water is released? If not, maybe the HepVo valve that was added is useful in that case.

[bike_addict]

No the valve seems to slow the flow down enough to prevent that.

[Gene]

Ronnie,

Glad to hear your water issue got solved. I just fixed something last week and have no idea what I did other than take it apart, scratch my head, and put it back together and it worked. Luck is a good thing.

So long as you're on warranty, you might as well get the tank monitor contacts cleaned and recalibrated, but they don't ever seem to work very well. My understanding is the wires are telephone wire and the contacts are the same as telephone jacks—pretty flimsy wire for something that moves. The contacts get dirty easily and need some protection, but other than wrapping some electrical tape around it, I don't know what else you can do. After a while, you'll be able to estimate what is in the tanks.

Gene

[fmr.capt.evi]

I was told at the factory to coat the contacts with dielectric grease.....not an easy task unless your black & gray sensors are exposed.

[Wingeezer]

I'd be very interested in knowing if the problem with water backing up into teh shower is limited to any particular years and/or models our trailer.


We generally camp with full hookups, but a couple of times when we have not had sewer hookup, we have been surprised how quickly our grey water tank fills in comparison to other SOB trailers we have owned. Our present trailer is a 2005 Classic 30.

It often seems we cannot go more than a couple of days - just two of use using the trailer and we try to use water very sparingly, especially for showers etc.

I always assumed that the AS must have smaller tanks than our previous trailers.

I have developed a few techniques to help us make better use of storage capacity, such as dumping sink wanter down the toilet into the black tank.

But now after reading some of the posts, I am starting to wonder if perhaps our grey water tank was not full when we thought it was. Our tank sensors have always been pretty much useless and so I just judge when the tanks are full by looking through an open toilet valve, and by keeping an eyo open for shower backup.



Brian

[Gene]

Brian, our experience is similar. We avoid showers when boondocking as sponge baths suffice. After all, we used to backpack for days without hot water and fluffy towels. We used a "sunshower" once—a bag of water that is supposed to get hot in the sun with a shower at the bottom. Not very effective and not hot. A sponge bath is luxury compared to that. The dreaded water back up in the shower is to be avoided, so we get very careful. Two nights boondocking means showers are possible, 3 maybe.

Gene

[Lily&Me]

We have had grey water back up into our shower a couple of times, when we have gone a bit too long boondocking without dumping. This problem seems to be exacerbated if you are even slightly not level.

We bought one of those sun showers last year, have yet to try it out but for on the dog, but intend to. I can handle a sponge bath, but still need to wash my hair every other day or so, being one of those whose head sweats at the mere mention of heat of any kind. Lukewarm water on the head should be tolerable, I'm thinkin'.

The best remedy for overfull holding tanks is still being very, very judicious in your use of water.


Maggie

[eleighj]

Originally Posted by pattonsr

Ronnie,

What dealer did you first take your 2012 FC to trying to find a solution? I did not know Houston had any dealers.

Barry

Barry:

Houston does not have a dealer anymore; it appears that both Camping World and Demontrond RV are no longer on the list per Airstream. Neither was that "great" when they were on the list.

Bob Jones RV repair in South Houston is excellent at repairing Airstreams; better than the ones I just mentioned.

Ed

[steve46]

This looks like an older topic--hopefully someone knowledgeable is still following. We have recently purchased a '93 Excella 30', that was essentially new--only used 3 times and the water never used. Our gray water tank monitor shows empty after I drain it, but fills very quickly--in less than one day only washing dishes, no showers--including into the shower where it will not drain back into the tank. I have some ideas from these posts, but wondered if anyone has experienced and solved this--I am open to any ideas. Thanks.

[Gene]

Steve, the problem may be with the monitor. They are notoriously inaccurate.

If you put a known volume of water into the grey water drain (kitchen sink or shower are the easiest, you can check what the monitor says. You can do the same with the fresh water tank if that monitor is wrong. The only sure way to know if the grey water tank is full is if it backs up into the shower.

Or you may have a blockage in the shower drain (hair, soap scum). Or both. If they never used the shower or any water, I can't imagine how anything would be blocked unless when it was built someone left something in the pipes.

Are you getting water on the ground under the trailer indicating a leak? I am sure seals in the system are dried out. The monitor may need to be recalibrated too.

Does water come up in the shower when you let water run into the kitchen or bathroom sinks? There could be an airlock, but usually the water slowly drains out. Some have a compensation device that lets air into the drain pipes so the water will run better; if that has locked in place, the drain cannot function. I don't know if they used those in '93. Or there may be a blockage in the soil stack (the round black vents on the roof; one is really close to the toilet) caused by paper wasps (mud dabbers) or some other creature.

Gene

[steve46]

Update--water does back up into the shower when draining the kitchen sink, but it goes down unless the tank is "apparently" full. When the grey water tank seems to be full--water backed up into shower does not eventually drain--I have drained both tanks. I did have seals replaced on both grey and black tanks and there is no leakage. My next step is to pour a known quantity of water into the grey tank via the sink or shower to see what it holds. I'd really like to get this solved so we can do other than FHU travel. Any ideas toward a solution are most welcome!