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Old 11-27-2021, 04:53 AM   #1
derelekt
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Grey Water Tank Won't Drain

Second outing with new trailer. Grey water tank 1 worked fine the first time out. Daughter took a shower and water started backing up in it. I had opened the valve prior to everyone taking showers.

The valve feels fine and has resistance like it should. Black tank and Grey 2 drain fine.

Some slowly dribbles out as it is not standing in the shower anymore but our bathroom is out of order until resolved. Information I've found indicates blockage could be debris from construction. Some say back pressure is the way to go and others say to stay away from that.

Any thoughts or good resource recommendations?

Thanks in advance,
Derek
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Old 11-27-2021, 05:06 AM   #2
chuckster57
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If it is a blockage, I would bet it’s the “plug” from when they drilled the inlet or vent holes. Odds are it will not come out until you remove the valve and fish it out.

Good news if that’s what you can call it is, it’s gray water not black.
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Old 11-27-2021, 05:24 AM   #3
derelekt
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Ugh. Not sure I'm looking forward to an extra 400lbs of water for the trip back home. Disappointing to have this happen.

Does Keystone have quality control?

You're right though. At least it's "just" the grey water and not black.
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Old 11-27-2021, 05:27 AM   #4
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I bet every manufacturer has some QC, and I’ve seen this scenario in other brands as well.

If it’s a straight shot to the gray valve, you might be able to drain it using a snake and going in from the termination fitting. Have the dump hose handy to catch the drainage.
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Old 11-27-2021, 07:17 AM   #5
Ken / Claudia
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I will bet driving with or without water in that tank will not change anything including handling or mileage. I have done far to many travels with and without out tanks full and not noticed a single change. It may dislodge the debris.
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Old 11-27-2021, 08:02 AM   #6
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Derek, take a minute to put together a signature that will accompany your posts. Year/make/model of camper and same for tow vehicle. Makes answering have more context. Also, in my little 5th wheel, the tub fills to the black tank. There is a sure fire way to know if the black tank is over filled as water will back into the tub.
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Old 11-27-2021, 08:11 AM   #7
derelekt
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Oh, thank you Ken. That's good to know. I've always only pulled dry. Hopefully that will dislodge whatever it is.
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Old 11-27-2021, 08:12 AM   #8
derelekt
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Thank you George. Will do that.
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Old 11-27-2021, 09:31 AM   #9
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Just to "add up a few things":

You said that the first time you used the trailer, the gray tank worked fine.

You said that the next time, your daughter took a shower and the shower overflowed.

Questions: Did you empty the gray tank after the first trip? If you did, did anything flow out of the tank, or did you not notice?

Conclusions: It would "seem" that if the tank worked fine on the first trip, assuming more than one shower flowed into the tank, AND if the tank emptied properly after that trip, then the gray tank should not have "filled to overflowing" with one shower.... So, you may have towed after the first trip with a full gray tank and not known it was full, or you may have a new problem, likely some blockage from inside the tank, preventing it from emptying....

Possible remedy: I'd pull the gray tank handle and leave it open for at least 15-20 minutes and see if the gray tank drains. If it does, you've got a "slow tank" probably caused by debris blocking the valve exit. If it doesn't drain, the valve is likely not opening, meaning a probable cable/rod malfunction or a broken valve body.

If, after opening the valve, you can't determine if the tank is draining, you can lift the sewer hose above the drain outlet, about 3' from the trailer connection. If the tank is draining, water will pool in that "low spot in the sewer hose"... If nothing pools in the hose, then I'd carefully disconnect the sewer hose and see if anything is draining "from the trailer"... If nothing is draining, then a "carefully advanced snake" may reach the gray tank valve opening and push the debris out of the way. DO NOT STAND IN FRONT OF THE SEWER CONNECTION WHILE DOING THIS !!!!!

Once you get the tank flowing and empty, then I'd notify the dealership to have the problem fixed. It's easy enough for you to do in the driveway, but, if it's a new trailer, and if you aren't using it for a while, then it's up to you whether you want to pull the coroplast and fix it yourself or avoid the hassle and have the dealership attempt the repair... I say "Attempt" because, depending on your dealership, they may simply put 10 gallons of water in the tank and if it drains, tell you they couldn't duplicate the problem and send you on your way..... Yep, there are dealerships that will do that.....
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