23 solitude 391DL Tanks???

[joey185]

So it appears our rear bathroom sink, shower and toilet all share the black tank. Found out the hard way we have a black tank in the front and a gray tank in front. We have a black tank in the rear and a gray tank in the rear, but the rear gray tank doesn’t seem to do anything, we do have the washer and dryer, the dealership thought that maybe it drains into it, so far nothing has drained out of that gray tank when I pull the handle, why in the world would the shower and the toilet share the black tank is this right?
thanks

[howson]

joey185

The sink and shower should drain to the gray. The toilet to the black. If this isn't the way your trailer is configured it's wrong (IMO).

Howard

P.S. Info above based on (sometimes inaccurate due to production changes) drawings provided to the Moderators by GDRV.

[joey185]

It seems wrong, but now I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about it. The trailer was towed to a permanent spot for us for full-time living..

[joey185]

joey185

The sink and shower should drain to the gray. The toilet to the black. If this isn't the way your trailer is configured it's wrong (IMO).

Howard

P.S. Info above based on (sometimes inaccurate due to production changes) drawings provided to the Moderators by GDRV.

So I was just told it is right. Very disappointing. The washer drains to the rear gray tank as does the rear sink the rear toilet and the rear shower are both connected to the black tank.

[howson]

So I was just told it is right. Very disappointing. The washer drains to the rear gray tank as does the rear sink the rear toilet and the rear shower are both connected to the black tank.

Who told you? GD? Pull down a corner of the coroplast to physically verify there's two tanks in the rear. If there are two...what you were told is not accurate. if there's only one tank, then that's "normal" for a rear bathroom.

[joey185]

Who told you? GD? Pull down a corner of the coroplast to physically verify there's two tanks in the rear. If there are two...what you were told is not accurate. if there's only one tank, then that's "normal" for a rear bathroom.

Yes, GD. 2 tanks. They said the thought was that a washer could fill up a gray tank too fast and so that’s why it goes to the rear. The only thing sharing it is the rear sink. I then spent yesterday afternoon trying everything out to see what comes out and they were right. When the washer drains it comes out that rear grey tank and when the rear sink drains it comes out that same tank. I’m really wondering if we can get away with leaving the black valve open Permanently since the shower is sharing it with the toilet I guess that’s an experiment will have to do to see whether or not we develop a pyramid .💩

[Cate&Rob]

Leaving a black tank gate valve open will make a pyramid guaranteed, even if a shower also drains into it.

Rob

[howson]

Yes, GD. 2 tanks. They said the thought was that a washer could fill up a gray tank too fast and so that’s why it goes to the rear. The only thing sharing it is the rear sink. I then spent yesterday afternoon trying everything out to see what comes out and they were right. When the washer drains it comes out that rear grey tank and when the rear sink drains it comes out that same tank. I’m really wondering if we can get away with leaving the black valve open Permanently since the shower is sharing it with the toilet I guess that’s an experiment will have to do to see whether or not we develop a pyramid .💩

As my fellow moderator stated, leaving it open will definitely cause an issue. Use as intended and designed by GD. (I don't agree with the shower draining into the black tank either, but surprising I wasn't consulted prior to the design and manufacture of your unit.) /sarcasm

Howard

[joey185]

Upon further discovery, the only thing draining into the rear grey tank is the rear bathroom sink? This is crazy and beyond frustrating. I have to pull the black valve everyday. 2 boys back there taking showers and it's full. Trying to find out if this is even legal or to code to have a rear shower plumbed to a Black tank? On a funnier side of this I think that it would take about a year for the grey tank to fill up.

[howson]

Trying to find out if this is even legal or to code to have a rear shower plumbed to a Black tank?

It's not uncommon to have a combined black/gray tank. There's nothing, to my knowledge, that makes it "illegal". It all flushes out to the same sewer line eventually. (There's a Seinfeld joke in there somewhere...)

I completely agree that it's not the best setup, and if it was mine I'd be looking at what was needed to combine the tanks.

After looking at the drawing again, what might work is using a Valterra T58 Twist on gate valve as it appears that the gray and black tank share a single dump line. Not a normal thing to do with a black tank..but it might work.

What I'd try as an experiment is adding 5 gallons of water to the (empty) gray tank AND 5 gallons of water to the (empty) black tank. With the Valterra valve installed (and the Valterra valve obviously closed) is open the gray and black gate valves so the two tanks equalize. As the black fills up from the shower the tanks will continue to equalize.

WARNING: I highly suggest a test using nothing but fresh water in this configuration as I'm unsure where the overflow will show up once the tanks are full (out the sink? shower? not sure).

Heck, if it works you could add a permanent extra valve in addition to the Valterra in the drain line for peace of mind. It's not hard to add a valve in the drain line. See https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...-lines-315rlts

Howard

[joey185]

WARNING: I highly suggest a test using nothing but fresh water in this configuration as I'm unsure where the overflow will show up once the tanks are full (out the sink? shower? not sure).

So if Im understanding you. You think that I could double my capacity by trying what you suggested?

[howson]

So if Im understanding you. You think that I could double my capacity by trying what you suggested?

Depends on how one looks at it--what I'm suggesting will allow full utilization of the trailer's rear tanks before needing to dump (not really "doubling" the capacity).

Equalizing tanks is a frequent strategy used by boondockers in rigs that have multiple gray tanks. For example, my 315RLTS has three gray tanks. By having the extra (Valterra) valve at the dump exit, by leaving that valve closed I can open the three OEM-provided gray valves and the tanks will equalize their levels via gravity. As with your rig, my shower tank fills up much faster than the kitchen and washer tanks.

To repeat--equalizing is not something normally done when there's a black tank involved, but if our places were reversed it is what I would test to see if it would work since the black tank in your rig appears to be filled with mostly shower water.

To make sure there's understanding, please watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSagjLjB7YI

Howard

[joey185]

Ah, Okay. Thank you. This will help if it works for now. I think at some point soon I am going to remove the bottom back there and see how hard it would be to get it to the grey tank. Thanks again.

[gDanColeman]

This thread made me think deeply about this subject. I am wondering if a black tank were "equalized" with a gray water tank if there would be a new problem with odor. The toilet has a valve that opens during a flush and then a small amount of water is placed into the bowl to prevent odors from entering the living area. However, a shower has no such valve. The shower drain is always open to the tank, and therefore, if the two tanks were to be combined, there would be no valve on the shower drain to prevent odor from entering the camper. Wouldn't this create a whole new set of problems? I see a huge advantage in combining the two tanks for greater capacity, but I am seriously concerned that an open vent into the camper via the shower drain could be a serious issue. Let's share our thoughts on this. Thanks

[Country Campers]

gDanColeman

All drains in the RV will either have a regular p-trap or what is called a hepvo valve, which is a rubbery type valve that allows only one way flow.

Brian