Mislabeled Sewage dump valves

[Ruffus]

Read on the blog the other day about someones sewage dump valves being labeled wrong and it got me thinking. Mine are labeled from front to rear, Black water, Grey water and Galley. If the sink and shower are forward of the toilet in the bathroom it would only make since the the Grey water would be forward of the black water tank just to save the extra cost of the CPVC pipe. Well to make a long story short, mine are also mis labeled. I dumped the black water valve and the grey water indicator lights dropped like a lead ballon. Thanks for the heads up.
Jim B.

[lonewolf]

My black water drain is 3 inch and the gray water is 1 1/2 inches pretty much cut and dry sewage needs a bigger pipe than gray water does. But that is just how mine is.

[jimbob]

I have a 2010 Fuzion 302 TE II. They had the lables wrong on the 2 front drain valves. I am a plumbing and heating contractor, the black & front grey water tank valves are behind the frame, can only see the pull handles. I also have a second grey water tank and 1-1/2" drain valve for the rear tank (kitchen & laundry). I have a nice lable maker, so I just made new labels and added lables to other things, like lp gas connection, air compressor, rear ramp switch, fueling station & instructions including ground clamp in case someone else uses it. Stuff Happens.

[MightyMike]

Originally Posted by lonewolf

My black water drain is 3 inch and the gray water is 1 1/2 inches pretty much cut and dry sewage needs a bigger pipe than gray water does. But that is just how mine is.

On the bigger units with enclosed underbellies the valves aren't exposed. They are cable actuated, inside a compartment on the side of the unit. Easiest way to tell if they're right- drain all the tanks completely, and close the black tank handle. Go inside and run the water in the tub. If water comes out, you're O.K. If not, shut the water off, and then open the black valve you had just shut. If water starts draining then, they're labeled wrong.

[bennydog]

This might sound a bit odd but I use a clear plastic 45 degree coupler between the stinky slinky and the trailer so I can see whats going on. That way I know when they tanks are completely empty. I guess a side benefit is that I can tell I'm draining the tank I think I am.

[sloopdog 1]

My f/w didn't have anything to show which valve handle was which.It was new, so I ran water into the black tank using the commode, then put in one of the orange deodorant packs,and opened and closed the valves until orange water came out.A magic marker took care of the missing label.

[Ruffus]

To easy guys, if you have your D/W pull the elbow out of the sewer pipe and then pull the valve open, tell her to holler when she sees the brown trout swimming by, then you know which valve is witch.

[The Sod Father]

Originally Posted by bennydog

This might sound a bit odd but I use a clear plastic 45 degree coupler between the stinky slinky and the trailer so I can see whats going on. That way I know when they tanks are completely empty. I guess a side benefit is that I can tell I'm draining the tank I think I am.

+1. The clear elbow is a must have. Especially when looking for the swimming brown trout.

[kisgrigg]

I posted a problem earlier about not being able to dump my #2 gray tank, and saw this posting about the mislabeling of the valves. Did a little experiment pulling the black tank handle, and voila! the gray tank emptied. I think it might be helpful if the owners manual was a little more detailed. The eHow website had more information than the factory manual did.

[SteveC7010]

Originally Posted by kisgrigg

I posted a problem earlier about not being able to dump my #2 gray tank, and saw this posting about the mislabeling of the valves. Did a little experiment pulling the black tank handle, and voila! the gray tank emptied. I think it might be helpful if the owners manual was a little more detailed. The eHow website had more information than the factory manual did.

The problem now is that your black tank has been sitting there for several days with the valve open. That means that all the fluids are drained and the solids are beginning to build up which can be a very difficult situation to reverse.

Fill the black tank with water to at least 3/4 full. Let it sit for a half day or so and then drain it. Repeat several times.

It's a good practice to only open the black valve when you want to dump. Leave it closed most of the time to allow sufficient fluid to soften the solids and then float them away from under the toilet drain pipe. Adequate fluid in the black tank also helps to move out the solids when you do dump.

There are several other recent threads about the black tank problem. They contain more detail about solving it and preventing it.

As for the owner's manual, we all recognize that the Keystone manual is generic and very short on detail. Our forum here contains more valuable information than the manual ever could. I recommend reading over as much as possibly can. Many of the older threads are virtual goldmines of information.

[michol02]

Relabeled mine last week.

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

Puzzle solved !!!

Keystone has pourposely mis-labled the valves.
Reason ...
So that when those miscreatiants that
enjoy 'pranks' pull the Black handle (as marked),
while you are at a fuel stop or taking a break from
driving, so you'll have a mess on your hands (kinda
literialy), when you go to hook-up.... will only be pulling
the Gray valve....

hankaye

[Big Boy w/ Big Toys]

If you have a solids problem in your blackwater tank, fill your tanks about 1/2 to 3/4 and then 5 or 6 bags of ice, enough ice that it just doesn't melt away, then go for a ride. The ice sloshing around will help break up the solids. So a nice twisty back road or a lot of city blocks with lots of left and right turns. Even a couple of good steep angled lot entries will help.

[The Sod Father]

The above is a good suggestion but I would also add a hefty amount of laundry detergent to the cocktail to help liquify solids. Gross, I know.. but ARE talking about brown trout.