Bolly1965 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 The Sink in our Herald Valencia is really slow to drain - is this normal? I have used washing soda and hot water to try and clear it - and clean the waste tank but it doesn't seem to drain any quicker. Any suggestions? We have only had the van a few weeks and it's always been slow to drain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Try putting a couple of teaspoons of bicarb down followed by a glug of vinegar, leave for about half an hour or so then pour on boiling water. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolly1965 Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Will give that a go - thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Have a look at the routing of the pipe from the sink down and then under the floor to the tank. You may find long horizontal runs or a contorted 'up and down' route in which case no amount of cleaning will resolve the problem. Also is the hose convoluted or smooth? Why do manufacturers use convoluted hose when smooth bore will flow much more freely and collect less crud? In this case it may be worth changing the hose and trying to improve the route at the same time. Just my thoughts, hopefully they will help. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 We have the same problem in our Autocruise Starfire. We use a system similar to that used by Sue but augmented with one of those rubber sink unblocker plunger jobbies. However, undoubtedly for the reason identified by Keith, it doesn't last very long before needing a further attack. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 A Herald Valencia has its kitchen sink on the left and towards the vehicle's front, with the (too small) 9-gallon waste-water tank on the right side towards the vehicle's rear, which is not a promising arrangement for fast sink-draining. Waste-pipes were narrow-diameter 'caravan' type. MMM's October 1995 Valencia report said: "The sink drained slowly on this particular example: investigation showed that the drop of he waste pipe was hindered by the fridge underneath. I also thought that a strap of some kind to ensure that the waste-water tank outlet-pipe couldn't foul the hot exhaust pipe would have been a good idea." I'd try pouring neat bleach down the sink outlet, or something like Lakeland's "Drain Cleaner". Also try completely filling the sink with water before removing the plug. This may encourage the water to 'siphon' into the waste-water tank. It's plainly not something you'd want to do every time you washed the dishes, but it should provide a clue as to whether the slow draining is due to clogging in the waste-pipes or poor design. If the sink will 'siphon', then it's the design that's poor: if it won't, then the pipes are probably clogged up. (Of course, it could be both!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 What is slow? Slower than the house sink - undoubtedly it will be. Slower than your last van, hmmm, it shouldn't be. It should be on a par with a caravan of its day. Check to see whether there is any difference whether the waste drains better when the van is on the flat or on a slope. Ours drains quicker when the van is facing up a slope. Before pouring chemicals down the plughole, check the handbook and read the instructions on the chemical. Apart from ensuring the chemicals will not affect the pipework and fittings, check to see whether the chemicals will affect the sink just in case you spill some. See if you can track the waste water pipes to the tank to look for kinks or bad design where blockages can occur. Ask the previous owners if you can track them down. I suspect, though, that it may just be a slow drainer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolly1965 Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 Derek Uzzell - 2011-08-14 9:44 AM A Herald Valencia has its kitchen sink on the left and towards the vehicle's front, with the (too small) 9-gallon waste-water tank on the right side towards the vehicle's rear, which is not a promising arrangement for fast sink-draining. Waste-pipes were narrow-diameter 'caravan' type. MMM's October 1995 Valencia report said: "The sink drained slowly on this particular example: investigation showed that the drop of he waste pipe was hindered by the fridge underneath. I also thought that a strap of some kind to ensure that the waste-water tank outlet-pipe couldn't foul the hot exhaust pipe would have been a good idea." I'd try pouring neat bleach down the sink outlet, or something like Lakeland's "Drain Cleaner". Thanks for that - I couldn't find any information anywhere on the web for this motorhome. I did suspect that the fridge would mean some convoluted waste pipes and also that they must run almost horizontally under the floor to get to the waste tank. I also noticed hat the waste tank filled up rather quickly - I may look into replacing it with a larger one, although we have purchased a waste hog to ensure we dont have to drive over to a waste point that often. Is the review of the Herald Valenia on-line? Thanks! Also try completely filling the sink with water before removing the plug. This may encourage the water to 'siphon' into the waste-water tank. It's plainly not something you'd want to do every time you washed the dishes, but it should provide a clue as to whether the slow draining is due to clogging in the waste-pipes or poor design. If the sink will 'siphon', then it's the design that's poor: if it won't, then the pipes are probably clogged up. (Of course, it could be both!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolly1965 Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 Well i've tired everything - bicarb and vinegar and the only thing that seemed to work is a gentle pump with a sink plunger but this only works temporarily. T plumbing is all over the place in this van so i suspect it's mostly that. Is there a smooth waste pipe that could be used to replace the ribbed stuff? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Don't forget not all pipe that is ribbed on the outside is ribbed on the inside! Ours is ribbed on the outside but inside it is perfectly smooth. I found this out when investigating a similar problem on our van, in our case it turned out that at the fitting where the pipe connected to the tank there was a baffle inside, absolutely no idea why, and this was blocked with solid particles. I first cleared it but after having the same thing occur again I removed the baffle, broke it away, and have had no further problem. Prior to doing this I had tried just about all the previously mentioned things to try to clear it and started to look at what I thought was a ribbed pipe. If your van is a similar vintage it may have the same type of fittings, 1998. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Bolly1965 - 2011-08-14 11:47 AM Thanks for that - I couldn't find any information anywhere on the web for this motorhome. I did suspect that the fridge would mean some convoluted waste pipes and also that they must run almost horizontally under the floor to get to the waste tank. I also noticed hat the waste tank filled up rather quickly - I may look into replacing it with a larger one, although we have purchased a waste hog to ensure we dont have to drive over to a waste point that often. Is the review of the Herald Valenia on-line? Thanks! As far as I'm aware there is no on-line review of (or on-line technical information about) the Herald Valencia. I purchased my copy of the MMM Valencia report around 1997 when I was lookiing to buy our first motorhome. I'm not sure if MMM would still have a back copy so, if you'd like to send me a Private Message (click on "PM" button on left of this posting) giving your e-mail address, I'll see if I can scan my copy of the report and e-mail the result to you. The reprinted report is in black-and-white and the photo quality is nothing special, but it may still be worth you having it. Valencias were built from around 1992-1995 at the Herald Motorhomes factory in Poole and, after that company had gone into voluntary liquidation, by Compass in County Durham. It is sometimes claimed (usually by the owners!) that 'Poole-built' Heralds are superior to Compass-built ones, but that's questionable. I eventually bought a 1996-built Compass-made Herald Templar and your Valencia will share many of that motorhome's characteristics. (It might be helpful if you could provide your Valencia's year of manufacture.) You can obtain smooth-bore waste-water hose from CAK Tanks. It's called "Supaflex" hose and it's advertised on Page 24 of the CAK Tanks catalogue that you can download/browse via: http://www.caktanks.co.uk/ However (assuming that your Valencia's waste-water hose is similar to my Templar's) you may find that replacing the original hose with Supaflex may prove tricky due to its extra bulk. My Templar's hose was thin-wall plasticy stuff, but reasonably smooth inside, so I don't think replacement will help much if (as seems probable) the basic water system design is poor. Bicarb or vinegar will be of little use if your hoses have lots of 'crud' in them - you'll need something much more aggressive to shift it. My Templar developed the dreaded waste-tank 'stink' and, to treat this, I detached each waste-hose from the waste-water tank, corked the end of each hose, filled each hose with a strong bleach solution, and waited a week before removing the corks. It was startling how much muck poured out. As Brock suggests, it's far from uncommon for motorhome kitchen sinks, wash-basins and/or shower-trays to drain slowly, and the reaons for this may be several-fold. Despite having large-ish diameter, smooth-bore waste-water hose, my Hobby's wash-basin can be very slow to drain (and the shower-tray impossible to drain) if the motorhome is parked nose-high. That's a) because the waste-water tank is on the left and towards the front of the vehicle and the bathroom on the right and at the vehicle's rear, and b) because there's no 'overflow connection' on the basin or sink (and only one drain-hole for the shower-tray) so air can't enter the waste-water hoses to assist draining. Slowish draining is implicit in the design of the Hobby's water system and - other than not park nose-high, there's nothing that can be done about it. I can live with the Hobby's draining quirks, but I would be less tolerant if, say, it always took 15 minutes for the wash-basin to empty irrespective of how the motorhome were parked. You might consider joining the Compass & Herald Motorhome Club as that's where Herald-related wisdom is most likely to be found nowadays. See: http://www.worldofmotorhomes.com/clubs-magazines/owners-clubs/compass-and-herald-motorhome-club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usinmyknaus Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 As and when needed I blast the sink and shower outlets in the 'van with a Rothenberger Ropump which I got from Plumbase for £18 (retail price a bit higher but be cheeky and ask for discount). Works a treat for all the house's sinks and showers too. Light enough to carry on board for longer trips. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolly1965 Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Thanks Derek, The Valencia is a 1999 model (durham built) A local dealer recently had a 1995 poole built valencia in stock so I had to go and have a mooch at it. Still prefer the '99 model. Just got my application form for the club! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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