Grey Tank Drain blocked

[MapNerd]

Maybe try a FlushKing which may help push back against the clog and dislodge it enough to get some or most of drained...

Flush King

Flush King - Valterra F02-4350 - Sewer Flushing

www.campingworld.com

That would have worked if Newmar didn’t design their drain pipes like they belong in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.

Edit: Thinking about this again, this could be an interesting idea to build counter pressure by closing black, pumping water in and building pressure on the opposite side, then cutting the water and opening the gate. I think i might try that tomorrow

 

[MapNerd]

@Neal has the idea using a fish tap to push the debris into the tank. However I would sacrifice the hose with a small hole to push the tape in and keep the mess to a minimum.

Tried it with a 4’ long piece of 8 gauge wire. Can get it past the gate valve, can’t get it around all the bends and up to the bulkhead to push on the obstruction. Spent two hours trying.

 

[MapNerd]

Building on the suggestion from @Richpatty, could you use compressed air (at a low pressure) to dislodge the debris? The thought was to only momentarily increase the volume in the already full tank. It would require some standard plumbing fittings from the hardware department, but possible. Creating a big bubble going up the drain pipe might do it. Just a quick, low pressure bubble to start.

Really out there, but...create a suction on the roof vent pipe in an attempt to draw volume up into the tank from the outlet pipe (drain valve open), thereby dislodging the debris?

Having never been faced with this issue these are ideas only. There is no guarantee and certainly no assurance that you might get some waste water where you don't want it. Good luck and keep us apprised of your progress, please.

This is an interesting idea. How would I connect the fittings to the drain pipe for an air-tight seal so that I could build some pressure? I’m a little worried about how much pressure I’d need. The obstruction has 45+ gallons of water pushing down on it. That’s easily 350lbs.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

For many, this will come as a shock as I’ve been relatively quiet with most of my Newmar grievances until now but this is the last straw.

That's funny, I just talked to a man that had a happy grin on his face pulling a 16ft TT. Without prompting he told me he was much happier down sizing to his TT and that he had had his fill with diesel pushers. I don't know, they sure are pretty, even if they are way out of my league.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Tried it with a 4’ long piece of 8 gauge wire. Can get it past the gate valve, can’t get it around all the bends and up to the bulkhead to push on the obstruction. Spent two hours trying.

Having been an electrician I will tell you that wire is a poor substitute for fish tape. with plumbing I would think a snake would be better but was thinking about small holes to get to the problem.

 

[MapNerd]

Having been an electrician I will tell you that wire is a poor substitute for fish tape. with plumbing I would think a snake would be better but was thinking about small holes to get to the problem.

Fish tape is normally used for pulling new wire through old work. Having never used it myself I could be wrong, but I think I’d need something relatively stiff once I get up to the bulkhead that I can push on to dislodge the obstruction. I would expect fish tape to be too flimsy to give a good push.

 

[Neal]

@MapNerd give me a call tomorrow if you want to discuss but here is what I suggest.

Dump black as you want that tank empty. Unscrew the four bolts to separate the gray gate valve. The black tank is light and should have play so you can slide the wye valve left (the wye valve is what you connect the slinky to). Now you have access to your gray pipe. Go to Lowe’s and get one of those plumber things to clear a clog and run it up the pipe. Or contact a plumber and see if they can come help you. The plumbing threads into the tank from the bottom so you can probably rotate the plumbing slightly if needed. When you clear the clog gray is going to dump. So be it. Nothing you can do about it.

 

[MapNerd]

@MapNerd give me a call tomorrow if you want to discuss but here is what I suggest.

Dump black as you want that tank empty. Unscrew the four bolts to separate the gray gate valve. The black tank is light and should have play so you can slide the wye valve left (the wye valve is what you connect the slinky to). Now you have access to your gray pipe. Go to Lowe’s and get one of those plumber things to clear a clog and run it up the pipe. Or contact a plumber and see if they can come help you. The plumbing threads into the tank from the bottom so you can probably rotate the plumbing slightly if needed. When you clear the clog gray is going to dump. So be it. Nothing you can do about it.

Might need a few more days and a couple shots of whiskey before I take that approach but it is an option.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Fish tape is normally used for pulling new wire through old work.

Fish tape is used to pull wire or rope/strap through conduit. it is 1/8 x .062 steel tape that is heat treated and will go around 360 degrees worth of bends with no problem. I will admit the radius of conduit is at its smallest 4" radius. but turning the tape in circles will usually get it past a corner. But alas @Neal is right again. disassembly makes a lot of sense.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I think the correct tool would be a "plumbing snake" rather than a 'fish tape." A plumbing snake is a reinforced spring of sorts with an end designed assist in getting around corners. It is rotated slowly and when it encounters a change in direction, the spiraled end helps if work its way past it. For RV use, I would not use a powered version; a manually cranked version will provide more control.

Sounds to me like Newmar needs to step up and have a mobile tech come by to resolve the issue. And...IMHO...if a piece of construction debris left behind during the build process was the cause of the blockage, it should issue a written apology and pay for any time the owners spent in a hotel. That's the absolute least they should do!

TJ