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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / September 2006plugged drain pipe
When I pulled the drain handle outside for the brown water it just trickled out into the blue tank. I checked the tub and noticed water just below the drain. I have a feeling there is obstruction between the kitchen sink and the tub (we don't use the shower) I surmise that foreign matter accidentally went down the kitchen sink. I tilted the front up about 10 inches from level to make sure I had a good gravity flow. Didn't work. Now, can I put Liquid Plumber in the kitchen drain? Will the plastic pipes handle the chemicals in the LP? My SIL, the plumber, has a 3 inch snake. I'd like to try the LP first. Any suggestions? Thanks much Eddie 31' 89 Holiday Rambler TT. >When I pulled the drain handle outside for the brown water it just >trickled out into the blue tank. I checked the tub and noticed water [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >Now, can I put Liquid Plumber in the kitchen drain? Will the plastic >pipes handle the chemicals in the LP? Liquid plumber won't hurt your pipes - if it did then it would hurt the (plastic) pipes in your house too.  SignatureR.J.(Bob) Evans (return address needs alteration to work) > Liquid plumber won't hurt your pipes - if it did then it would hurt > the (plastic) pipes in your house too. I've vaguely wondered that myself, though thankfully never having needed to use it. While true about the plastic pipes (although in houses they are almost always PVC, but RV waste systems have many different plastics), what about RV-specific materials? For example, waste tank sensors (for those who have them) and the foam seal at the toilet (vs. the wax seal in a house)? >>When I pulled the drain handle outside for the brown water it just >>trickled out into the blue tank. I checked the tub and noticed water [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >Liquid plumber won't hurt your pipes - if it did then it would hurt >the (plastic) pipes in your house too. I didn't know I had plastic in my house. I have all copper. Just where could there be plastic? I don't know what type plastic is used in RV's. If they're the same as homes, I'll try the LP. Eddie > I didn't know I had plastic in my house. I have all copper. Just > where could there be plastic? I would be very surprised to find that you have copper drain pipes. I've never heard of it, or seen copper pipes large enough. > I don't know what type plastic is used in RV's. If they're the same > as homes, I'll try the LP. For decades, houses have had PVC drain pipes. Very old houses have cast iron. RVs have PVC, ABS, or sometimes other plastics. >>> When I pulled the drain handle outside for the brown water it just >>> trickled out into the blue tank. I checked the tub and noticed [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >> Liquid plumber won't hurt your pipes - if it did then it would hurt >> the (plastic) pipes in your house too. > I didn't know I had plastic in my house. I have all copper. Just > where could there be plastic? > I don't know what type plastic is used in RV's. If they're the same > as homes, I'll try the LP. > Eddie No way you have copper DRAIN pipes in your house... (water yes, drain, NO).. Drain pipes are low pressure and are usually either cast iron (in houses) or plastic (the white stuff)... I see where "Peter Pan" <PeterPanNOSPAM@AkamailNOSPAM.com> contributed: >No way you have copper DRAIN pipes in your house... (water yes, drain, NO).. >Drain pipes are low pressure and are usually either cast iron (in houses) or >plastic (the white stuff)... or plastic (black stuff) Will Sill The Curmudgeon of Sill Hill >>>> When I pulled the drain handle outside for the brown water it just >>>> trickled out into the blue tank. I checked the tub and noticed [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Drain pipes are low pressure and are usually either cast iron (in houses) > or plastic (the white stuff)... Um, I have some copper drain pipes. He very well could too as up until recent the local zoning did not allow pvc drain lines. It was copper or cast iron. Sure glad that changed as the cost of copper has trippled. Ed > When I pulled the drain handle outside for the brown water it just > trickled out into the blue tank. I checked the tub and noticed water [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Eddie > 31' 89 Holiday Rambler TT. Usually the shower will be the lowest point. The water you are seeing MAY be in the trap. When the gray water tank get too full, it will backup in the shower first. If there is a block between the sink and the tank, it will back up into the sink and so on. Use common sense in figuring out where the blockage is IF there is a blockage for sure. LP comes in a plastic bottle and won't hurt any plumbing. I would recommend removing the trap first and cleaning it out IF there is a clog. I am not a big fan of LP. MY first step would be to make sure the dump valve is opening, not just the lever moving. Also make sure all vents are open in the blue tank ( I am assuming you mean a separate external tank to drain into). Good luck, Hank >> My SIL, the plumber, has a 3 inch snake. I'd like to try the LP >> first. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >backup in the shower first. If there is a block between the sink and >the tank, it will back up into the sink and so on. Come to think about it, there was some back-up of gray water in the tub. We had left the trailer for two weeks, and on returning got a whiff of the gray water odder. I drained the holding tank into the blue tank and it drained just fine. But after draining there was water still visible. Maybe it is trap water. We used the trailer for a few days and decided to check out the drain again. After I opened the valve to send the gray to the blue tank, it only trickled out. That's when I suspected a blockage. >Use common sense in figuring out where the blockage is IF there is a >blockage for sure. LP comes in a plastic bottle and won't hurt any >plumbing. I would recommend removing the trap first and cleaning it out >IF there is a clog. I am not a big fan of LP. How does one remove the trap? Below the RV or above from the tub? >MY first step would be to make sure the dump valve is opening, not just >the lever moving. Also make sure all vents are open in the blue tank ( >I am assuming you mean a separate external tank to drain into). I didn't look that close to check if in fact the dump valve is opening fully. It's always worked fine in the past. But I will check it closer next time. CW calls them Tote-Along-Tanks. They're blue, so I just call 'em blue tanks. Thanks for your help Hank. Eddie >Good luck, > >Hank > How does one remove the trap? Below the RV or above from the tub? > Eddie The trap is directly under the sink. If you don't know anything about traps, take it to someone and let them show you how. Hank >> How does one remove the trap? Below the RV or above from the tub? >> Eddie > >The trap is directly under the sink. If you don't know anything about >traps, take it to someone and let them show you how. I know where the trap to the sink is at. I don't know where the trap to the *tub* is at. Isn't that what you were referring to when you said: "Usually the shower will be the lowest point. The water you are seeing MAY be in the trap." (?) So, do tubs have a trap? I'll ask my plumber SIL. Eddie >Hank >So, do tubs have a trap? I'll ask my plumber SIL. >Eddie There will be a trap there somewhere or else you would smell the smelly water in the gray tank. On a trailer it's hard to say how you will access the trap or even if you can access it. Check from the storage areas under the trailer. Sometimes there will be an access panel on the wall "behind" the bathroom. Sometimes you just may not be able to get there from here. SignatureR.J.(Bob) Evans (return address needs alteration to work) > >> How does one remove the trap? Below the RV or above from the tub? > >> Eddie [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > So, do tubs have a trap? I'll ask my plumber SIL. > Eddie Yes tubs have traps too. I was going on what you stated in your earlier post " I surmise that foreign matter accidentally went down the kitchen sink. " So, I am not sure what you are saying now. Water in a trap is normal, if the shower/tub doesn't drain, then check that trap. If the sink doesn't drain, check that trap and so on. If the tank doesn't drain, check that valve and a possible clog in the tank drain line. Hank <~~~trying to clear things up (pun intended) >Yes tubs have traps too. I was going on what you stated in your earlier >post " I surmise that foreign matter accidentally went down the kitchen [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >Hank <~~~trying to clear things up (pun intended) Ah, got it. Sorry for the confusion. The only way foreign matter can get in the lines is through the kitchen sink. That's where my wife washes dishes. If the foreign matter somehow managed to pass through the trap, then maybe somewhere past the trap it has accumulated and finally has obstructed enough to constrict the gravity flow. I'll check the trap kitchen trap, but since it's not backing up in the sink, I suspect that's not where the problem is at. Thanks again Eddie >>Yes tubs have traps too. I was going on what you stated in your earlier >>post " I surmise that foreign matter accidentally went down the kitchen [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Thanks again > Eddie On thing to consider is that if you use the LP and it doesn't clear and have to take it to a service center or call a plumber in. Some people will not work on it once the LP is in as it is caustic to eyes and mucus membranes and those that will -you can expect a higher service fee due to increased risk. Buy a $20 hand crank snake to break the clog up. It is safe on the plastic and no dangerous chemicals. Ed >> >> check the trap kitchen trap, but since it's not backing up in the [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >Buy a $20 hand crank snake to break the clog up. It is safe on the plastic >and no dangerous chemicals. Good to know that about the LP. My plumber SIL has a snake he'll lend me. As for the house drain pipes, my SIL did a complete re-pipe on my house a few years ago and only the pipes channeling water are copper. The drains under the kitchen sinks and bathrooms are plastic. btw, may I make a recommendation? If you have a daughter, get her to marry a plumber. <g> Also, if you have another daughter, get her to marry a Microsoft software engineer. I haven't paid for a plumbing job or any MS OS for years. <gg> Eddie >Ed >> Yes tubs have traps too. I was going on what you stated in your earlier >> post " I surmise that foreign matter accidentally went down the kitchen [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Thanks again > Eddie Eddie, have you tried a plunger on any of the drains. You haven't said you did. Just a thought. John Andrews, Knoxville, Tennessee >Eddie, have you tried a plunger on any of the drains. You >haven't said you did. Just a thought. Yes, that was my first attempt at clearing the line. Eddie >John Andrews, Knoxville, Tennessee > >Eddie, have you tried a plunger on any of the drains. You > >haven't said you did. Just a thought. > Yes, that was my first attempt at clearing the line. > Eddie > > > >John Andrews, Knoxville, Tennessee I'm not sure how long your RV was sitting with gray water in the tank before you tried to drain the tank. I was involved with a trailer whose gray tank would not drain after sitting for six months half full, then being used for a cross country trip which filled it. I surmised that some life form (fungus like) had grown in the tank, like grows in my sink drains at home clogging them. I tried two capfuls of powder Roebic K-67 Bacterial Drain and Trap Cleaner in the gray tank, dissolved in 24 ounces of warm water per instructions. The trailer drove 200 miles, then tried again to dump, and all was well. This stuff is not caustic if you have to let someone repair it later. I bought mine in Home Depot. HTH, Barrie B >>> Eddie, have you tried a plunger on any of the drains. You >>> haven't said you did. Just a thought. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > HTH, > Barrie B That is good stuff. I used it to clean out my black water tank. Now all the sensors work fine and I was amazed of the sh.t that came out of the 'clean' tank after I ran K-67 through it once. John Andrews, Knoxville, Tennessee > >>> Eddie, have you tried a plunger on any of the drains. You > >>> haven't said you did. Just a thought. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > John Andrews, Knoxville, Tennessee I put K-67 in each tank when I dump the final time and let it sit for several days, then dump the tanks. Works well. Roebic has several products that will break up clogs in pipes. Roebic products are available at Lowe's too. RVC, USMC (Ret) >K-67 Bacterial Drain and Trap Cleaner in the gray tank, dissolved in 24 >ounces of warm water per instructions. The trailer drove 200 miles, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >HTH, >Barrie B Thanks Barrie, going to try it. I have a strange feeling that I may have some type of build up. It has sat for a few weeks in high temps. Eddie >> >Eddie, have you tried a plunger on any of the drains. You >> >haven't said you did. Just a thought. [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > HTH, > Barrie B Thanks for the info, will pick up a box of it and try it out just to be sure to avoid the evil pyramid!. Ed
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