Asked Ranger if I washed dishes in my sink then drained the gray water into bucket and used his drain if that was OK.His answer was "Anything" drained out of an RV is considered "black water".Do you think Ranger mis-informed? Just wondering.

No...don't think Ranger was 'mis-informed'Think Ranger was stating THAT CGs policy..............all dumping of waste water to be done at dump station.Grey/black are all waste water. Grey can be just as nasty.That dish washing station is probably not a septic system but a 'french drain'----leech system

If your shower drains into the RV gray tank, that tank will contain fecal waste, unless you are not washing everything that should be washed. Thus DISH WATER only.

Put a dish tub in your sink, use that to wash your dishes and then you can dump the dish tub of water into the drain.Or, just use your sink and dump your grey water at a real dump station when necessary.One thing folks forget when wanting to dump their grey tanks in these "not made for RV dumping" spots is that your grey water and black water dump from the SAME pipe (and the same hoses). Unless you're scrubbing that pipe (and hose) thoroughly with disinfectant, there WILL be residue left on the inside surfaces - even if you're "rinsing" the pipe (and hoses) with the grey water after dumping the black water. Therefore the entire system IS contaminated. That is why there are rules against RVs dumping grey water on the ground when folks are allowed dump dish washing water on the ground.

Hmmm...maybe it was a different ranger, but I was told grey water was ok. My ranger was in Oregon..where was yours..?:h The ranger at a COE park along the Arkansas river advised me to dump the grey water right on the ground. Not everyone thinks grey water is all that bad.....Dennis

Not everyone thinks grey water is all that bad..... Be parked right next to someone who is dumping their gray tank on the ground, that will change your mind. It STINKS. :W

New sign to me | Good Sam Community

beemerphile1
Explorer
Jun 17, 2015
Shower water is gray water.

Any water containing organic matter is black water. This includes food particles from washing dishes.
kellertx5er
Explorer
Jun 16, 2015
tatest wrote:
If your shower drains into the RV gray tank, that tank will contain fecal waste, unless you are not washing everything that should be washed. Thus DISH WATER only.

The same can be said for every reservoir where swimming is allowed, which is about 100% of them.
olygene
Explorer
Jun 15, 2015
The last time we saw such a sign, my wife just took all our used dishes and washed them in the provided sink. It took a few extra minutes but we have all the time in the world.
dave54
Nomad
Jun 15, 2015
Old-Biscuit wrote:
No...don't think Ranger was 'mis-informed'

Think Ranger was stating THAT CGs policy..............all dumping of waste water to be done at dump station...

Not all 'rangers' are equal. Some are seasonal hires that get 15 minutes of training and a uniform. Just because a 'ranger' says it does not mean it is policy. Many do not know and simply answer from the hip.
wbwood
Explorer
Jun 14, 2015
toedtoes wrote:
2gypsies wrote:

Also, if you drain a bucket of supposedly dish water from your gray tank, that gray tank also has remainders of your hand washings, teeth brushing, and showers. Is that what you would like the tenters that wash their dishes at the dishwashing sink to use? They assume that the sink is sanitary.

In addition, the grey water was dumped out of the same pipe as your black water. Are you willing to bet there's no feces remnants getting mixed in? Are you willing to dump it into YOUR kitchen sink and wash YOUR dishes there?

Very good point....
2oldman
Explorer II
Jun 14, 2015
JaxDad wrote:
... just put your dishes in the tub and take them to the sink and wash them there.
Yeah, provided they have hot water.
toedtoes
Explorer III
Jun 14, 2015
2gypsies wrote:

Also, if you drain a bucket of supposedly dish water from your gray tank, that gray tank also has remainders of your hand washings, teeth brushing, and showers. Is that what you would like the tenters that wash their dishes at the dishwashing sink to use? They assume that the sink is sanitary.

In addition, the grey water was dumped out of the same pipe as your black water. Are you willing to bet there's no feces remnants getting mixed in? Are you willing to dump it into YOUR kitchen sink and wash YOUR dishes there?
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Jun 14, 2015
We once volunteered at Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. Our site was next to the restrooms and we could see the outside 'Dishwashing Sink' from our motorhome.

Two things occurred during our stay:

- A man stripped down naked after dark (there was a light over the sink area). He proceeded to get into the dishwashing sink to take his bath.

- A man carried his porta-potty to the dishwashing sink and emptied it.

Both were kicked out of the park.

Think of this the next time you use that dishwashing sink. :(

Also, if you drain a bucket of supposedly dish water from your gray tank, that gray tank also has remainders of your hand washings, teeth brushing, and showers. Is that what you would like the tenters that wash their dishes at the dishwashing sink to use? They assume that the sink is sanitary.

At another volunteering gig in a national park one of our duties was to dig away the area under the community water spigots to two feet deep and replace with new rock so that water could drain properly and wouldn't sit under the spigots. It seems that even though there are signs at the spigots directly campers not to use them for teeth brushing, dish washing or hair washing, there are those who think the rules are not meant for them. You would not believe the crap, garbage and hair we had to clean out!!

As far as the above statement that the Yellowstone rangers are tough. You cannot imagine the things that go on in the national parks and what they have to deal with daily. Our above experiences were very minimal in comparison.
wbwood
Explorer
Jun 14, 2015
JaxDad wrote:
toedtoes wrote:
Put a dish tub in your sink, use that to wash your dishes and then you can dump the dish tub of water into the drain.

Sounds like it would be a bunch easier to just put your dishes in the tub and take them to the sink and wash them there.

Or just grill stuff. Put stuff in aluminum foil and cook it that way...avoid soup things, they don't work well in foil packets...lol
JaxDad
Explorer III
Jun 14, 2015
toedtoes wrote:
Put a dish tub in your sink, use that to wash your dishes and then you can dump the dish tub of water into the drain.

Sounds like it would be a bunch easier to just put your dishes in the tub and take them to the sink and wash them there.

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