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Old 05-04-2017, 03:37 PM   #1
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Plumbing Reconfiguration Help

I am in the process of re-configuring the plumbing drain for our 71 Boler custom wetbath shower setup. I was using 1" PVC drain pipe but the PVC drain pip was knocked off on our last trip. So now I am going to add a Hepvo waterless trap and some type of 90 degree elbow/drain combination so I can keep as much of the 10" ground clearance as possible under the shower. Ideally I would like for the ground clearance to be around 7" to 8" at the lowest point of the drain/trap assembly. The original hole in my wetbath was cut at 3 1/8" for a standard shower drain at the big box stores but they all hang down too low underneath. Does anyone use a hepvo valve with a 90 degree shower drain configuration and if so what drain do you use? Any photos and measurements of drain diameter would be helpful. I was going to use a Mustee brand 90 degree drain but it is not solvent weld compatible. Now I am leaning to a sink drain that would connect directly to the hepvo but I would need to re-work the drain hole as it is too big for the sink drain.
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Old 05-04-2017, 05:45 PM   #2
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I am in the process of re-configuring the plumbing drain for our 71 Boler custom wetbath shower setup. I was using 1" PVC drain pipe but the PVC drain pip was knocked off on our last trip. So now I am going to add a Hepvo waterless trap and some type of 90 degree elbow/drain combination so I can keep as much of the 10" ground clearance as possible under the shower. Ideally I would like for the ground clearance to be around 7" to 8" at the lowest point of the drain/trap assembly. The original hole in my wetbath was cut at 3 1/8" for a standard shower drain at the big box stores but they all hang down too low underneath. Does anyone use a hepvo valve with a 90 degree shower drain configuration and if so what drain do you use? Any photos and measurements of drain diameter would be helpful. I was going to use a Mustee brand 90 degree drain but it is not solvent weld compatible. Now I am leaning to a sink drain that would connect directly to the hepvo but I would need to re-work the drain hole as it is too big for the sink drain.

John, I just went out and looked at mine. The Hepvo has a 90* end that screws directly on the stock basket. I didn't measure it, but the valve body sits 1/2" below the floor and is about 3" total from the bottom of the trailer. But this is on a Casita SD with the sealed bottom. The drain basket threaded end doesn't go but about 1/2" past the underside. Is that clear as mud . Hepvo sells two different setups. One for the sink and one for the shower. The shower one has the 90* end, the other is straight.
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Old 05-04-2017, 07:23 PM   #3
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John, I just went out and looked at mine. The Hepvo has a 90* end that screws directly on the stock basket. I didn't measure it, but the valve body sits 1/2" below the floor and is about 3" total from the bottom of the trailer. But this is on a Casita SD with the sealed bottom. The drain basket threaded end doesn't go but about 1/2" past the underside. Is that clear as mud . Hepvo sells two different setups. One for the sink and one for the shower. The shower one has the 90* end, the other is straight.
Thanks Dave, we ordered the Hepvo valve today from Drainmaster.com and we had a choice of the 1 1/2 or 1 1/4 versions, both have the 90 degree elbows included. I went with the 1 1/4 as my existing drain is 1" and I figured I could find a 1 1/4 to 1 inch reducer in schedule 40 easier than a 1 1/2 to a 1. As much as I dread re-working the drain I am afraid I am going to have to in order to keep the clearance to a maximum. I found this setup on another rv forum similar to what I was thinking:


I am also considering a water pump to help push the water out of the drain and into our portable gray water tank or sewer connection. The top of the gray water tank sits about even with the bottom of the shower floor so the water doesn't travel up and over into the gray tank very well. I have a valve to plumb into the side of the gray tank at ground level and it should allow better flow to the gray tank. OR I could order the Dexter #9 bolt on lift kit to elevate the Boler but water drain flow could still be an issue. OR I have a 12vdc Seaflo water pump that I like and didn't cost much that we use for our tank water when boondocking so I was thinking of ordering a second one for the drain but the barbed ends are small. It can move a couple of gallons of minute I believe which should work for the drain. Haven't seen a drain pump yet with 1 inch or 1 1/4 inch connections. Don't think I need a macerator pump since there is no toilet plumbed into the system. What is everyone using for a pump to drain shower water?
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Old 05-04-2017, 08:07 PM   #4
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If you are using a pump I would think that you wouldn't need the trap as the check valves in the pump keep water from backing up (usually)
I put the close coupled drain under my floor for better clearance,

If you look very carefully you can see the drain in the back of the picture. The pump is on the far side and the output is plumbed from there to join with the drain from the sink after the Hevpro valve there. The pump I am using for the shower is a regular water pump and not a macerator, but I do have one for draining both gray and black tanks
I tried to fit in the valve I bought under the floor, but I couldn't fit it in to satisfy my plans.
You can see the TEE just past the macerator pump where the drain from the Hevpro from the sink comes through the floor and from there to the gray tank.
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Old 05-04-2017, 08:34 PM   #5
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If you are using a pump I would think that you wouldn't need the trap as the check valves in the pump keep water from backing up (usually)
I put the close coupled drain under my floor for better clearance,

If you look very carefully you can see the drain in the back of the picture. The pump is on the far side and the output is plumbed from there to join with the drain from the sink after the Hevpro valve there. The pump I am using for the shower is a regular water pump and not a macerator, but I do have one for draining both gray and black tanks
I tried to fit in the valve I bought under the floor, but I couldn't fit it in to satisfy my plans.
You can see the TEE just past the macerator pump where the drain from the Hevpro from the sink comes through the floor and from there to the gray tank.
I didn't think about the check valve in the pump JD ...but I already ordered the Hepvo so I plan to use it so the water from the sink doesn't back up into the shower, the Hepvo folks said it would eliminate that problem. As far as the drain pump it will be used mainly to push the water into the grey tank so I don't think it will hurt to have it and the hepvo. In that 2nd picture is that your shower pump? Looks like it is a SeaFlo pump is that correct?
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Old 05-04-2017, 08:38 PM   #6
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That is a SeaFlo pump, but I use a regular water pump for the shower. I have a setup about like the standard Scamp before a regular water pump.
The SeaFlo macerator is used to pump out the black and gray tanks and feeds up through the floor inder the sing and over to the hose reel I installed for the drain.
There are still two 3" drains if needed.
The gray and black feed the pump through 1 1/2" valves
I tried to figure a way to fit a sump in but the clearance I couldn't find.
I think that if you cut a slot in the shower floor to run into the sump it could be made to work, but not with a drain and elbow.
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Old 05-04-2017, 08:49 PM   #7
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What SeaFlo pump would you recommend for my drain setup JD?
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Old 05-04-2017, 09:37 PM   #8
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John, just had a thought for you that may be handy. It sounds like you're cementing all the couplings but If'n it was me, I'd be using compression or maybe the rubber & hose clamps like JD's done. Makes it way easier to make changes if you find the "great idea" didn't work so well. Sure is a bummer to have to go way back because I used glue . Just something to think of.
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Old 05-05-2017, 07:31 AM   #9
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I didn't think about the check valve in the pump JD ...but I already ordered the Hepvo so I plan to use it so the water from the sink doesn't back up into the shower, the Hepvo folks said it would eliminate that problem. As far as the drain pump it will be used mainly to push the water into the grey tank so I don't think it will hurt to have it and the hepvo. In that 2nd picture is that your shower pump? Looks like it is a SeaFlo pump is that correct?
Only in a gravity drain system!

I would like to offer a few words of caution regarding HepVo valves. Using a HepVo as, or in lieu of, a check valve in any pressurized system can cause the rubber bladder inside it to invert, which would then not only allow flow in the reverse direction, but would also require the disassembly of the HepVo to physically push the bladder back through itself to work as designed. They are not suitable for use on any pressurized drain system. They are made to be installed on gravity drain systems only.
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Old 05-05-2017, 07:38 AM   #10
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Good point Greg definitely made me think there, but if the drain pump is installed after the Hepvo and flow direction of the pump is away from the Hepvo I dont understand how any water under pressure could go the opposite direction unless you reversed polarity on the pump, or am I missing something?
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Old 05-05-2017, 07:45 AM   #11
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Greg, also, the water from the sink backing up into the shower isn't under any pressure other than gravity so it shouldn't do what you are referring to, I confirmed this with drainmaster.com.
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Old 05-05-2017, 07:52 AM   #12
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John, just had a thought for you that may be handy. It sounds like you're cementing all the couplings but If'n it was me, I'd be using compression or maybe the rubber & hose clamps like JD's done. Makes it way easier to make changes if you find the "great idea" didn't work so well. Sure is a bummer to have to go way back because I used glue . Just something to think of.
Dave you do bring up a good point, my reason for the cement welded drain was to maximize flow vs a tube drain with barb fittings here and there as most of the barbs I have seen are 3/8" vs the 1" diameter for the PVC, but since I am going to add a drain pump which will most likely have 3/8" barbs I guess that is a mute point. May have to rethink my idea and adapt to your suggestion. Ideally I would only want to run the pump when gravity won't do the job alone but the pump impeller could impede water flow with the pump off so my idea may not work either.
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Old 05-05-2017, 07:55 AM   #13
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Hi Johnny,
You may be alright having the Hepvo "upstream" of the pump, but just as long as the sink drain Hepvo isn't "downstream" of the pump, where it could possibly be pressurized, not necessarily by liquid in the line, but pressure in the line. Just something to consider when designing and laying out your drains, so that you don't design in any problems.
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Old 05-05-2017, 09:06 AM   #14
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On my system the shower drain goes to a strainer and then to a regular shurflo type water pump rated about 2.5 GPM as the shower puts out about the same.
I installed a 12 vdc switch in the shower stall so that the pump could be turned on and off from inside.
The pump feeds the 1" flex pipe that crosses over the the driver's side ans Tees into the drain from the sink and it's Hevpro trap. The trap will not see much pressure since it feeds directly to the gray tank in the rear and the Hevpro stops the gas and water from backing up to the sink and also allows air into the drain,
The gray tank has two 1" vents pipes since there was one originally and the old sink also came in on the passenger side next to the vent.
The 1" hoses just loop over and back down under the trailer, but have given no problem as yet. They help the tank drain fairly quickly either with the Macerator pump or gravity out of the 3" outlets.
The Macerator below was realigned to have the outlet pointed up when installed upside down under the floor. That outlet curves through the floor to the reel on the front quarter of the bath cabinet.

Here is a picture of the reel, the accumulator and switches for the pump and reel. This is behind the toilet in the bath.



The pump is fairly quick at an alleged 12 gpm and the 20 foot hose meets most needs and can be coupled to another hose of longer runs if necessary.
I plan to add this later so that I can drain the tanks to a tap going to my septic tank in back of the house.
You can see the back side of the hatch I installed for access to the hose reel.
I installed a second reel and hatch for the potable water in the rear as well since I got a good deal on two off ebay.

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Old 05-05-2017, 09:12 AM   #15
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Hi Johnny,
You may be alright having the Hepvo "upstream" of the pump, but just as long as the sink drain Hepvo isn't "downstream" of the pump, where it could possibly be pressurized, not necessarily by liquid in the line, but pressure in the line. Just something to consider when designing and laying out your drains, so that you don't design in any problems.
Thanks Greg I appreciate the helpful suggestions, it made me think through everything a little more to make sure my plans work (in theory at least) . On my setup my sink will have a p-trap, the Hepvo for the shower and the drain pump will be downstream of both of these. The Hepvo will be here tomorrow so hopefully I can get everything done this weekend, except for the pump which I will order today and will add that to the far end of the drain setup when it arrives.

One question I do have though is whether I should get just the water pump or the macerator pump. The price difference for the Seaflo brand which I like is about $47 for the 12 GPM macerator and $27 for the 1.2 GPM water pump. The macerator pump says "Thermal overload protection sensor provides sufficient run-dry time to make the pump operate automatically" where the regular water pump says "can run dry without damage". Not sure which one would perform better for this application?
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Old 05-05-2017, 09:26 AM   #16
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You won't need the bigger maceration pump for the shower and it might bring more trouble here than it would be worth.
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Old 05-05-2017, 09:58 AM   #17
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Thanks JD that is a pretty slick setup you have there!
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Old 05-05-2017, 11:50 AM   #18
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I agree. If you're not running toilet waste through it you really don't need a maceration pump. For just grey water, (shower/sink,) there's nothing that needs to be chewed up or broken down to get it to flow.
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