S&S camper lacks grey tank

[B59]

I recently bought a 2003 S&S 9 SCS with some water damage. I am in the process of rebuilding it. I love the camper and am amazed at the build quality compared to my old coachman truck camper and previous toy hauler. However I noticed it only has one drain valve at the back, and it appears all the fixtures drain straight into the black tank, looking in the basement and following the plumbing. I cannot find any drain valves anywhere, and see only one long tank in the basement on the left hand side, with the 2nd space where another tank would fit being empty storage space.

This is concerning as I do a good bit of boondocking. It reads 30 gal, which won’t last long with everything draining into it. I can bring a tote but annoying to have to smell black water all the time. Looking like I’ll have to add a grey tank.

I didn’t think it was even legal to lack a grey tank on a modern rv, and with the quality of everything else it surprises me. It looks factory plumbing wise, doesn’t appear rigged or anything.

Does anyone know if this is common in these campers/have experience with this? Can’t find much information online regarding the plumbing of s&s campers, any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[TCBob]

I have an 2004 S&S 8.5 SC, Not the exact model or length. I do have 2 tanks, gray and black. I know one is a litle bigger than the other something like 16 and 18 gal. We love ours as well. Nothing to do with the tanks, but I repaired some water damage, and made some big mistake thinking I was making it better, made the problem worse. Happy to talk about that if interested message me.
Bob

[BFL13]

B59 wrote:
Thanks for the insight, helpful to know that TCs are exempt from any kind of codes, and that this isn’t that unusual. It looks like I’ll just be adding a 30 grey tank and replumbing the grey fixtures into it.

The blue tote is a great idea, and I will additionally bring one or two in the trailer with me for extra capacity when needed (We’re not the most conservative with water, coming from a toy hauler with a large capacity). But I must add a grey tank for the convenience, and as I tow various trailers behind the tc, would be inconvenient to have to wheel it out of the trailers whenever I needed to use a fixture when on the road, but they are excellent for boondocking.

Ours is just to get by a couple of days, such as when visiting and you don't want to dump grey water in their driveway.

Here are two photos how ours is. You will want to keep the receiver clear for towing--will need extension too. The tank has to be hung up tight for not bouncing. It is heavy when near full. Also secure against fore and aft swinging. I used an old washer hose as shown there.

You could add a 90 turn and a valve to the tank "top" now at the bottom, but it would be in danger of getting knocked off hanging so low.

[specta]

B59 wrote:
We’re not the most conservative with water

Neither am I :B

I can take 75 gallons of fresh water with me when I go camping. My camper only has a 22 gallon gray tank. That's not very big and fills fast.

[B59]

Thanks for the insight, helpful to know that TCs are exempt from any kind of codes, and that this isn’t that unusual. It looks like I’ll just be adding a 30 grey tank and replumbing the grey fixtures into it.

The blue tote is a great idea, and I will additionally bring one or two in the trailer with me for extra capacity when needed (We’re not the most conservative with water, coming from a toy hauler with a large capacity). But I must add a grey tank for the convenience, and as I tow various trailers behind the tc, would be inconvenient to have to wheel it out of the trailers whenever I needed to use a fixture when on the road, but they are excellent for boondocking.

[Grit_dog]

Well, just like most things, a little common sense and not getting into an internet peeing match goes a long way.
There is about a 0.00% chance that dumping some gray water actually hurts anything (common sense, remember, dumping it into your neighbors campsite will hurt their feelings understandably, because you're the idiot in this scenario).
The rules are in place due to the Cousin Eddy factor, not unlike alot of rules or laws. Because there are alot of cousin eddys out there!

[Kayteg1]

California at least used to encourage homeowners to use their gray water for garden watering in years of drought.
But beware that sink/shower water is consider gray only when dumped during or right after the use. Once the water stays in the tank for more than 4 hr it becomes black water as bacteria in it grows.
So now back to Specta, do you dump grey water, or do you dump black water?

[specta]

mkirsch wrote:
From that third tablet dropped by Moses during "History of the World Part I:"

XI. Thou shalt not admit to dumping thy water of grayeth directly unto the earth.

jaycocreek wrote:

mkirsch wrote:
From that third tablet dropped by Moses during "History of the World Part I:"

XI. Thou shalt not admit to dumping thy water of grayeth directly unto the earth.

Or from the Wolf doctrine....SSS in this case DSS...lol

[jaycocreek]

mkirsch wrote:
From that third tablet dropped by Moses during "History of the World Part I:"

XI. Thou shalt not admit to dumping thy water of grayeth directly unto the earth.

Or from the Wolf doctrine....SSS in this case DSS...lol

[mkirsch]

From that third tablet dropped by Moses during "History of the World Part I:"

XI. Thou shalt not admit to dumping thy water of grayeth directly unto the earth.

[specta]

Lwiddis wrote:
“Most of these will not harm animals or plants.”

YOUR words...MOST of these.

Cut and pasted from a website.

What do you think that I put down my sink or shower is going to kill or harm plant or wildlife??

Especially when I dig a hole 18" deep and cover it up when I'm done?

CLICKABLE LINK - Water Education Foundation

"Graywater in California
California has legislated household use of gray water for irrigation since 1992. Since, the state has developed standards for plumbing design and equipment to ensure that gray water is safe for intended uses.

In 2010, for instance, California simplified its plumbing code to make it easier for homeowners to divert household wastewater for use in their yards.

Communities, too, have addressed gray water. San Diego, for example, voted to ease its gray water rules in 2013. However, cities or counties can also adopt more restrictive standards if they wish.

According to official figures, a typical California household produces more than 10,000 gallons of gray water between May and October."

So if you can water your lawn in CA with the gray water from you house, just how much damage to the environment do you think I'm doing with what little I leave behind?

[specta]

Lwiddis wrote:
https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/LTVASupplementaryRules.pdf

“16. Dumping. Do not dump sewage, gray water, or garbage on the ground. This includes motor oil and any other waste products. Federal, state, and county sanitation laws and county ordinances specifically prohibit these practices. Sanitary dump station locations are shown in the LTVA brochure. You must have an LTVA permit for dumping within all LTVA campgrounds.”

Now we will see posted “...a ranger said...”

As I read this it only applies to Long-Term Visitor Area's on BLM land.

Looks like all the LTVA are in the desert in CA, NV and NM.

Doesn't apply to any of Utah or any other public land.

I've done my homework on dumping gray water where I camp, both on line and in person with US Forest Service and BLM Rangers.

The only restriction is that they don't want it dumped in or near streams and rivers.

[BFL13]

Not sure with that camper, but EG, in our last two older ones, no grey tank either. Idea was dump the grey into a ditch with a hose, or put it in the black tank till you dumped that.

Our camper is long enough that it hangs out the back of the 8ft truck box. I got one of those blue tote sani-tanks and hung it upside down there supported underneath by a ball hitch with no ball, out of the hitch receiver.

I cut a hole in the bottom (now on top) and have a short hose that runs from the sani-cap with the hose connection to it, to the tote. The hose has to be fat enough to let water out as fast as your sink pours it in, or it will come up from the shower drain.

Ours has a grey tank valve, but the OP would have to add the valve somehow so he can isolate the black and dump the grey. Just leave it all open so when you use water in the RV sinks, it goes down into the blue tote (spray painted to the truck's colour)

When you can, as in your yard at home (or whenever you can get away with it), to dump the grey tote tank, just put a bucket under it and undo the main screw top, now on the bottom. If you do that on a rainy day, the rain washes it all away so there is no smell. 🙂

[jaycocreek]

I've had two campers that only had one tank,Grey and black went into it..In some ways it was good and in others,not so much..

[Lwiddis]

https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/LTVASupplementaryRules.pdf

“16. Dumping. Do not dump sewage, gray water, or garbage on the ground. This includes motor oil and any other waste products. Federal, state, and county sanitation laws and county ordinances specifically prohibit these practices. Sanitary dump station locations are shown in the LTVA brochure. You must have an LTVA permit for dumping within all LTVA campgrounds.”

Now we will see posted “...a ranger said...”