Gray vs Black water tanks

Keep the water inside the pipes, tanks, and sinks
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Oldbagpipe
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Gray vs Black water tanks

Post by Oldbagpipe »

Again, I am trying to learn. In the process of pulling the carpet I was looking under the galley sink and the standard piping leads to a hose. The hose was coiled up next to the generator and appears that the prior owner just pulled the hose out and let the gray water drain. I went under the rig and only one tank exists, running from side to side with the drainage valves at the rear side, directly below the head. Did the first year ('89) have two specific tanks, did both gray and black empty to one tank, or do I just have some kind of misfit?
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skater
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Gray vs Black water tanks

Post by skater »

Is there one drain valve or two at the tank?

There was a movement to switch to one combined tank, apparently- my '91 owners manual claimed there was only one, but in fact the camper had two. The tank with the smaller pipe leading to the valve will be the gray water tank.

In some areas it is acceptable to allow gray water to drain on the ground. But that would require separate tanks. That's probably what the hose you found was for. I carry one in our trailer, too.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
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Oldbagpipe
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Re: Gray vs Black water tanks

Post by Oldbagpipe »

This flyer only mentions one tank.
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Oldbagpipe
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Re: Gray vs Black water tanks

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and only one valve. That must be the case, now I just have to plumb it in.
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skater
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Re: Gray vs Black water tanks

Post by skater »

Oldbagpipe wrote:and only one valve. That must be the case, now I just have to plumb it in.
Okay, so it looks like you have a single combined tank - the gray water likely runs to that tank as well. (They stopped just draining graywater on the ground in the 60s.) What do you need to plumb in?
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
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Oldbagpipe
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Re: Gray vs Black water tanks

Post by Oldbagpipe »

The sink drain is connected to a hose which is rolled up and sitting on the generator.
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skater
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Re: Gray vs Black water tanks

Post by skater »

Oldbagpipe wrote:The sink drain is connected to a hose which is rolled up and sitting on the generator.
Oh! I didn't understand that from your first post. Yeah, that's...not right.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
Abie Sea
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Re: Gray vs Black water tanks

Post by Abie Sea »

I stumbled on this looking to deal with a black water tank shut off valve. My 89 has grey water by pass that will shunt it off of the black water system in the cabinet over the hot water tank and sends it to the deck and across to collect the bathtub drain and then into the section of the waste system after the black water shut off valve. I suppose that the logic was because there is a hose connection on the waste system outlet cap, in many situations you could drain the grey water to the ground and save capacity in the black water tank.

I only know this because I am trying to locate a leak in the freshwater system. In the process, I noted that the gate valve on my black water system was stuck and I was looking for information on how to unstick it without breaking it.
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