Single Black & Gray Water Drain Setup

Ratkity

Michigan_Mike said:

I read somewhere on an RV forum where some folks add a cup or more of vegetable oil in their BW tank to keep the seal lubricated.  Supposedly it works, but I'll wait on that one.  

If it's recycled oil from McDonalds, it'll smell like french fries. No deodorizer needed!

Dalehelman

Any hardware store on planet earth should have the a ASB pipe. Most  neighborhood Hwd stores will sell by the foot, and also cut the 2" prices you will need.

drpprmt

Why T@B ever came up with separate drain hose connections I don't understand.  I want to convert to one drain but am somewhat intimidated by the complexity.  I wonder if dealerships do this mod

Dalehelman

drpprmt said:

Why T@B ever came up with separate drain hose connections I don't understand.  I want to convert to one drain but am somewhat intimidated by the complexity.  I wonder if dealerships do this mod

It's really not that hard, and even if you made a mistake it's fixable. You only cut one 1 1/2 piece of gray water drain pipe everything else is bolted together or glued. I have done several and I am sure I could walk you through it. 

KBaggins1

If you look at the way we did it (pic on page 1), it can be done fairly easily. Maybe I did not explain it very well, but it can be done with a tee, some ABS pipe, two elbows and one new hose fitting and no new valve parts. Why cut off stuff if you can just glue to it ? And our setup is not any lower than the way the factory did it. Not any higher either and that seems to be the benefit of doing it the complicated way.

Dalehelman

Here is the set up I have been using.

KBaggins1

And that makes a nice tidy finished job.But if you do not want to disturb any of the existing plumbing and minimize the parts you need, just cut the nubs off the existing hose connectors and glue fittings to them.They are the exact size as standard ABS plumbing fittings and will not leak.The only tricky part is getting the length of the pipes right.Test fit using silicone spray or vaseline. When you get it all so it will fit put some sharpy marks or nail polish marks to show exact positioning when you glue it all together.The only part you won't find at most hardware stores is the ABS hose connector. Keep in mind that our T@B is a 2014 so maybe it is slightly different from newer models. Test fitting BEFORE cutting the nubs off the fittings will give you a rough idea wether this will work on a newer trailer. If it looks like it wont work, take the fittings back to the hardware store and get a refund. They will not take back a cut length of pipe.

Homebodyatheart

@Dalehelman having a single outlet made my first dumping experience even smoother! Thank you!

Verna

Every time I see this post, I thank @Dalehelman for his help!

Dalehelman

Verna said:

Every time I see this post, I thank @Dalehelman for his help!

  

dsatwork

Just did my Double RV valve mod and have a couple of technical notes I would like to add. This may be of help to anyone that is trying to tackle this job without @Dalehelman actually doing it for you. Of course when push came to shove, I private messaged Dale for a consult and of course he came through like the trooper he is, always available to help a Tabber in need.

What I found is that there are some differences in the Bristol and Valterra products that can create some incompatibilities and will affect the parts list you need. A Valeterra 3" Slip Fit will bolt up to the 3" Bristol waste valve. But the 1 1/2" Valterra parts are not compatible with the Bristol waste valve. So depending on the availbility of Bristol parts you may want to go my route and purchase a new Valterra waste valve and slip hub because they seem to be easier to  find. I got mine at Camping world but they were available at another trailer supply store when I couldn't find Bristol anywhere but online. This allowed me to complete the project the same day. I'm running out of time, because we leave for our Washington trip on Thursday. The only other comments I have is about the actual placement of the valve and the position. I didn't want to have my valve any lower than necessary for proper drainage. So, my valve is out a little further, which helps with access because of my tongue box and it"s off the ground about 1/2" higher. 



Final Position

Dalehelman

@dsatwork what part of Washington will you be visiting? Thanks for the kind words.

Ratkity

@datswork, I see you left the loop from the old double set up. Did this prevent more drop and potential scraping on the ground? Did you use another way to secure it? I couldn't quite tell. Thanks!

Homebodyatheart

@dsatwork you both are going to LOVE this mod! Please please please say you are coming through Eastern Washington, specifically the Spokane area? We'd love to meet you both! @ericnliz makes an awesome BBQ anything and we love to potluck, or if there are spaces we could camp at the Bowl and Pitcher, Riverside State Park. It's at the edge of town on the river, but you feel like you're miles away from home! Anyway, let us know if you are close and want to meet up. And yes, @Dalehelman is a great friend and resource!

Sandiegogal

Homebodyatheart said:

@dsatwork you both are going to LOVE this mod! Please please please say you are coming through Eastern Washington, specifically the Spokane area? We'd love to meet you both! @ericnliz makes an awesome BBQ anything and we love to potluck, or if there are spaces we could camp at the Bowl and Pitcher, Riverside State Park. It's at the edge of town on the river, but you feel like you're miles away from home! Anyway, let us know if you are close and want to meet up. And yes, @Dalehelman is a great friend and resource!

@Homebodyatheart and @Dalehelman ..answering for @dsatwork; we'll be heading to the Bellingham area to spend time with our daughter and SIL; Larrabee State Park specifically.  Would LOVE to meet you and pot luck with you all!! Perhaps next year we could do a loop around Eastern Washington first and then into B-ham to see the kids. David gets a pretty hefty amount of vacation time but we did a pretty long trip this May (Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore & Denver) so our vacation time is running thin right now.  I'm trying to convince David to retire at 63 so we'd only have 3 more years to be tethered to someone else's schedule!  We could then we can travel any time we want!  Also hoping to make the B-ham area our base once David retires, living there part of the year and traveling and living where our other daughter and her family are the other part of the year...you never know  

dsatwork

Ratkity said:

@datswork, I see you left the loop from the old double set up. Did this prevent more drop and potential scraping on the ground? Did you use another way to secure it? I couldn't quite tell. Thanks!

I didn't think any extra support for that pipe was needed.  It's a very solid connection to the frame.

I even had a selection of 1 1/2" angle pieces in my hand heading out the door. Because I'm sure you could make that angle. But thought better of it because if you bump the 3" side, you could dislodge the 1 1/2" pipe from its mounting position at the frame.  So I kept Dale's 1 1/2 rubber angle connector because it gives it a little flex, which I think is needed.

I'm not sure I understand your question about the height? It seems that @Dalehelman added the 22 1/2 degree elbow and points it pretty much straight down to get the necessary clearance that some models need. Mine did not need the extra clearance.

Ratkity

@datswork, you answered my question! Thank you. No needed extra support - cool. I meant drop - or ground to dump exit height. Seems all is perfect. Well done!

dsatwork

@Ratkity the funny thing is, although it's back about 6" to 8" further on the frame, I lost about 1/2" clearance compared to where the grey water was mounted. I think maybe the older models that have the pipe running closer to the frame actually works to their advantage. When you consider the overall clearance from the ground and the RV hookups that are sometimes set above the ground a little. It can sure make it challenging to get the drop needed for the hose to drain. I hate it when you have to massage the hose clear the water out. If that makes any since at all?

Ratkity

@dsatwork, yup makes sense. My toy hauler outlet is a combined one. I still have to bed over. It doesn't matter. I still have to massage the hose. If I make it long enough to be a straight line into the dump hole, the slinky would pull itself out of the dump *eep!*. I did buy better stinky slinkies that were stiffer. Still have to play snake to get everything flowing in the right direction. LOL.

Homebodyatheart

@Ratkity on my last outing for some crazy reason the easiest parking by the dump area was just enough downhill to be an issue. I'd never encountered this before, but I opened the valve, waited, then did the pick up the hose and walk it to the hole thing, with the open end stuffed way down the hole for good measure!. I learned a new skill! 

dsatwork

Homebodyatheart said:

@Ratkity on my last outing for some crazy reason the easiest parking by the dump area was just enough downhill to be an issue. I'd never encountered this before, but I opened the valve, waited, then did the pick up the hose and walk it to the hole thing, with the open end stuffed way down the hole for good measure!. I learned a new skill! 

I hate it when you have to do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ratkity

LOL @Homebodyatheart, BTDT! I should make t-shirts.. oh wait! A T@B/TAG University badge! "Interesting ways you've had to get your tanks to dump out everything"

dsatwork

Ratkity said:

LOL @Homebodyatheart, BTDT! I should make t-shirts.. oh wait! A T@B/TAG University badge! "Interesting ways you've had to get your tanks to dump out everything"

I don't want that badge

Ratkity

@dsatwork

Homebodyatheart

Heck @dsatwork and @Ratkity I earned that badge fair and square!  

seajeeper

My version of the single outlet

dsatwork

@seajeeper very clean setup...nice work.

ericnliz

@Homebodyatheart, Wear it with pride, 'ya MIGHT be the only one that wants THAT badge!
@Sandiegogal , @dsatwork , Let us know a little ahead of time when 'ya plan to stop by this way! Even if 'ya don't camp, I have a REALLY long driveway with electric & water hook-ups, and you're welcome any time. I'll fire up the ol' Pit barrel & we'll have us a party! 

Sandiegogal

That'd be great! @ericnliz...we'll let you know!

foxden

I have all of the parts to do the single black and gray water drain but I have a few questions before I get started.  Where do you cut the 1 1/2 inch pipe (how much do you leave attached to the gray water gate valve)?  What is the best way to cut the abs pipe?  Just a hacksaw?