Derek Uzzell Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 It's been commonplace for motorhome manufacturers (particularly UK ones) to adopt caravan plumbing practice. Traditionally this has involved use of narrow-bore ridged waste-water hose and a disregard for the laws of physics that cause water to be reluctant to run uphill. Caravan waste-water systems are usually simpler than those of motorhomes as there's rarely an on-board waste-water tank and waste-hose runs are less complex and shorter. However, a technology that works adequately in caravans can translate badly to motorhomes, often resulting in tediously slow emptying of sinks, washbasins and shower-trays and regular blocking of waste-hoses. Lady Godiva: Plenty of good advice has already been given, but it might be worth summarising. If I were in your position I'd first try to establish whether the problem is 'mechanical' - whether, as Trooper suggested, the waste-hose may have kinked or collapsed somewhere along its route to the tank. Clearly, if the hose were damaged, it would need replacement. Assuming that the hose looks OK and that the sink currently drains but only very slowly, then I'd (carefully) try the sink-plunger plan first to see if that improved matters. I'd then let the sink drain out completely then tip a large bottle of household bleach into the sink, fill the sink up with water and leave for a couple of days to allow the bleach solution to work its way through the waste-hose. If the flow improved, then I'd keep repeating the procedure until sink-draining became acceptable. If the hose appears OK but the sink doesn't drain at all, with absolutely no waste-water making its way from sink to tank, then it's unlikely that pouring hot water or chemical cleaner down the sink outlet will reach the blockage and clear the obstruction. I favour the suggestions that the waste-hose be detached from the waste-tank inlet and, if the blockage isn't then found, that something be poked (again carefully) up the hose from the tank end. If that procedure is ineffective, then I'd opt for the garden-hose idea (assuming the garden-hose will fit inside the waste-hose), but I'd insert this into the waste-hose at the sink end, after detaching the waste-hose from the sink-outlet first. The garden-hose would need to be inserted well into the waste-hose and - to minimise mess - the end of the waste-hose and the garden-hose within it would need to securely wrapped with duct-tape. This is a bit of a risky ploy, as motorhome plumbing systems are not designed to cope with mains-water pressure and damage to the waste-hose could result, or joint-fittings become detached. Nevertheless, in principle it ought to work splendidly. It's difficult to generalise about motorhome plumbing. The sink, washbasin and shower in my 1996-built Herald all drained adequately, despite their narrow-bore waste hoses. Conversely, despite big-bore hoses, the sink and washbasin on my 2005 Hobby can be slow to drain due to a combination of the lack of sink/basin venting and having the waste-tank towards the front of the vehicle. It is, however, possible to obtain fast draining by parking the Hobby at a particular angle or by putting lots of water in the sink/basin to cause the system to siphon. Oddly, the shower-tray - right at the back of the motorhome and with just a single small outlet - somehow manages to drain satisfactorily. After a 'stinky waste-tank' experience with the Herald I got into the habit of flushing the waste-hoses and waste-tank with a strong bleach solution after each major outing and I continue to do this with the Hobby. I suspect that, if a motorhome's plumbing system is blockage-prone, then problems are likely to occur from lack of use, where the muck in the hoses has more opportunity to solidify and build up. This may be why BrianR has had no difficulties in 10 years: on the other hand, it could just be that his motorhome's plumbing was properly designed in the first place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Hi.my solution to blocked pipes in the camper. In my experience it is caused by a combination of hair and grease .What I do is to make sure the pipes don't ever get completely blocked in the first place by pouring a little bleach down the plug holes occasionally.Once in a while I then insert a length of plastic tube down the plug hole ,fill the sink /bowl with hot water ,seal around the protuding tube with a flannel or similar to make the plug hole as air tight as possible,and then give a real hard blow down the other end of the tube which has to be long enough to reach your mouth.You will find that all sorts of gunge shoots out of the pipes into the waste tank,very satisfying when you see it drain out.Hope it works for you,cheers Malc. *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Another problem with motorhome plumbing,at least on my Hymer is that the outlet hole of the waste tank is about an inch off the base of the tank at one side,this means that the waste tank can never empty completely unless you are on the side of a mountain leaning in the required direction,this rarely empties the tank completely either,hence the reason waste tanks are prone to bad odours.my solution [and I'm not keen on it ]is to drain the tank as far as possible and then in the right conditions i.e.remote country tracks etc.open the drain valve of the waste tank and drive the vehicle a short distance and hope that the sloshing action gets rid of the residue.I already hear the protests but tell me another way. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob b Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 BrianR - 2008-03-25 10:03 PM I have had my current 'van for over 10 years and have only once had a problem with a blockage in the waste water pipework - as my previous post said, this was at the point where the pipe enters the tank. I have never bothered to take any precautions re grease, food particles, etc. going down the plug hole. The van is used around 100 nights a year, so from my experience I don't think that such precautions are necessary. Thats the point Brian. If you had quickly wiped the plates & pots over before washing up, you wouldn't have had the blockage !! You've probably got another blockage due any day ! 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianR Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 bob b - 2008-03-26 10:53 AM BrianR - 2008-03-25 10:03 PM I have had my current 'van for over 10 years and have only once had a problem with a blockage in the waste water pipework - as my previous post said, this was at the point where the pipe enters the tank. I have never bothered to take any precautions re grease, food particles, etc. going down the plug hole. The van is used around 100 nights a year, so from my experience I don't think that such precautions are necessary. Thats the point Brian. If you had quickly wiped the plates & pots over before washing up, you wouldn't have had the blockage !! You've probably got another blockage due any day ! 8-) If it takes as long as the last one, it won't be due for another 8 years! I repeat, all these precautions are not worth the time they take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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