Grey Water Tank Overflow

[matilsky]

Last night, Someone Who Isn't Me left the bathroom sink on for about 4 hours. When discovered, the bathroom floor well had naturally completely filled with water, but miraculously, the rest of the trailer flooring was dry! When SWIM went out to dump the tank (at 2:30 am) it was clear that the tank had vented to the ground; water everywhere. But none in the trailer (other than the bath)!

Our 2014 19' does not have any wheel well vent, but does have a grey tank roof vent on the passenger side. However, it seems to me that there would have to be (miraculously!) an overflow vent (or leak) at precisely the height of the bathroom floor well, in order for the rest of the trailer to have remained dry. Is that possible, or is it just that the connection between the drain piping and the tank was not sealed, and water just ran out the top?

I checked the previous grey water vent threads, but they mostly addressed the sewer gas smell issue, which, by the way, we don't have.

[davidmurphy02]

I don't know if things were different back in 2014, but now at least there are channels under the floor and several drain holes so that in the event of any kind of leak, water would have a way to run out. Perhaps when your bathroom floor well filled up, as water got to the top of the opening at the bottom of the doorway it was able to leak into the wall at that point, ran down under the floor, and got out through one of the drains in the bottom of the shell.

Again, don't know if it has always been this way, but there are usually pieces of clear plastic tubing protruding down from the drain holes in the bottom of the shell at several points. You might look under the trailer and see if you can spot one of those in the area where the water outside seems to have been concentrated. If that's what happened, then you can thank Escape's design feature for saving you from having a much worse flood inside the trailer by allowing a way for the water to exit.

[matilsky]

Thank you! That makes sense. I'll check under the trailer later today....

[sclifrickson]

Some of the older trailers had a tank overflow valve inside one of the wheel wells. I’d think this is more likely than all the overflow leaking into the door jamb and then through the weep channels.

[matilsky]

I checked that. We don't have that valve on ours....

[rubicon327]

Was the shower drain plug in tight? Just wondering if the water in the bath was from an overflowing sink or the full gray tank pushing water backwards up through the shower drain.

Also how much water flow? Was the sink left on full or just a trickle?

[matilsky]

We always leave the shower drain plug loose, just to get an idea if the grey water tank is too full. So what happened is that the bathroom sink drained into the tank, and with the water continually running, eventually overflowed the shower drain and began filling up the bathroom well. SWIM does not remember how strong the flow was from the sink, but it is clear that at least 50 gallons (and probably much more) came out of the faucet until it was discovered....

[barry]

As someone else said the older trailers used to have an overflow vent in the wheel well and the really old 17B ones (2005/6) it was on the passenger side of the trailer, it came up through the floor in the closet and then outside by the door. The weep holes in the lower channels of the floor are way too small to drain large amounts of water as they are really only meant for condensation.

The only plausible reason for water to exit the grey tank and not flood the trailer would be one of two things in my mind, 1) There is an overflow drain built into the grey tank that goes into action when the water volume in the shower well or trailer pipes reaches a certain height, 2) The grey water drain dump valve was left in a slightly open position allowing it to drain.

My thinking is that Reace was always improving the trailers and if he made allowances for a grey water overflow drain in the earlier trailers then he wouldn't take it out in later trailers, he would just hide it better so it wasn't an eyesore.

Think of this scenario; If the shower drain is in the closed position with the trailer being used normally and a happy camper was not keeping track of how full their grey water tank was getting, as it filled, without some kind of overflow drain, it would start filling up the pipes leading up to to bathroom and kitchen sinks. Underneath the kitchen counter in the trailers is an open vent pipe, which is slightly higher than the bottom of the sinks, water would then start flowing out of that vent pipe and all through the lower cupboards. I've never heard of that happening and I can't see Reace designing a trailer where that would be allowed to happen. That aforementioned happy camper would not be a happy camper anymore.
Barry

[matilsky]

The fact that the bath drain is lockable at all, leads me to think that your analysis is correct. I would think that accidentally shutting off the bath drain, and forgetting to open it, would be a fairly common occurrence. If there wasn't an alternative way for overflow water to escape, it would be disastrous, as you point out.

For me, the amazing thing was that just before the bath overflowed, the water level stopped rising. So that alternative drain vent must be perfectly placed. Hopefully, this was one of those Reace/Tammy brilliant strokes.

By the way, I looked for some sort of flange or channel between the bath well and the door opening, and couldn't find anything obvious.

[barry]

Originally Posted by matilsky

The fact that the bath drain is lockable at all, leads me to think that your analysis is correct. I would think that accidentally shutting off the bath drain, and forgetting to open it, would be a fairly common occurrence. If there wasn't an alternative way for overflow water to escape, it would be disastrous, as you point out.

For me, the amazing thing was that just before the bath overflowed, the water level stopped rising. So that alternative drain vent must be perfectly placed. Hopefully, this was one of those Reace/Tammy brilliant strokes.

By the way, I looked for some sort of flange or channel between the bath well and the door opening, and couldn't find anything obvious.

For sure there is no overflow in the shower well for when the shower is on, by just standing in there one would know the water was rising. But, if someone was using the other sinks and the grey water tank started to fill right up then the water would back up into the pipes and shower well if the shower drain was open or just the pipes if the shower drain was closed. My theory was when it backed up like that then there is an overflow built into the pipe that would allow the water to exit the trailer prior to flooding it either through the shower well overflowing or through the vent under the sink.
Barry

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by matilsky

The fact that the bath drain is lockable at all, leads me to think that your analysis is correct. I would think that accidentally shutting off the bath drain, and forgetting to open it, would be a fairly common occurrence. If there wasn't an alternative way for overflow water to escape, it would be disastrous, as you point out.

For me, the amazing thing was that just before the bath overflowed, the water level stopped rising. So that alternative drain vent must be perfectly placed. Hopefully, this was one of those Reace/Tammy brilliant strokes.

By the way, I looked for some sort of flange or channel between the bath well and the door opening, and couldn't find anything obvious.

If you are looking for the built in moat, it is around the perimeter exterior wall all the way around with the trailer floor raised above the depression. If you open and outside compartment or look along the back wall you may see it where the wall does not extend all the way. Outside underneath are weep holes that allow any liquid to escape. You can see several holes around the entire trailer perimeter underneath.

[davidmurphy02]

Worth an email to the ETI service department, they could probably tell you right away how that water was flowing out if you describe what happened to them.

partsandservice@escapetrailer.com

[matilsky]

Good suggestion. Will do this now....

[cvanzan]

I can tell you for certain that on my 2017 21' if the shower drain is closed then the next place that overflow grey water appears is the kitchen sink.

Don't ask me how I know.

[barry]

Originally Posted by cvanzan

I can tell you for certain that on my 2017 21' if the shower drain is closed then the next place that overflow grey water appears is the kitchen sink.

Don't ask me how I know.

If that is the case then they must have done away with the open vent under the counter or put a vapour lock on it because that is near to the height of the bottom of the sink on both Escapes I've owned and I've often thought of what might happen if the grey tank overflowed until hearing of Matilsky's experience.
Barry

[cvanzan]

Originally Posted by barry

If that is the case then they must have done away with the open vent under the counter or put a vapour lock on it because that is near to the height of the bottom of the sink on both Escapes I've owned and I've often thought of what might happen if the grey tank overflowed until hearing of Matilsky's experience.
Barry

I had the overflow condition shortly after I got the trailer. I thought that there would be an overflow tube like my Scamp, but after my overflow condition a call to Reace confirmed that my 21' would either overflow into the shower or back up into the kitchen sink. He explained why they didn't have an overflow tube, but I forget what it was. I now check the grey water tank indicator lamp like I should have in the 1st place.
CVZ

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by cvanzan

I can tell you for certain that on my 2017 21' if the shower drain is closed then the next place that overflow grey water appears is the kitchen sink.

Don't ask me how I know.

You are not alone, we have had that same experience. For us anyway, I didn't see it as a negative. Colleen says, "something is wrong with my sink, it won't drain!"
On edit, as cvanzan states, we also check the tanks more often now.

[matilsky]

I heard back from Dustin at ETI. His reply seemed either irrelevant or confusing, so I have requested clarification....

[matilsky]

Dustin said:
"There are no other vents, the water has likely found its way down the drain holes that are in every trailer. Yours will also have these drain holes."


So it would appear that davidmurphy02's idea is back in play. What I will do is that next time I dump the grey water tank, I will fill it to the brim, wait for a LITTLE water to appear in the shower drain, and see if any water shows itself outside the trailer. At least then I'll know whether the grey water tank is compromised, or not....

[barry]

Originally Posted by matilsky

Dustin said:
"There are no other vents, the water has likely found its way down the drain holes that are in every trailer. Yours will also have these drain holes."


So it would appear that davidmurphy02's idea is back in play. What I will do is that next time I dump the grey water tank, I will fill it to the brim, wait for a LITTLE water to appear in the shower drain, and see if any water shows itself outside the trailer. At least then I'll know whether the grey water tank is compromised, or not....

Well that might be it if there is no vent you might have a crack or hole in the grey tank. It will be interesting to hear of the outcome.
Barry