Gray tank not draining completely

[bonitaraders]

Has anyone had a problem with gray tank not draining but 1/2 of the tank? I was at full hookups and someone said they thought if I had it at a different angle it would drain so I raised up the front... didn't help!

[davidmurphy02]

How do you know that it only drained half the tank? If you are going only by the tank gauge, those sensors are notorious for getting clogged with a bit of debris and giving a false positive reading.

[Rockhead]

You need to raise the door side of your trailer so that it is higher than the off door side. Your tank will then drain empty

[bonitaraders]

Because with little water added it goes to the next level and when it says full it is coming up in my shower.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by bonitaraders

Because with little water added it goes to the next level and when it says full it is coming up in my shower.

Unscrew the drain fitting on the bottom of the tank and it will drain completely. After taking the fitting off, you will probably be amazed at the junk collected in it - a good flush and all is good.

[bonitaraders]

Thank u!!!

[MVA]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

Unscrew the drain fitting on the bottom of the tank and it will drain completely. After taking the fitting off, you will probably be amazed at the junk collected in it - a good flush and all is good.

TDF,

Are you referring to a drain fitting on the gray tank?

[Ron in BC]

In cases like this all I'd do is stick a hose into the open end and give it a good blast. If that didn't work then I'd either shove the hose in further and use it as a snake or use a plumber snake.

Actually I sometimes do that anyway when dumping. Just kind of a quick rinse.

That's a good size drain for a low volume application. There must be something that's blocking the exit of tank.

Personally I lean towards trying a hose and snake before undoing fittings.

Ron

[Jill]

Originally Posted by MVA

TDF,

Are you referring to a drain fitting on the gray tank?

I have the same question. I looked and the only drain I could find was that used to dump the tank. And it doesn’t look easy to unscrew.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by Jill

I have the same question. I looked and the only drain I could find was that used to dump the tank. And it doesn’t look easy to unscrew.

It's a sign of getting older I guess. I had the fresh tank in mind when I posted.

I had the same problem with my grey tank that it didn't want to drain past about 1/2 way. After removing the drain plumbing, I found that Escape had plugged the drain pipe connection partially with glue causing a "dam" in the drain. Also, the grey tank piping came into the Valterra T mid pipe instead of at the bottom exasperating the lack of drain slope.

It's a lot of work but here is how I fixed the partial drain issue and quickened up the drain time as well. The grey now drains almost completely empty.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post240325

Here is a pic that explains maybe better. The two short red lines indicate the tank bottom and bottom of the drain pipe connection. That's how much of the grey tank level that never drains. The grey tank piping slope and the connection for the grey tank piping to the Ell drain fitting being in the center instead of the bottom of the fitting prevents the grey from draining any more than that amount. Add to that the about 1/4" of glue dam I had in the grey tank spin fitting and it's easy to see why a grey tank would only drain about 1/2 way.

[Jill]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

It's a sign of getting older I guess. I had the fresh tank in mind when I posted.

I had the same problem with my grey tank that it didn't want to drain past about 1/2 way. After removing the drain plumbing, I found that Escape had plugged the drain pipe connection partially with glue causing a "dam" in the drain. Also, the grey tank piping came into the Valterra T mid pipe instead of at the bottom exasperating the lack of drain slope.

It's a lot of work but here is how I fixed the partial drain issue and quickened up the drain time as well. The grey now drains almost completely empty.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post240325

Here is a pic that explains maybe better. The two short red lines indicate the tank bottom and bottom of the drain pipe connection. That's how much of the grey tank level that never drains. The grey tank piping slope and the connection for the grey tank piping to the Ell drain fitting being in the center instead of the bottom of the fitting prevents the grey from draining any more than that amount. Add to that the about 1/4" of glue dam I had in the grey tank spin fitting and it's easy to see why a grey tank would only drain about 1/2 way.

We are camping again and I’m just seeing this now. We could have the same problem because we tried to stick a hose up the drain end and couldn’t get very far. Might have to get that opened up and check it out. Thanks for the info!

[bonitaraders]

Thank u! I will check that out. I met a lady recently with a 19 foot 2018 and she said she saw where someone post the gauge that gives u the input on how much each tank has in it r goimg out also.

[Iowa Dave]

When I winterize I flush the grey and black tanks with fresh water after they’ve been “emptied” at the dump station at a nearby Iowa DOT rest area. Then I purposely pull off one side of my driveway and remove the shower drain plug. I get a considerable amount sludge out of the grey tank.
Works for me out here in the country.
Iowa Dave