Grey water pipes snake around above floor - can I reroute?

[Theophania_Rex]

I'm looking to convert the back bedroom of my 1995 Leprechaun into an open studio space. However, what appears to be the grey water pipes snake from the shower and the sink on the opposite side, run along the walls, then snake back under the bed (in the picture the pipes are under the long carpeted blocks) before going under the floor at the foot of the bed.

Right now my idea is to raise the floor in the room a few inches to accommodate so that I can have a mostly flat, useable area (I can cut down the blocks in the middle of the room a little, can't do it with the ones along the wall because of valves and electrical lines and stuff), but I'm also wondering why they are installed above the floor anyway, and why the heck they needed to snake them all over the place instead of using more direct lines to the dump valve. Would it be possible to just rerun the pipes to have them go under the floor in a more direct manner, do you see any issue with this?

Raising the floor poses issues of tripping over the step as I walk in as well as decreased headroom.

Thanks!

[Gary45]

I was a service plumber and I can tell you the gray water pipes need slope. Soap, skin cells, food bits, fat, all settle in pipes and over time create sludge blocking pipes and sometimes I had to cut down pipes to take them outside to clean out properly.

[carringb]

I agree, it was done for freeze protection. If you can avoid freezes, or mitigate it some other way, go ahead and re-route. Sloping isn't a big deal for short runs, as long as the pipe is supported so it isn't solely bearing liquid weight.

[Theophania_Rex]

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
Yes, not easy. Since the grey tank is under floor, the lines drain into it from above. Those lines could be rerouted under floor to dump into the tank in its side. Since grey water does not have a solids issue, grading is not a high concern. The u traps under shower likely protrude under the floor so its moot to offset the lines under as well.
You would have to remove the tank, have a side inlet plastic welded into its side, the top fill inlet welded over. Contact a good auto body shop for plastic welding. No glue will work on Poly Ethylene. A rubber flexible coupling to connect pipe to tank will work and allow for vibration and temp changes.

Thanks, this is helpful. Sounds a little too complicated, time consuming and maybe costly. I want to get on the road, like now!


Maybe it would simpler if I left where the pipes enter the floor in the same places, but just rerouted the rest of the piping around the front part of the room? I'd still have piping sticking up over the floor, but at least it would be less in the way and I wouldn't have to build an entire floor on top of everything. And less of a risk of having to to cut through anything under the floor (framing, joists) to get the pipes routed. Still a trip hazard, though, but a lot less work.

[time2roll]

Could you add a second grey tank under the shower?

Could you re-route to the wall edge instead of down the bed support? Otherwise it looks like you need to go through the floor and under.

[Gary45]

To avoid freezing in very cold weather, if camping, as well as proper drainage. The smaller Grey lines are hot and cold water supply to taps. Drain pipes have to be above the top of the tanks.

[Lwiddis]

Rerouted pipes in RVs are problematic. Proceed carefully.

[SDcampowneroper]

Yes, not easy. Since the grey tank is under floor, the lines drain into it from above. Those lines could be rerouted under floor to dump into the tank in its side. Since grey water does not have a solids issue, grading is not a high concern. The u traps under shower likely protrude under the floor so its moot to offset the lines under as well.
You would have to remove the tank, have a side inlet plastic welded into its side, the top fill inlet welded over. Contact a good auto body shop for plastic welding. No glue will work on Poly Ethylene. A rubber flexible coupling to connect pipe to tank will work and allow for vibration and temp changes.