Mbiallas wrote:
Would using something like Drano damage the pipes? The shower drains super slow.
Liquid Drano is safe on metal and plastic. Our owner's manual says to use it. Works great on the black tank to clean the sensors and remove stubborn buildup. If you use an equivalent, make sure the label says it's safe for metal and plastic. Drano makes a version specifically for hair clogs. Don't dump the Drano into an on-site septic disposal system. First thing I would try is take the cover off the shower drain and try and fish hair out. There is a little hair removal snake that works well - see Amazon info.
here. Bathroom sink drains can also get clogged with hair.
Normally you shouldn't be able to smell grey tank odors because a P-trap seals off odors. There is also a one-way air admittance valve (AAV) under a sink that lets relief air flow through a P-trap when water is flowing out of the sink. If left sitting for long periods, P-traps can dry out or if the vent pipe to the roof is plugged, water can be pulled out of a P-trap. The kitchen sink will have a tailpiece under the sink before it goes into the P-trap (see photo) and sometimes they can get coated with grease and "stuff" and smell. Tailpiece fittings are simple to remove, clean and reinstall. AAVs can sometimes fail. We had one fail in about a year from new and replaced it with a similar one from Lowes. It too failed not long afterwards and then replaced it with a quality Oatey one (2nd photo) and it's been fine. AAVs just screw into place. Periodic cleaning of grey tanks is a good idea (geo method or similar). If you use something like bleach, it won't remove buildup inside pipes and tanks and will only temporarily kill bacteria that are causing odors.
