How to drain gray 2 tank

[jwmontana]

I have two gray tanks and one gray tank drain lever, which drains gray tank one. This is a 2013 Montana 3402 rl. There is no information in the useless pile of crap owner's manual on how to dump gray 2. I have been underneath and see no other drain lever. The HORRIBLE dealer that we bought this from Don's RV in Modesto CA couldn't even show us how to drain our second gray water tank. I would appreciate any help on how to do this.

[bsmith0404]

Check and double check (I know you have so triple check), there should be a second drain valve handle. They are typically near the axle area. My guess is you have a slide on that side so it's probably up under the slide. They should make those handles florescent orange, for some reason they blend in and are very hard to see.

[B&T]

On a friends new to him Montana, Galley tank pull handle was missing. Had a devil of a time locating the small hole where the cable was located. Was near the wheels under the slide.

[Festus2]

There is also the possibility that not only is the pull handle missing but also the pull rod may have worked itself loose and has fallen off. The rod is threaded on one end and screwed into the valve assembly.
Like the previous posters have mentioned, there must be another pull handle, a rod without the handle or neither -- but there should be a small access to it all - somewhere.

[JRTJH]

Look on the sidewall of your trailer, just above the molding that joins the FILON to the aluminum skirting. Walk around your RV and carefully look in that area along the entire length of both sides. Somewhere, there's a little decal that says, "Gray Tank Drain"..... Once you find that, crawl under the RV and start looking in that area for the valve handle or for the "evidence" that it "was there"..... My guess is that it's there, tucked up next to the top of the frame rail which is black and it's a black handle. Mine simply looks like an extension of the frame components (until you pull on it) then it becomes the "missing handle"

There's a possibility that the decal has come off or was never placed on your sidewall, but it sure wouldn't hurt to doublecheck......

[bobbecky]

Your 2013 should be the same as our 2012. The galley drain pull is under the front of the rear-most slide on the road side of your rig. There should even be a label indicating the location of the pull, ours being on the outside wall of the rear slide, to the rear of the tires. You will find it easier with the slides out, and it is up underneath the edge of the wall, mounted through the frame. This is the one valve that should have been an electric controlled valve, but it is not hard to operate.

[jwmontana]

The black T handle was located on the frame just aft of the second tire on the driver's side. Thank you very much for your help with this problem. I hope that these posts will help others who have this problem. It is very unfortunate that Keystone does not give the slightest clue in the owner's manual as to how to dump the second gray tank.

[jwmontana]

I would like to thank all of you for your help in this matter. I would like to help others reading the forum that there is no information in the owner's manual as to how to dump the second gray tank. There is no label of any kind with regard to the location of the second gray tank T handle. On the 2013 Montana 3402RL the location of the 2 1/2" black T handle is aft of the second rear wheel on the driver's side on the outside of the frame. It is black on black, unlabeled and difficult to see.

[JRTJH]

jwmontana,

It's great that you got your tank situation resolved. Knowing where the dump valve handle is located is something that every owner should make a priority during the PDI before purchase. Unfortunately, most new buyers aren't aware of the things they should be asking and some (not all) dealerships could care less. That puts new owners in a position of having to search for answers that they should have already been provided. Let's not forget: Where's the water pump? Where's the Fresh Tank Drain? Where are the Low Point Drains? Where's the Light Switch? Just to name a few of the irritations we see every week on this forum.....

The issue of whether the responsibility should be with Keystone to put it in a manual or if it would be better managed to put the responsibility onto the dealership. Both can be argued as "best" depending on one's perspective. Apparently, the decision not to make a model specific owner's manual for every model they produce is the way that Keystone has decided is "best for the company".

I'm not sure if you're aware of the costs associated with producing a technical manual, but 20 years ago, when I was in the business of managing some military tech manual production, the cost was in excess of $100 a page. It didn't matter if the page was a diagram of component locations or a page of safety warnings and product cautions, it cost over $100 a page. That gets very expensive when you have 200+ models in the 27 lines of RV's currently being produced. With changes being made almost on a daily basis in one or more of the lines, trying to keep the manuals current is a "near impossibility".

Sure it would be nice to have a manual with all the information, but I'd rather have correct information provided by a competent dealership technician than to have incorrect and possibly dangerous information provided in a book that is outdated or even worse, thrown into the RV at the factory (or dealership) because the new manuals aren't yet printed and delivered.

It's a double edged sword, but one that's faced by all the manufacturers, not just Keystone. In fact, Airstream, a travel trailer line that starts with their smallest (cheapest model) at $42,000 and 16' long and their most popular model at $145,000 and 28' long both come with the same manual. The only significant difference is that the Airstream manual has a small 3 page section on each specific model that provides "model specific" information in the form of an electrical block diagram, plumbing block diagram and specifications as to weight, length, GVW, GAWR, etc. Even the Airstream manual doesn't discuss the specific location of things like dump valves, but they address these items as, "Your dealer will demonstrate....."

So, wishing for a model specific owner's manual is not something that's likely to be in the pipeline. It just costs too much to keep them current.

Thinking about it, maybe that's one of the reasons that automobiles that cost $2500 in 1960 now approach $60,000 ??? As owners, we "expect" and the manufacturers "deliver" (but at a cost)......

[bsmith0404]

Part of the problem also comes down to incompetent techs/salesmen. I was looking at one 5er, I'll leave the brand out, and the salesman was showing me the waterworks station and selling up how everything is located in one spot. I was standing back a few feet looking at a gray dump valve in front of the axles. I asked what that valve is for, he had no idea. I looked up underneath to see where it came from and explained it was the gally dump valve

[JRTJH]

Yup, That's what happens when you have the "expert" who is showing you the new RV you're interested in and his work history is: Selling cars last month, furniture last week and now RV's this week. Who knows if he'll be selling mobile homes next week or if he'll stick it out and maybe learn something about his product.....

[bsmith0404]

I'll be honest, part of the reason we bought the Alpine (wasn't the deciding factor) was because ALL of the sales people we spoke to at the dealership were VERY knowledgeable on their products. They knew each and every unit inside and out. They were not only familiar with the features, but the maintenance processes. I figured any dealer that took the time to make sure their sales reps understood the product (and they had multiple brands and manufacturers) is a quality dealer. The best part, they were very good at listening to the customer and showing them what you needed to see and speaking to the pros and cons of each based on your needs. We wanted to see each unit on the lot that fell into the size/price range of what we wanted. I was amazed when the salesman would tell what we would like and dislike about each one before we went into it based on what we said we wanted.....he nailed it on each one. When we did the PDI, it was with a service tech, but our salesman came out and did a final run through with us and hit all of the "important" parts again and helped us with the hook up and went through the 6 point leveling system one more time, including the hook up, unhooking, leveling, and re-hook up. Best dealership I have ever dealt with!

[Ken / Claudia]

Brent, my last purchase went that way also, salesman had been at the same dealer for about 20 years he said. Also when we(wife) found the floor plan she wanted, salesman showed us several of same model older years and explained and showed us what changes were made. I did not ask but, suspect that the dealer had the sales staff trained at or by Keystone. Any salesman can read the sales brochure but, like this guy, he new alot more about the models than was in print in the brochure. Thats who I want to buy from.

[bsmith0404]

Yep, and the best part, one of the guys used to work in the service department and recently moved to sales. It was nice to hear what he had to say. He was straight forward and didn't hold anything back. I've been around RVs all of my life and these guys never said a single word that made me think they were trying to BS me. They definitely want repeat business. I have to admit, when it comes time for the next RV, I'd be willing to travel cross country to buy there again....unless I can find a dealership as good local.

[SkiSmuggs]

My DW keeps telling me to read the manual and I keep telling her that it is very generic and has nothing specific to our RV. I look at the appliance and component manuals instead. It would be nice if they at least had a specific PDF for each model available for download.