Grey tank stopped up won't drain

Take the camper somewhere out in a field, open the gray valve and snake the line. Stand off to the side!

Depending on how much grease you’ve dumped down the sink over the years, could be a good layer of grease in the whole tank, like as tall as the drain pipe?
I’d go after the remaining grease probably 1 of 2 ways.
1. Figure out how to get a large quantity of boiling hot water into the tank. Quick drive to slosh it around. Drain in that field again.
2. Couple gallons of something like Zep industrial cleaner/ degreaser dumped into an empty tank. Drive to slosh, drain into a sewer preferably.

X-Trucker wrote:
we have always left our grey and black tank valves open as we are full timers [living at a campground 365/24-7] for past 4yrs. This problem of the grey tank getting stopped up only started last month [Nov]. It will TRICKLE down over a couple of weeks to allow a shower. I have tried a plunger, RidX, Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide, bleach those are a few named. I am at wits end and wife is ready to shoot me, or drown me.

IMHO leaving them open is a big problem. One is plugging up as you found, the other is there is no P trap, so sewer gas can come up through the hose, into the tank, out the roof and stink up.

once you fix it, don't leave the valves open. wait till tanks are near full them empty. problem solved

@X-Trucker, I hope one of the solutions works for you. Sewer problems are definitely not pleasant, and really suck when you are trying to enjoy the holidays, any holidays.

In the news of late there have been reports of what are called "fatbergs" clogging sewers here and there. It seems that there is a tendency for fats and oils from cooking cleanup to form globs that can plug things up. Such a monster may have afflicted your grey line. These usually form when folks make the mistake of dumping grease into the sewer as a means of disposal.

It seems your black tank is plumbed differently than almost everybody elses' RV. Yours is certainly the first I've heard of that drops toilet waste straight into the out-elbow. Every other, mine included, has the toilet directly atop the flat bottom of the black tank, so if the drain valve is left open, a solid poop pyramid forms. I like the sound of the design of your rig, but evidently RV makers haven't figured that one out yet.

Thanks for the replies and solutions on my problem. I will try hopefully only have to use 1. Thanks again

Folks, as far as my black tank goes, my toilet dumps right into the elbow leading to my valve, so when I flush it goes directly into the channel first then backed up with water, water, water, and then a build up in the bowl with water then dumped again like a tidal wave coming out of Hoover Dam.

Open valve and use a bottle brush to try and clean the grease out.

There is a hardware item called Power Plumber that shoots gas under pressure down the drain from the sink. Normally used to flush out hair, etc. but may open up enough of a path to keep you going until the degreaser works.
How about a plumbers snake? The clog might be at the P-trap. Can you remove the trap, clean it out and run the snake down the piping past the trap and/or run the snake uphill from the sewer outlet?

Second Chance wrote:

Leaving the valves open all the time can cause big problems

- the liquid trickles out leaving solids to settle and build up in the tank (especially the black tank). The accepted procedure among full-timers is to leave the valves closed until the tanks are full and then drain them - black tank(s) first and then gray to rinse everything out. A good soaking (tanks full of fresh water) with added tank cleaner may solve your problem, but if

you've been leaving valves open for four years, there may be a LOT of built up solid material in there.

Rob

X2

we have always left our grey and black tank valves open as we are full timers living at a campground 365/24-7 for past 4yrs.

Sadly someone should have told you to keep BOTH valves closed. Your next problem is going to be how to get rid of the 'giant' poo pyramid that has built up over 4 years in the black tank.

1. I would start right now filling the black tank up with water and let the water sit in it overnight and then dump it. And repeat, repeat, repeat until you see it running clear.

2. Fill gray tank with water and buy lemon liquid 'cleaner' and pour 2 bottles of it into the gray tank and let sit over night, and then dump it.

Hope you get your problems solved with the many suggestions here.
And here is how to 'prevent' them from happening! :W

Keep both gray and black tank valves CLOSED when using the RV.
Dump when full. Pull black first than gray to flush hose.
Always keep black tank 1/4 full of water after you dump
Do NOT allow solids or grease to go down your kitchen sink in an RV

First I would say is that from all the reading I have done it is not a good idea to keep the black tank valve open all the time because the waste isn't flushed out properly without lots of water. Using your toilet flush just isn't enough flow. As for the gray water tank plugging you must be putting something down the drain that caused it, grease, food particle from kitchen sink, soap residue etc. Leaving the tank valves open is okay for a short period of time, but eventually crude can build up because it isn't being broken down enough.

To clear the obstruction you may want to try a drain snake to break loose what you can through the drain outlet with the valve open. Then with valve closed add RV Tank treatment and hot water. Let it set overnight or longer, allowing it to work, to see it that helps. I would leave the drain cap on and open the valve. That way it will get to the valve gate as well.

It may take a few attempts and maybe someone else has a better idea, but this what first comes to mind.

Leaving the valves open all the time can cause big problems - the liquid trickles out leaving solids to settle and build up in the tank (especially the black tank). The accepted procedure among full-timers is to leave the valves closed until the tanks are full and then drain them - black tank(s) first and then gray to rinse everything out. A good soaking (tanks full of fresh water) with added tank cleaner may solve your problem, but if you've been leaving valves open for four years, there may be a LOT of built up solid material in there.

Rob