Slow draining water pipes
Has anyone any tips to help water to drain more quickly, can one use Buster or equivalent product? We always pour boiling water down frequently and use a strainer on the plug hole but the water drains very slowly. Thanks for any ideas.
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Annoying isn't it.
Caravans often has long runs of small bore horizontal drains that are not conducive to fast draining.
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You might be wrong in thinking that the slow draining is actually because the pipes are blocked. Caravan and motorhome drain pipes are often of relatively narrow size compared to home and usually have to thread round various parts of the unit to get to either the waste tank or outside waste container. We don't have a problem with our main sink in our motorhome but the bathroom hand basin is often slow to drain. I have been known to cup my hand over the plug hole to create a bit of suction and this often works. I would be cautious of using household cleaning products in a motorhome for the use you intend just incase the plumbing is not robust enough to stand up to the chemical.
David
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in many vans, low set external underslung tanks mean theres little fall between the hole in the tank and the actual exit point.
little consideration as to how you're actually going to get rid of the water and hopeless tiny bore pipework doesnt help.
most installations look like the waste water pipework was a complete afterthought.
some do it far better, but why should only some vans be able to drain a waste tank sensibly?
poor design, lack of interest, poor components are three reasons.
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in that case, it will still be poor design, lack of interest and poor components
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Could be a combination of things. Some prevention is better than trying to cure, we always use a wash up bowl and don't let wash up water go into tank, throw it straight away. This helps with even tiny bits of food and any fatty deposits. White vinegar down pipes, or rolla cola also helps remove some of crud from pipes. But take a look at some of other options suggested as well. Long pipe runs and intersecting pipes don't help in modern vans.
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it costs no more to place a waste disposal point in a convenient position than to place it in an inaccessible one....
poor MHSP's are nothing to do with MH designers.
your hobby horse has bolted
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JVB, with respect, I don't think the MH waste points have much to do with this OP. It sounds like a slow draining sink into waste tank, either onboard or into a wastemaster. Either way, it's the onboard pipe work that is the issue. It's not clear if the OP owns a van or a MH.
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On my previous Clubman ES the sink drainage was pathetic. I had to take the caravan to the dealer for another reason and asked that they sort out the sink drainage. They rerouted the pipework and all was fine. Present caravan is no problem - same model but later version. Certainly worth checking underneath.
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Thanks to all , sorry, we have a motorhome and the problem is with the sink.. We do use a bowl and straner in the plug hole and also put Thetford Blue down and waste tank cleaner to no avail. It has always been slow but this last holiday was very slow. Will try a plunger on next visit and maybe Cola. We are not very technically minded so altering anything maybe doing more harm than good! Thanks again
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You put toilet chemical in your waste water tank! I’m not sure that’s a great idea as waste tanks are not of the same construction as toilet cassettes.
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When you say Thetford Blue do you mean the Thetford Tank Cleaner, which happens to be blue? I have used that but really just to freshen things up. You seem to be taking sensible precautions to prevent rubbish blocking the pipe so it's possible that it is just a slow draining sink. I did wonder about suggesting a washing soda solution which might help. However you do have to be so careful with general kitchen chemicals that they don't attack connections etc.
David
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In all the years we've been camping, with numerous units, we've always had similar problems. As well as the comments already made above it also depends how level your unit is at the time etc etc. It's very rare the pipes are blocked, more than likely very thin and/or routed poorly. Some days ours drain ok, some days not.
The best method I have of dealing with this is to buy a cheap plunger and if the sink decides not to drain, I just give a couple of light plunges and normally that sorts the problem just fine. Don't be too rough, you don't want to break anything further down the pipe with too much pressure, just enough to create a little suction. I hope this helps.
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Beware the plunger if you have push fit pipes. It will push them apart. Perhaps not straight away but enough to just hold until there is a build up of something nasty!
My caravan is trailer not motor so I was able to modify the galley waste by removing the bend where it turned to go along the underside of the floor. It now exits straight into the Wastemaster with a very satisfying whoosh.
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Our Autotrail Apache 634 has the same problem with the sink which is located above the fridge. I have had the pipework apart several times trying to improve the flow, and the dealer has also checked it out !
Hallsontour has said it depends upon how level the van is, and this is true in our case. If the van is down at the front the sink takes ages to drain. If it is level, or slightly up at the front the flow improves, so we always make sure we have the level correct.
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it was posted in the motorhome section....but this may not mean anything i agree
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Well spotted BB, that had passed me by I must admit, possibly too much festive spirit!
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Since moving from caravan to MH we spent many months studying this because of a smelly tank and the outcome was to use a tank cleaner periodically, depending on how regular you use your van and give it a good flush out to ensure there is no food blockages, which very quickly start to smell. We also use a dish and empty into the outside drain and when in warmer climes, we use our caravan Fiamma waste container and empty that daily.
But one very important thing is to ensure your van is level both from back to front and side to side. If it is impossible or inconvenient to get your van level, park it so it slopes in favour of your drainage, especially if you are there for a while.
BillC
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It would be nice if the manufacturers of caravans of all types had a thought for the people who will ultimately use them and at least made all the wastes drain in the same direction so they could all work with the same tilt to the caravn.
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