Gray Water by-pass

[Joe Cannarozzi]

We have a 2 tank bus. Fresh and Holding. I would like to install a by-pass on the gray water drain pipe.

It would be helpful if I could get a picture from someone before I start for some ideas.

[dalej]

Tell us what setup you are looking for, I don't know what you mean by your question. A gray water by-pass?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Joe,

Does your black water to the tank ever join a gray water drain prior to the tank?

The black water line should go directly from the toilet to the top of the tank. The gray water from the lav sinks, kitchen sinks, and shower should come together and enter the tank as a single pipe. From that pipe which should enter the side or front of the tank to make the bypass easy you can tee straight down to a valve like the drain valves and then to the exit point which should be a hose connection.

I cannot get pictures to post but I can try to email some. Or you can wander over to North Chicago and see how they do it.

[Jerry Winchester]

Just take a page from the MangoMike Anaconda File and make everyone go use the porta potty. Then the whole tank is gray water and no bypass is needed. It almost worked for him until Manager Bill or Kitchen Guy Richard parked the log in his loo........

[truk4u]

Joe,

Why not just put a cap on your outlet that has the garden hose hookup and just attach a hose and leave the gray water valve open. I can get you a picture of the plastic truckster and this ingenious device if you like, cost about 5 bucks at camping world.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

No Jon the gray drain is separate form the toilet drain pipe, all the way in, two separate pipes.

The gray drain has a trap located in it in the plumbing bay and I believe it is there cause there is no room under the shower to put one there.

Should the bypass be before or after that trap? I'll go out on a limb and guess after cause if not there is an open avenue for bugs and whatever. I don't know if that is something critical or not I just want to do it correctly.

Terminating at a hose connection? That is a 2 in PVC drain pipe. How should that go? 2 into 4 then through the floor?

I have an electric over air solenoid that I removed from the stairwell cover when I made that independent from the door air lock.That will supply a pnewmatic actuator on the 2 in. guillotine and put the switch on the control panel for it.

My Bus 354.jpg
My Bus 359.jpg

Here is that bay with the panels removed The air dump for the holding tank, to the right, and the way they fabbed a piece of aluminum to accommodate the actuator and you can also see that trap in the gray drain it is the white pvc above the vac. I'm thinking of duplicating what they did for the 4 inch on a smaller scale for the 2 inch.

So before or after the trap?

Truk right now I don't even have a gray water valve, it terminates in the holding tank and there is no option.

[VegasDogMan]

Assume that the white Trap in your picture is the one you're referring to.

Here's my suggestion for Grey Bypass if you have the room...

Remove U section of trap and replace with a pair of 2" 90 degree elbows separated by a 2" tee with center of T attached to a section of PVC that is connected to a 2" dump valve.

With Dump valve closed greywater will fill pipes and flow into tank and system will operate normally.

With Dump valve open water will flow through dump valve to dump out on ground.


Hope this helps.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Just make sure there is a trap filled with water between the valve and the house devices.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Thanks guys. How about the hose hook up? Does yours go from 2 to 4 inch to accommodate that before it goes out the bottom, separate from the holding tank drain? Or does it stay 2 inch and tap into the holding tank drain pipe elbow after the dump valve but before going through the floor?

I'm thinkin the latter would be the way to go.

[jack14r]

Joe,mine goes from a 1" to a hose bib that I made so that in some situations I can hook up to a garden hose and run it 50 feet or so from the camper.This size seems to have adequate flow,but I don't shower,shave,.......,wash clothes,wash dishes all at the same time.