slow draining waste tank
Hi, i've noticed that the waste tank on our Bailey Advance 635 is extremely slow at emptying, has anyone else had the same problem.
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What's the diameter of your drain valve, Nel? Ours is 1inch and the tank drains reasonably quickly. Sometimes there can be a sag in the pipe between tank and drain valve and that inevitably slows the process.
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We have the Bailey 625SE and yes the tanks are really slow to drain, my OH took the tap off and removed the baffles from the inside this has helped a bit.
If you don't already know there is a facebook group of Bailey motorhome owners that you could join for lots of very good tips and help.
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I have an Autograph 745 and a common problem is swarfe (cuttings from the manufacturing process) blocking the inside of the drain tap. It is possible to pull the tap off and then clean out the swarfe. I did it to mine and it did speed up the draining, but
I've noticed all makes of MH are also quite slow at draining.0 -
I have a Bailey 740 and would agree that it is a bit on the slow side. I have drilled out the baffles from inside the tap part and that did improve things. The main problem is that because Bailey use the low profile AlKo chassis the waste water system is
already low to the ground. Using pipes of a great diameter might make that situation worse.David
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as above, it might also depend on how convoluted the route is from the exit point of the tank to the actual tap....in some vans, this can be quite a journey for the water, making it more susceptible to (say) height changes in the pipework.
if its really an issue (as in drives you mad) you could try the 'baffle' clearing as suggested earlier.....or, Id have a look at the route of the pipework and see if its possible to shorten it in any way, and if so, see if a larger
bore pipe would have any adverse effect to put alongside its advantage of a faster flow.....a further suggestion, ive seen some mods where most of the pipework is binned and the actual exit point from the tank effectively becomes the drain by fitting a gate valve very close to the tank, replacing the existing plastic tap....
the valve could be operated either from inside the van (small hole reqd to allow control wire through) or from outside by running the control cable to the outside edge of the van.
the mod was carried out by a reader and published in MMM a year or so ago...in fact, i think he used an electric gate valve, so just pressed a switch to dump the waste.....and far more quickly.
the other issue is that you would have to position the van a bit differently when draining and the control of the flow might be from the inside of the van, where you cant see what your doing.
however, this isnt a problem if the van is placed correctly.
although our outlet is to the offside of the van, its a very short and broad pipe with the valve inside the tank, rather than on the end of the exit pipe, so no water resides in the pipe.
your van can be improved, im sure, just depends on how confident you are on a DIY project, or your faith in others to do it for you...
good luck.
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Thanks everyone, seems its a common problem, i will have a look underneath.
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Hi again, problem solved slightly- simply pull off the tap and flow is greatly increased !
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I don't know your specific MH, but just check that you have at least one plug removed when you drain, (to let air into the tank) it might make a difference.
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Hi again, problem solved slightly- simply pull off the tap and flow is greatly increased !
as mentioned upthread, the tap (for those with the the ones stuck on the end of the pipe) usually jas a baffle which some have removed or drilled out....
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It seems mad that some manufacturers would use 1" pipework for a drain....I suppose they save a few pence!!!!!
Its not to save a few pounds. Baileys use the low profile Al-Ko chassis so the waste pipe is always going to be lower than many motorhomes. Using a larger diameter pipe would make everything even lower and risk grounding. Bailey motorhome owners on their
Facebook group have come up with all sorts of different methods of changing the system to speed up emptying of the tank. However apart from removing the baffles in the tap I have not found an alternative I would be happy to follow!!!David
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As are most m/van waste outlets
Not necesarily slow but not user friendly ,and then expecting caravan site operators to spend large sums to counter the poor design
I don't know if that's actually accurate, it's very much dependant on the manufacturer and in some cases the model. I have had 13 motorhomes and don't recall any of them having an issue, I have obviously been lucky. I had a Bustner Elegance 821 where the
water gushed out. I changed it to a 900 model which had an electric control valve, this restricted flow a little but no real issue. Current van has option to divert grey water through the black water tank to flush the black water system. It flows very well
and empties quickly. It also has a lot to do with the angle the vans sitting at if the design has only a gradual slope. Drive onto levelling blocks if need be to help flow.0 -
As are most m/van waste outlets
Not necesarily slow but not user friendly ,and then expecting caravan site operators to spend large sums to counter the poor design
I don't know if that's actually accurate, it's very much dependant on the manufacturer and in some cases the model. I have had 13 motorhomes and don't recall any of them having an issue, I have obviously been lucky. I had a Bustner Elegance 821 where the
water gushed out. I changed it to a 900 model which had an electric control valve, this restricted flow a little but no real issue. Current van has option to divert grey water through the black water tank to flush the black water system. It flows very well
and empties quickly. It also has a lot to do with the angle the vans sitting at if the design has only a gradual slope. Drive onto levelling blocks if need be to help flow.Write your comments here...Its not if they flow well its the "dance" thats needed to line up with the waste point,as what should be is an extention hose to enable M/van to stop clear of point and just drop pipe into the drain,the US RVs are ,it seems, the
only ones that have have a proper system0 -
I did the "baffle removal" mod recently on our Bailey, and found it has helped a lot. I'm not good at practical stuff, but found it straightforward.
If you're anxious about trying it, I first saw it in another forum, with these instructions and pictures:
"Firstly there is an 'inner' core on the outlet side of the tap which has a half covered inside to it. I started to cut the half bits out, but found the whole inner bit comes out easily as with all the grey pipe it is only push fit.
Next I removed the tap, by turning it slightly to the point where it lines up with gaps in its locating ring and then pulls out. The hole is quite small in the tap and I simply made it much bigger.
Photos can be found at:-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38026671@N08/8523648809/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38026671@N08/8524758394/ "0
