Total noob question: grey water dumping?

[BCPaul]

Hi

We have a 13 ft Trillium trailer and we only have a sink (no shower, no toilet, no holding tank). Being completely new to Rving, it occurred to us that we don't know what the procedure is for letting our sink drain where there is no sewer hookup (which is the type of site we are typically given).

Should we let the hose drain on the ground under the trailer or should we collect it in a bucket (and then what)?

We are always careful to wipe our plates clean with paper towel before we wash them so there is very little food going down the drain.

Tips? Experiences?

[Raz]

End of an old garden hose into a container. You can dump the container at the dump station, toilet, etc. It's a good way to keep track of your water usage too. Raz

[Byron Kinnaman]

You'll find that it's not only a bad practice to dump gray water on the ground in a park or campground, but that it's also illegal in most places. You have several options. An external gray water container can be purchased in several sizes. That is the best way to keep out of trouble. The cheaper way is a bucket with lid and a hose through the lid and sealed, a vent would also be needed.
Disposal is at dumping stations, sink water disposal stations, or campground toilet. One can always ask the campground host as to where to dispose of gray water.

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by BCPaul

Should we let the hose drain on the ground under the trailer or should we collect it in a bucket (and then what)?

Experiences?

A lot will depend on each location where you camp.
The answer can run the gamut from

• Do that and you'll be in serious trouble.
• Dispersed on the ground is OK.

Note that I said "dispersed". Repeated dumping on the ground directly at your campsite is always frowned upon, in my experience. However, you should assume that it is NOT allowed unless told otherwise at that campground. If there is no signage prohibiting it, ASK a Host or Ranger first.
Food particles are not the only contaminant authorities have trouble with... Soap and Detergents are possibly of greater concern.

If you do collect it, dumping the vessel in a Toilet is usually what you do.

[BCPaul]

Seems a bit odd because they use grey water to water the golf courses where I'm from. But I guess rules are rules.

[KevinWA]

if you gotta ask the answer is usualy no......that being said, it is easyier to beg forgivness than to ask permission!!

all jokes aside...just get a old bucket and drain away...... maybe a small hole in the bottom???

[Donna D.]

About the time you beg forgiveness is about the same time the officer asks you to hold out your hand so he/she can place a citation on it.... seriously, a bucket with a lid and hose is the easiest, buying a tote (on wheels) the most expensive and then there's this:

Homemade Blue Tote
blue_tote.pdf

I created this a couple of years ago, so the numbers may be wrong.. but you get the idea.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

About the time you beg forgiveness is about the same time the officer asks you to hold out your hand so he/she can place a citation on it.... seriously, a bucket with a lid and hose is the easiest, buying a tote (on wheels) the most expensive and then there's this:

Homemade Blue Tote
Attachment 38025

I created this a couple of years ago, so the numbers may be wrong.. but you get the idea.

This looks pretty good for dumping an on-board gray water tank without the need to move the trailer. For collection directly from the sink I believe you need a hose attached to the vent that ends above the sink drain. I tried to find the web page that showed what needs to happen to be legal, but I failed.

There was a web site that diagrammed the system requirements for here in Oregon. NOTE: for direct collection, Not transfer.

[BCPaul]

I just have a sink drain (grey, no black water) so a bucket seems fine.

I find that any "ups" in the drain hose makes it just about impossible for the sink to drain so my drain-to-bucket line needs to be pretty much a continuous downhill slope, i.e. short hose and low bucket.

[Joe in MN]

I've been using one of those 7-gallon collapsible translucent plastic water carriers as my grey-water tank, and had trouble with using a cut-off piece of garden hose - might have been from the far end going under the water level in the water carrier and getting a bubble lock of sorts from that - at any rate, for whatever reason, the water would always back up in the sink. I replaced the hose with a garden hose connector, a 90-degree PVC elbow (threaded to take the garden hose connector), a vertical piece of PVC pipe, a 45-degree elbow to angle the pipe under the trailer, and another piece of PVC pipe (in that order, top to bottom). This lets me put the water carrier under the trailer, and the end of the pipe doesn't get submerged until the carrier is full. No bubble lock, and the grey water drains from the sink with no problems at all.

[HikeSticks]

Hi Paul,
I have an older Trillium and the first mod I made when I bought my trailer was to disconnect the sink drain to the outside and installed a new hose that drains into a container (bucket with lid) in the adjacent storage in the dinette seat. I can then empty the bucket as necessary. I lost very little storage space and I don't have the inconvenience of having the external container. (which you have to store somewhere anyway).
Enjoy!
Barrie

[BCPaul]

Interesting idea - my wife got all excited over that idea. What do you do for overflow?

[HikeSticks]

Hi Paul,
I don't have overflow. I carry my own water rather than hook to services. My gray water container has the same capacity as my fresh water container; if I'm empty I'm full... Since you can't have overflow, because that would mean an unacceptable discharge, you have to manage your gray water regardless of wether you use an exterior or interior gray water container.
Barrie

[BCPaul]

Here is what we've done so far:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ure-47438.html

[BCPaul]

Today I am off to look for a "Hydroller" water tote or equivalent for grey water. Walmart has them but so do other hardware stores.

[cpaharley2008]

There is always the "Airstream bucket"- an aluminum bucket into which your tank hose drains but the bucket never fills because it has holes in the bottom. This was a standing joke on the Airstream forums.

[BarbT]

We camp without hydro hook-up. When we've taken the trailer, I normally have my soapy water in the sink and a water jug with spout set up right next to the sink to rinse. We have a garden hose that attaches to the outside drain vent. It's cut off to about 3 feet. We just put the hose in a bucket on the ground outside and then dump in the toilets or sink. Some places it's not that big of a deal to dump gray water in the bushes a good distance away from your site, but if you are camping in bear country you don't want to be dumping anywhere near the sites.

[BCPaul]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

There is always the "Airstream bucket"- an aluminum bucket into which your tank hose drains but the bucket never fills because it has holes in the bottom. This was a standing joke on the Airstream forums.

That is soooooo tempting. I have a dollar store bucket with a crack on the bottom...

Besides, it keeps the campground dust down. ;-)

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by BCPaul

Hi

We have a 13 ft Trillium trailer and we only have a sink (no shower, no toilet, no holding tank). Being completely new to Rving, it occurred to us that we don't know what the procedure is for letting our sink drain where there is no sewer hookup (which is the type of site we are typically given).

Should we let the hose drain on the ground under the trailer or should we collect it in a bucket (and then what)?

We are always careful to wipe our plates clean with paper towel before we wash them so there is very little food going down the drain.

Tips? Experiences?

There have been other threads regarding grey water dumping. The issue is what it does to the environment. And, although I am not an environmental ideologue, I do believe that we have to act responsibly - regardless of the odds of getting "caught".

I am lucky to have a grey water tank, and have come to appreciate one of the major advantages of a fiberglass trailer: it is so very easy to hook up and drive off to a area where you can dump you gray H2O as well as fill up on fresh H2O.

I spent last winter dry camping in a private dog training area. One of the first things I asked the property manager was:

1. Where is the nearest fresh water source?
2. Where is the nearest dump station?
3. Can I dump my grey water tank at my campsite?

Surprisingly, he gave me permission to dispose of my grey water tank at the campsite. The trailers are parked alongside an embankment and it is an easy thing to place the sewage hose down a bank into a covered field with trees. There didn't seem to be any concern regarding the environment ...

Thinking about this situation, I think that what I'll do this winter is use "green" camp soap. I do shower at the site, and hopefully Dove body soap will do no harm. If it does, I'll shop around for a "green" body soap and shampoo.

I regularly dry camp at other spots that do not allow for grey water dumping. I do acknowledge that and am prepared to travel to a dumping area.

Fresh water is my biggest problem when dry camping. And I need to hook up and take the trailer to a fresh water source every few days. That usually conforms with my need to empty the grey water tank.

If I did not have a grey water tank installed in my trailer, I'd find a way to get one. If there simply is no way to install a grey water tank, I would use a portable holding tank or bucket. I have seen them advertised.

As I said, I'm not an ideologue. But I do think we need to be responsible about what we are doing to the environment.

[BCPaul]

Here is a pic of my new easy grey water tote made from a Hydroller water container (Canadian Tire or Walmart US). I made a female to female hose - the free spinning female connectors avoid having to twist the hose around when attaching - and used a male to male connector to change the sex of the Hydroller spigot hole.

$40 for the Hydroller - maybe half that in the US.

I added an inline valve (not in pic) to allow sink use while the tote is being emptied (fills the sink until reconnected - attach then open the valve - no mess).

As for reports of the air vent having to be as high as the sink in Oregon, that just seems a little over the top for me (pun intended). If Oregon truly enforces that rule then that is a state I just won't camp in. ;-)

It holds 8 gallons/30 litres, has wheels and a folding handle.

I hope the pic posted ok - first time I post an attachment using my Android phone. If not, I will the phone's browser to attach.

PS: Sorry for the lousy pic!