Water in shower pan after travel - Auto drain valve

[Tom and Doreen]

On our return trip home from Oliver we noticed standing water in the shower pan. The "auto drain" valve had been closed as was evident by the standing water not draining from the pan and the light in the closet was not blinking.  How is it possible that water from the grey tank can pass through the valve in one direction and not the other? Once I opened the valve the water drained out of the shower pan as expected. I didn't see any evidence of water entering the pan from any other source. Could hydraulic pressure be forcing water through the valve as the water sloshes around in the grey tank while driving?  

[AndrewK]

My guess would be, you ran water in the bathroom sink and didn’t realize it.

That is the only thing I know of that would have caused what you described.

We may have done that oneself or twice ourselves…

Andrew

[Steph and Dud B]

I put a REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT keychain on the bathroom faucet handle when I close the valve before travel. Too many wet socks...

1x Remove Before Flight Red Key Chain by Apex Imports(1 Pack) https://a.co/d/2OxwnZE

[Mike and Carol]

If the gate won’t let water drain it won’t let water back up into the shower drain.  I agree with Andrew, you may have run water in the sink after closing the gate.  That’s the only source of water in the bath.  Hydraulic pressure won’t do it.  We’ve traveled thousands of miles with a nearly full gray tank, never any issues.  Running water with the gate closed causes issues everytime, mostly wet socks and wet bath rug.  Mike

[topgun2]

There is one more possibility - 

If you were on rough roads and/or took turns too sharply - it is possible that water from the toilet came out of the bowl, particularly if you had the bowl full before you hit the road.🤢

Bill

[Tom and Doreen]

I'm sure that there was no water in the sink before departure. After looking at the auto drain drawing, simply a typical gate valve with a motor and rack gear, I suspect that the gate was either not completely closed or there was some small amount of debris preventing it from sealing. What I should have done was to not open the valve immediately after finding the water in the shower pan and see if the water would seep back into the tank on it's own over time. I can certainly do that test but I won't be able to do a "slosh test" as the rig is now winterized ( and it's going to be -4 degrees soon  ☹️). 

[rideandfly]

We had a cracked bathroom exterior fan cap that that would drip water on the shower floor when raining. Did you drive through rain when the water appeared?

[Geronimo John]

On 2/1/2023 at 7:15 AM, Mike and Carol said:

I agree with Andrew, you may have run water in the sink after closing the gate.  That’s the only source of water in the bath.

On my OE2 if I have closed the drain valve for travel, I and use the kitchen sink, it will fill the shower drain P-trap and overflow water into the shower drain pan.  That resulted in my FIRST wet socks experience.  

[Tom and Doreen]

Hello All -

Thank you for your thoughts.  We have a composting toilet so no water possible from that source and luckily we had mostly good weather for our ride back to CT (very lucky to avoid snow and ice storms!). For sure, the drain valve was closed as well. In thinking back, I don't believe we ran water in either sink after closing the valve, but I wouldn't bet on it as we did have rest and lunch stops along the way and we might have washed hands without thinking about it. I like the idea of signs near both sinks to remind us not to use them after the valve is closed! We will post some pictures and list the few issues we have had in the near future.  Unfortunately, in the week we have been home I have been dealing with severe lower back and thigh pain - apparently from a pinched nerve. PT will hopefully have me ready for local weekend adventures in Olive in a few weeks. Tom retires 3/31 so we will be heading south soon thereafter - very exciting as we love our cozy home on wheels!

Best, Doreen

[Steph and Dud B]

Hi, Doreen. You don't have to worry about the kitchen sink. Only the bathroom sink can back up into the shower pan.

Hope you feel better soon. Maybe we'll see you guys at Hammonasset sometime!

Dudley

[Mike and Carol]

I hope Tom will be feeling better soon!  I don’t know of any Oliver owners who haven’t had wet socks or bath rug because they either forgot to close the gate or closed it and then ran water.  After 7 years I just did it after we returned from Arizona a couple of weeks ago.  DUH!   Mike

[ScubaRx]

On 2/1/2023 at 9:40 AM, Tom and Doreen said:

Could hydraulic pressure be forcing water through the valve as the water sloshes around in the grey tank while driving?  

No. The only way that clean fresh water can get into the shower pan is from above.

Black water CAN find its way into the pan from below but that’s a whole ‘nother issue requiring a perfect storm of very specific circumstances. 

[Tom and Doreen]

Thank you for the well wishes and it's good to know the "water in the shower pan" issue is likely because we ran water after closing the valve. Also nice to know that we aren't the first ones to do it! 😀 Dudley, it would be great to meet up at Hammonassett - it's an easy ride from home. The one limitation is that we will need to go when we can bring our four-legged girl Joy. As a bonus, there are large parking lots there where I can practice towing forwards and backwards! 🤞on that endeavor - 😳