Re: [A/S] waste holding tank valve

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sharon,
 You don't HAVE a grey water tank. If you look closely, and if your
Bambi is similar to my '68 G.T., you'll see a 1 1/2" pipe 'Teed' into
the 3" drain line, connected just AFTER the dump valve. That 1 1/2" line
is the end of your grey water drain system (sink, lav, and shower
drains). In the days when that trailer was built, it was common to
simply let the grey water go onto the ground, and is acceptable in some
places even today.

The Black Tank is located directly beneath the toilet, so that a "flush"
allows the toilet to empty straight down. Unlike your household toilet,
you don't have a several-gallon batch of water to push the waste some
distance to a sewer or septic tank. The outlet from your black tank has
the slide-type dump valve mounted almost directly on it.

Again, if you're looking at it, you'll see a fitting between the valve
itself and the discharge fitting where you attach the hose. That fitting
is where your grey water drains out.

Here's the possible modes of operation:

Travelling down the road: you have the cap on the outlet. You cannot run
any water, anywhere in the trailer, because the only 'grey water
storage' you have is the 1 1/2" piping. The first indication that you've
Done Wrong will be water in the shower, bubbling up through the drain.

In Camp, with sewer hookups: your dump valve is closed, trapping waste
in the black tank, the dump fitting has a hose going to the sewer
connection. Grey water drains to the sewer as you use water in the
trailer. When the black tank is over 1/2 full, you add some more water
and open the dump valve. After it's all drained, add a couple or 3 more
gallons of water down the toilet to finish the job.

In Camp, rustic setting where you don't have campers on a continous
basis: dump valve is closed, grey water runs onto the ground. The usual
connection is a piece of garden hose that's several feet long, connected
to an adaptor on your dump fitting; this makes it clear to anyone
walking by that you're not dumping black water. Some folks use a bucket
under the outlet, usually with a hole in the bottom, or a "leaky" Blue
Bomber tank. You must go to a dump station to empty the Black Tank, or
use a [non-leaky] Blue Bomber to transport the contents to the dump
station periodically.

In Camp, no sewer connection, can't let the grey water run on the
ground: Use your Blue Bomber, connect to the dump fitting with a short
piece of garden hose with a female connection on each end. They sell
these hoses, they're sometimes included with a new Blue Bomber, or you
can make them up. You'll need to dump the Blue Bomber every few days,
depending on its size and your water usage habits.

As above, but no Blue Bomber: install a cap on your dump fitting and
open the dump valve. The grey water will 'back up' into the Black Tank,
which will now serve dual purpose (and fill MUCH faster!). You must
close the dump valve before removing the cap to drain the contents;
you'll get a quart or 2 of (mostly) grey water as the end of the lines
drain out. If you forget to close the drain valve, you're gonna have a
helluva mess, poop all over your shoes, etc.

I hope this makes it a bit more clear.

                                           <<Jim>>