Water drain gadget

[Steph and Dud B]

We always travel with at least 10 gallons of water in our fresh tank, for emergency bathroom stops, etc. In the past, when we got home, I'd open the fresh water drain while the trailer was in the yard to empty the tank. Now that the trailer's in the garage, with no floor drain, I wanted a way to drain the tank without it dumping on the garage floor. I bought a low profile bucket and some garden hose bulkhead fittings on Amazon, drilled a hole in the bucket, and installed the fitting. Now I can slide the bucket under the fresh water drain, attach a hose, and let the water run out the garage door. 

Parts: 3 Gallon Super Bucket with Ergonomic Handle https://a.co/d/fOahpl0

SNUTUYA PVC Garden Hose Bulkhead Fitting With Plug, 1/2" Female NPT, 3/4" Male GHT (garden Hose Thread), For Rain Barrels, Aquariums, Sinks，2 Pack https://a.co/d/3lRxTCu

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I made a similar gadget, but not as nice as yours.  Well done!

[jd1923]

I open our fresh tank drain valve (and faucets to breath), on some back road, every time we're driving home from a trip. New freshwater next time out.

[Patriot]

@Steph and Dud B

Necessity the mother of invention! 👍🏻
 

Patriot🇺🇸

[jd1923]

This is our emergency water!

[Steph and Dud B]

15 hours ago, jd1923 said:

I open our fresh tank drain valve (and faucets to breath), on some back road,

I read a post on one of the RV forums that claimed they got pulled over by a trooper while draining their fresh water on the road. The trooper said police had received calls that a trailer was dumping something on the highway. The OP said he was ticketed for "failure to secure a load."

(BTW, you don't need to open your faucets to drain the fresh tank, but it does help if you want to drain all the lines, too.)

[jd1923]

3 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:

I read a post on one of the RV forums that claimed they got pulled over by a trooper while draining their fresh water on the road...

(BTW, you don't need to open your faucets to drain the fresh tank, but it does help if you want to drain all the lines, too.)

Agreed and thank you! Living in Arizona, I've taken this chance at times on the back roads. It is only water and out here most of it evaporates in minutes. The sight of a Trooper is also extremely rare out of Phoenix, or off the Interstates. I certainly would not think of this if we still lived in IL, VA, FL or TX! Some of these states the cops are very strict! (not here)

I should just wait until we get home. You really need the rear of the trailer downhill to empty it fully (backing into our driveway is downhill and it drains into a wash). And yes, the tank has an overflow to breath the tank. I do open the faucets to start emptying the lines and then blow them out afterwards.

[Steph and Dud B]

1 hour ago, jd1923 said:

I do open the faucets to start emptying the lines and then blow them out afterwards.

I've been thinking about this. There's a check valve in, or behind, the water pump that would prevent water from the lines from draining back into the tank. It's there to prevent city water from backfilling the tank when you're hooked up.

[jd1923]

4 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:

I've been thinking about this. There's a check valve in, or behind, the water pump that would prevent water from the lines from draining back into the tank. It's there to prevent city water from backfilling the tank when you're hooked up.

The check valves are shown in the OTT drawing to be directly inside the hulls at the City and Freshwater inlets. I found them to be along the back wall which can be seen in what I call the Oliver's trunk (see pics, btw a bad place for these lines to be and will freeze more quicky with these large brass valves, a strong conductor will release internal heat more quickly). 

When you blow out the lines, you are pushing compressed air in the proper direction of the backflow preventer (aka check valve), so no associated issue. There is not another check valve at the water pump. The backflow preventer has several purposes, but in an RV without one the water pump would continue to cycle continuously. The backflow preventer creates a necessary close system to build require pressure in the plumbing system.

I have a thread on using compressed air to winterize. I have a thing about using chemicals when working, done 20+ brake jobs w/o Brakleen and the like, even when THEY claim to be environmentally safe, yeah right! We blow our tanks dry and refill several times each winter, since we camp from fall to spring and not during the summer. It's too hot down here! We use and need a good furnace and could care less about the Dometic cooling albatross sitting on the roof! I might remove it one day (fill a 14x14" hole) and mount 2 more solar panels!

Glad it was your thread we hijacked! 🤣 

 

[Steph and Dud B]

Yes, there are check valves at the water inlets as shown, but there is also a check valve at (or inside) the pump. If the pump didn't have a check valve, pressurized water in the lines while connected to a city water supply would backflow through the pump and fill the water tank. This is actually how most people find out their pump check valve has failed: the water tank keeps filling up on its own. Also, when using your pump, without an integral pump check valve, your system would lose all pressure as soon as the pump shut off, because the water would push back into the tank.

[SeaDawg]

16 hours ago, jd1923 said:

We use and need a good furnace and could care less about the Dometic cooling albatross sitting on the roof! I might remove it one day (fill a 14x14" hole) and mount 2 more solar panels

You could just fill the 14 x 14 opening with a low profile, inexpensive roof vent. Remove the manual operator handle.

I actually thought about doing this, as we rarely use ac, when we swapped the Dometic for the small Houghton. 

[SeaDawg]

On 1/22/2024 at 2:01 PM, Steph and Dud B said:

I read a post on one of the RV forums that claimed they got pulled over by a trooper while draining their fresh water on the road. The trooper said police had received calls that a trailer was dumping something on the highway. The OP said he was ticketed for "failure to secure a load."

(BTW, you don't need to open your faucets to drain the fresh tank, but it does help if you want to drain all the lines, too.)

People following behind you don't "know" that you're dumping clean water. They might just think the worst (black water.)

Easy enough, for me, to dump clean water in the yard, at home.

[HDRider]

On 1/22/2024 at 10:19 PM, jd1923 said:

The check valves are shown in the OTT drawing to be directly inside the hulls at the City and Freshwater inlets. I found them to be along the back wall which can be seen in what I call the Oliver's trunk (see pics, btw a bad place for these lines to be and will freeze more quicky with these large brass valves, a strong conductor will release internal heat more quickly). 

When you blow out the lines, you are pushing compressed air in the proper direction of the backflow preventer (aka check valve), so no associated issue. There is not another check valve at the water pump. The backflow preventer has several purposes, but in an RV without one the water pump would continue to cycle continuously. The backflow preventer creates a necessary close system to build require pressure in the plumbing system.

I have a thread on using compressed air to winterize. I have a thing about using chemicals when working, done 20+ brake jobs w/o Brakleen and the like, even when THEY claim to be environmentally safe, yeah right! We blow our tanks dry and refill several times each winter, since we camp from fall to spring and not during the summer. It's too hot down here! We use and need a good furnace and could care less about the Dometic cooling albatross sitting on the roof! I might remove it one day (fill a 14x14" hole) and mount 2 more solar panels!

Glad it was your thread we hijacked! 🤣 

 

 

 

Thanks for that plumbing drawing.  What manual is it in?

[jd1923]

3 hours ago, HDRider said:

Thanks for that plumbing drawing.  What manual is it in?

I've been told these are in our Owners Manuals, but mine is a 2016 and I do not see any schematic drawings in the manual for 2016. You have a 2023 and perhaps they would be in the PDF version of your manual online. What I've done is collect drawings other members have posted in this forum, every time I see one!

When I copy a drawing of a newer OTT, I'm never sure the systems in my Oliver will be exactly the same, but they help. Hopefully others in the know will chime in.

[Mike and Carol]

7 hours ago, jd1923 said:

When I copy a drawing of a newer OTT, I'm never sure the systems in my Oliver will be exactly the same, but they help. Hopefully others in the know will chime in.

My 2016 manual doesn’t have a diagram either.  There was no diagram anywhere in the trailer.  I’ve just had to figure it out over the years.

[rich.dev]

On 1/22/2024 at 2:01 PM, Steph and Dud B said:

BTW, you don't need to open your faucets to drain the fresh tank, but it does help if you want to drain all the lines, too.)

Good to know, I’m in the process of switching out the John Guest push fittings with shark bite fittings and was wondering how to drain all the water from the lines. I’ve always had a low drain point on previous trailers. 

[jd1923]

@rich.dev No low points here and don't forget hot & cold plumbing to the outdoor shower. The only way to drain all lines is to blow air through the hose inlets. Set your compressor down to about 40 PSI and make yourself this kind of tool (bottom-right in picture). I use it for winterizing too instead of the pink stuff.

Edited June 26 by jd1923
typo

[rich.dev]

Thanks John, so no issues blowing air through the hose inlets with check valves?

[mossemi]

The 2017 manual has a very nice set of schematics for 12v DC, 120v AC and both pressure and waste plumbing.  I am pretty sure the 2018 manual and maybe the 2019 manual also had schematics.  They are not always 100% accurate, but do provide a starting point.  The schematic @jd1923 posted also shows check valves at either hot water heater that the original owner specified the build order.

Mossey

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, rich.dev said:

Thanks John, so no issues blowing air through the hose inlets with check valves?

The check valves do not allow reverse flow out the hose which would lose pressure in the plumbing. So you would be blowing air in the allowed direction, into the hose inlets. I do it all the time since we travel on and off all winter and when home on the mountain it often gets in the low 20s overnight. It’s part of my winter return trip process to blow the plumbing dry while we’re still in the driveway!

[jd1923]

And yes, our hull has check valves and restrictors on the Fresh Tank and City Water lines (see pic).

You may not need the following detail for a summer plumbing project, but when I am winterizing, I run air into all four (4) water inlets. First air into the City Water to drain both sinks, the toilet and outdoor shower. Then the Fresh Tank inlet for a few seconds. Then I connect to the rear port, after turning water valves to boondocking position and run air in for a few seconds. Lastly the toilet rinse inlet. Except for the first step that drains all the internal plumbing via the City Water connection, the other 3 just take a few seconds of air to clear those short inlet lines.

You can bypass the HWH for a plumbing repair, but when winterizing, I bypass it to clear the hot water plumbing with the air and at the same time I pull the anode plug to drain the 6-gal HWH tank as well.

Edited June 26 by jd1923
Added last paragraph