Shower Drain?

[Christi V.]

now i did notice some water coming up the shower drain when traveling with the trailer? I empited both the bk water tank and the grey water tank before take off? what might be causing this?? when i was checking things out ( before my first trip) there was a rag stuffed around the drain then the plug was really tight? Can the lines be blown out to clear them?

Also are you suppose to backflush your blk water tank to really get it cleaned out? Now where can i do that ?? I was informed there is always 'sediment' left in those tanks even when drained....

Just a couple of little things I would like to resolve..

[John & Sandy M]

I havn't had any problem with our '99 Scamp... the shower drain pump appears to prevent back flow. Is your pump functional? The pump is easily plugged and I finally resorted to installing a in-line strainer at it's intake (we also have a shower drain plug but we've never had to use it).

[Suz]

I can't speak for Scamp, but I'll give you a couple of clues from my Casita and see if the helps.

Because mine is older, I don't have a gray tank, but it does have plumbing. I couldn't imagine why my floor kept getting wet, then it hit me: There is a "J" trap in the shower drain just like under the sink. A small amount of water always remains. It was this that was splashing up into the floor. A simple rubber stopper has cured that.

Also, make sure no water remains in the bowl of your toilet. That can also splash out.

The way I flush my black tank is by using a couple of buckets of clear water. Then, I always add a little water back in, put in some toilet chems and the ride home usually takes care of the rest -- if there's anything left.

Does that help?

[Dan Meyer]

Hi Christi

Are you sure the water is coming up from the drain? In my Scamp, a bit of water will splash out of the shower head while driving down the road and make a bit of a mess.

Don't worry about your waste tanks too much. When I get a full hookup site I will fill and drain both tanks 2-3 times to rinse them out a bit. I also do not leave the black tank drain valve open at a camp site.

Did you get an owners manual with your trailer? If not, see the document center on the left for links to manufacturers owners manuals and other information.

-- Dan Meyer

[Christi V.]

Dan..
thats a possibility of water dripping from the shower head.. but I didnt use the shower because I didnt have any hot water.... it was j ust alittle tiny bit around the plug??

Now,, if you are hooked up to city water at the grounds do you use the pump in the shower when you get done or in use?? I know when we were checking things out I swore I felt a little 'shocking' sensation' when i had my hand on the hot water faucet and had the pump going?? Is this possible or ?? I sure as heck dont wanna get zapped while taking a shower!!! I take it the pump runs off the 12v??
I know ya dont use the pump for the toilet when on city water only when the fresh tank is in use..

No I didnt leave the valve open either... and flushed it good before I unhooked before leaving and rinsed it out at the site really good..

[evan]

I agree with Suz's comment about water in the drain trap and drain line spashing up into the shower floor. A small amount of water is always trapped by the drain system. You can drain this if you want to go to the trouble by removing a small thumbscrew plug on the trap under the trailer, but you have to crawl under there to get to it. Her idea for a tight fitting drain plug is an easier solution. The Scamp sealand toilet also has a design flaw. The holding tank is not flat on the bottom. It has raised areas that create a natural trap for solids to collect. Why they did this is beyond reason but it makes it hard to get everything out of the toilet. I removed the toilet to install a shower catch basin and back-splash. I thought I had flushed it very well but imagine my horror when I looked in the toilet after it was removed and saw the "surprise" left behind. Yuk! To clean it properly you would need to spray/flush it out with a garden hose while the toilet was hooked to a sewer drain. They also sell flush kits at camping world that assist in this process. During camping season, after draining we put a small amount of water with a little chemical and call it good. Flush it well at the end of the season.

[Christi V.]

thanks for the info.. the drain plug is a screw in type and is very tight fitting.. but maybe the water from the trap is still seeping up thru somehow??
I will do a good washing out at the end of the season......

[Donna D.]

Consider adding a bag of ice and put the chunks down the toilet in as big of pieces as will fit. When traveling to your camp destination the ice will scrub the inside of the black water tank. Empty as usual when the ice has melted enough to flow down the stinky slinky.

[Gina D.]

stinky slinky

And you all are scared of porta potties????????

[evan]

Great idea with the ice. Yes, very scared of porta potties.

[lwehrly]

Good point, Gina. While Im not really crazy about porta potties, having a smaller stinky something to take care of (And something easily removed completely from the trailer) seems like a better idea all the time!

[Suz]

Good point, Gina. While Im not really crazy about porta potties, having a smaller stinky something to take care of (And something easily removed completely from the trailer) seems like a better idea all the time!

How 'bout a cassette toilet? That's a pretty good compromise. Only problem is that they don't hold as much, so they have to be dumped more often.

[Karalyn]

Christi, you and all the others here are making me wonder why I would ever want something more than that simple porta potty. I don't like the idea of leaking tanks, splashing water, and stinky slinky. YIKES! Porta potty sounds so wonderful (and SIMPLE) at the moment!

[Bryan L.]

Just adding on to this instead of starting another thread.

I just came back from a short trip and didn't empty the grey water before we left for home. The shower had quite a bit of water in it when we got home. We couldn't have had more than 5 gallons in the grey water since we only used a portable thermos near the kitchen sink for water and I only filled it up twice. Didn't use the shower or the toilet. It seems as if the shower drain hose enters the grey water holding tank at a fairly low height compared to the capacity of the tank. It just looks like it would totally backflow in to the shower if I put the full capacity of grey water in there.

I need to get a new shower drain since this one is cracked but I'm wondering if this is normal. Will I be able to shower with the grey water tank half full? At this point, it looks like the water level in the grey water tank would be above where it enters the tank.

[Bill K]

Bryan,
Crawl under you trailer and see where the hose from the shower sump runs.
Mine runs inside the frame against the floor making a reverse trap.

Bill K

Just adding on to this instead of starting another thread.

I just came back from a short trip and didn't empty the grey water before we left for home. The shower had quite a bit of water in it when we got home. We couldn't have had more than 5 gallons in the grey water since we only used a portable thermos near the kitchen sink for water and I only filled it up twice. Didn't use the shower or the toilet. It seems as if the shower drain hose enters the grey water holding tank at a fairly low height compared to the capacity of the tank. It just looks like it would totally backflow in to the shower if I put the full capacity of grey water in there.

I need to get a new shower drain since this one is cracked but I'm wondering if this is normal. Will I be able to shower with the grey water tank half full? At this point, it looks like the water level in the grey water tank would be above where it enters the tank.

[pjanits]

The biggest drawback on a porta potti is it gets pretty heavy when full, I try not to go past three days before emptying, My back says maybe I should cut it to two.
If we go for a weekend I just wait til I get home.

This is based on 2 people.

Note* It's not recommended to empty out your porta potti next to you're camper like in Sue's picture above.

[Borden]

Thanks for the ice idea will give it a try. I am changing my drain in shower to a push button popup tub drain plug this week. No dry trap air or trap back wash while going down the road.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Borden

Thanks for the ice idea will give it a try. I am changing my drain in shower to a push button popup tub drain plug this week. No dry trap air or trap back wash while going down the road.

Didn't it come with a screw-in drain plug?

[Matt in SV]

Originally Posted by pjanits

Note* It's not recommended to empty out your porta potti next to you're camper like in Sue's picture above.

But that's what keeps the grass so green!

[Borden]

Wilderness parks do not have nice paved roads or places too plug in and the rough roads can cause backup and the trap to empty. The popup stopper will prevent backup, orginal drain is just grate. Have done the porta potty and toilet and the toilet is better, as stated the porta potty can be heavy when full. An in the bush we need to take out what we bring in. We have a little tank with wheels that can be used to empty the tank under the toilet if needed.