Shower drains into Black Water - Sun Voyager 8377

[dan596]

Purchased this 2005 Sun Voyager 8377 last fall. We haven't traveled anywhere with it yet aside from a few trips to dump tanks. We have spent a lot of time in the RV while parked at home just using it and getting things figured out for when we do start camping. So far things have gone really well with the RV ....yes this is given the usual minor repair, maintenance, and personal 'upgrades'. We are now getting ready to head out for our first trips but this one thing is bugging me.

The one annoying factor is that I have definitively concluded the shower drains into the black water tank. I can't imagine what possessed them to do this, but I want to know if others have encountered this and what they did about it if anything. I am very handy myself, but the idea of ripping into the project of re-plumbing the shower drain without knowing what to expect is not appealing at all.

Any advice or help, particularly if it is specific to the 8377 will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan

[RayChez1]

I do not have a Sun Voyager, but on my Scenic Cruiser my shower, and both sinks and the washer go into the grey tank. Only thing that goes into the black tank is the toilet water.

But I have read on other forums where some have put a bypass to where they can allow water from the grey into the black so that both tanks fill up together.

I would not want that system on my coach.

[darbyjudy]

On my 2004 Sun voyager the bath sink drains into the black tank but the shower goes into the gray tank. I think probably they plumbed it this way so you would get enough liquid into the black tank and not have any stoppages due to solids build up.

[RayChez1]

Well! It is not suppose to be done that way because the two tanks are not the same size and if the shower or bath tub water goes into the black tank, it would not take long for that tank to fill up.

Example: My coach has 65 gallon grey tank and a 45 gallon black tank. Manufacturers will usually put two tanks that will equal the amount your fresh water tank will hold. My coach holds 100 gallons of fresh water totaling the same amount the two combined grey and black tanks hold.

There is no reason why a black tank should ever plug up if you use the proper amount of water it is suppose to use. And if you use Happy Camper it turns all your solids back to water, so when you dump most all your solids have been eaten by the enzymes in the tank.

I believe your motor home the previous owner had the plumbing changed after he bought it, because they are not suppose to come out of the Gulf Stream factory like that.

Your black tank will be filling up within three days of normal use.

Now what some RVer's have done when they dry camp a lot is to connect an overflow from one tank to the other so that if one tank fills up too quick, it will over flow to the other. Only bad thing about that is that if you get negligent and the tanks over fill, then you are going to have waste coming up the drain of your shower.