Sink Questions

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I took this photo because I could not figure out why there were two drain lines to the outside from the kitchen sink of my Sufside. this is the only water place in the trailer so it's not connecting another drain. The short drain goes straight outside and the larger fatter drain goes under the bed then out the back wall. Does anyone know why there would be two? Do I need to do this back this way, or can I go to one?
<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3ea29ecaaf500drain.jpg/>

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also of interest is the elbow under the sink. I didn't know they made these.
<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3ea29f81ce93fsnkdrn.jpg/>

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:wave Sink drains should be teed into a drain pipe near the sink, one end of the drain pipe will be vented to the atmoshere(thru the roof)and the other end will dump the water where you want it to be dumped,this prevents a gurgling sound and a slow draining of the water when leaving the sink. Just underneath a sink,before it is teed into the drain pipe will be a (trap),this prevents fumes from exiting up thru the sink,keeping the fumes in the drain pipe to exit at the highesr point of drain pipe(atmosphere).Hope this helps:O

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Thanks. Funny, before I read your post I was :conf like Jana. Of course you are correct. It won't drain without the air vent. Mine was even slow when those pesky mud daubers closed up my vent pipe!

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Thanks Roy, BUT Roy,???
I forgot to tell you this is looking down into the under sink area. I might have thought that had the short one been higher, but it looked like it would run out both at the same time. I knew if I ran it into a tank, I would need a vent, but to just dran outside?? well, Okay. I'll put it back, but it sure sounds strange to me. :wak. Thanks again

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I thinkthe longer hose should be pulled up close to the top of the counter so the water won't drain down it.
you know, like a vent line, if it is higher than the other line it lets air in, so you get a fast drain.

This is similar to what I found on my first trillium, which did not have a roof vent for the plumbing.
Too bad the original owner never thought to clean the drain once in a while, it would have drained much better. (My trailer that is)

I can't tell for sure by the picture, but is that a hose barb on the side of the elbow, or is that your drain connection? If it's a hose barb use it to connect to the roof vent line if you can hide it in behind the cabinets somehow. you can get a check valve for almost any size hose which would prevent water from running into the vent pipe, but allow air to get into the system for faster draining.

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Oh!! the short one is where the water drains. :omy
now I get it. that's why the larger one had these brackets.(not that the hose was in them) I thought, hows the water going out that with it up so high. that was the air one. thanks for the lesson guys. :lol

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Hi...I believe that if you were draining by solid hookup into a holding tank or were connected to a sewer system then like you you would need a vent (which prevents you from emptying other traps in the system) and a trap to prevent sewer gas from backing up through your sink. If your sink is the only drain connected to that line and you drain into a pail or whatever outside then the vent and the trap become redundant (useless), unless a trap would stop insects from coming in through the drain. Does this make sense??? Benny

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:yep yep. Glad to know all my thinking wasn't so far off. Thanks Benny

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Jana
That second photo of the thingy under the sink, is the part on our Trillium that was cracked. We couldn't find anything like it in new. It only came off in pieces and we replaced it with a new metal bar sink drain.

Make sure your doesn't leak. We only discovered our's was leaking after the furnace was removed which was after all the windows were resealed and we still got water in the trailer.
Nancy

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Jana
Me again! I just went out and looked at ours. We don't have a vent on the drain. Hmmm, wonder if we just didn't put it on when we replaced the drain thingy and drain hose, or if it never had one on it from new. Betting it never had one.

I wouldn't say ours drains terribly slow, but then we don't use it very often.

Now I'll have to go out and pour a bucket of water down it and find out.
Nancy

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Orginally posted by Thomas and Janifer

also of interest is the elbow under the sink. I didn't know they made these.
<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3ea29f81ce93fsnkdrn.jpg/>

They still make a similar item. It is a rv sink drain trap.

- Ray

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Hi Ray

When we needed to replace ours, there was none to be had. Are they an older item or still used? When we asked at our local dealer they seemed to have no clue about it but then that can be a typical reply as soon as its mentioned that it's from a 75. Too old to bother with seems to be the way some of them think!

Nancy

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Nancy:

Yes. Still made. Still available. I'm not sure about cost. But they are $5.00 or $10.00. I searched google, and looked at dyers to see if I could find a photo of it...they didn't carry it. I have bought a few at a place called Arrow Distributors, a local RV ditributor. There is a tiny thumbscrew at the bottom, to undo for winterizng to keep the drain from freezing, and then busting apart.
- Ray

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Thanks Ray
We'ell go check again maybe this time the clerk will be more helpful.

As for winterizing, it probably was not done which is most likely why it was cracked. The only way to get at this area was to remove the furnace. The fridge shroud blocked access on that side and there was no way possible to reach it on the other side because of the furnace.
Nancy

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Just stand on your head while you take it out, Nancy. (kidding) It just sounds like you have to do something like that. hope you don't have to get in there very often.
I didn't know I could get a replacement like that. thanks Ray
Now to find one. if or wwhen I find one, I'll tell where. I don't know if mine is cracked or not, but with the other cracked things, like tubing, I found, I know it wasn't winterized lately.

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You're right Jana, stand on your head, have 6' long arms with three elbows on each that swivel in any direction. They built the trailer around it.
Nancy

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Janifer,

That is the same one that on my Burro! Don't know where to get one tho , if you find out let me know.

That barb on the side connects to the hose that goes striaght out the side, then empties with a hose to a 5 gal bucket, no vents or confusion. Usually drains alright not too fast no too slow, it only goes about two feet.

I can't imagine why you would have two hoses unless the owner wanted a choice of where to drain out from. At that height it surely couldn't be a vent.

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**That barb on the side connects to the hose that goes striaght out the side, goes about two feet. - unless the owner wanted a choice** if he didn't use a bucket it might have gotten muddy where the plug went, making it a mess to disconnect. so the other hose. that's a thought. that hose does have a different type of outside opening with no cover. all the other stuff have covers.

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I suppose it is a matter of choice, but, thanks to a mud dauber, I have had it both ways.

I don't have a gray water holding tank but do have the full bath in addition to the sink. All drains meet at a 'Y' and empty at one location. It then drains to the ground, bucket, or tote tank. My drains have always been a little slow, but they eventually did drain. During my spring clean up, I found that a mud dauber had completely closed off the vent pipe for the gray water drainage system. Once I cleared it and completely opened up the line, it drained much faster. Perhaps if you drain directly from sink to outside and it doesn't go through a system (or elbow) then it would do quite well, but it didn't work for me that way.

Anyone who has a portable holding tank knows that when you empty it, the best you'll get is a 'glup glup' when you don't have the top cap off. When it is off then it gushes out the bottom hole.

Having talked through all of this, I think the answer probably is that if you are draining a sink only, not going through a plumbing system, then then it would probably be okay without a vent pipe. However, I have noticed that even on some pop-ups that drain into buckets, they have instaledl their airvent on the outside on their drain hose. Note the green hose.

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3ea40ceda8a35ventdrain.JPG/>