2 gray water valves

Sky1watch00 · 01-13-2019, 07:18 PM

Can someone answer what is the purpose of having 2 gray water valves on our 2009 Jayco Eagle (we recently bought used), and if both valves should remain open when full-time? We are new at this...I cannot find schematics to get any info...

Duke4857 · 01-13-2019, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sky1watch00

Can someone answer what is the purpose of having 2 gray water valves on our 2009 Jayco Eagle (we recently bought used), and if both valves should remain open when full-time? We are new at this...I cannot find schematics to get any info...

Our 2016 24RKS also has 2 grey water valves. One is for the shower and bathroom sink,the other is for the kitchen sink. (both tanks are at different ends of the trailer) I would never leave any valves open, the small solids (dirt, soap scum coffee grounds and such) in the grey tank need water flow to flush them out. You can put the cap on and pull both valves open and equalize the two tanks, but that will make a grey water spill when you go to hook up your sewer hose to dump the tanks. Welcome to the form from Oregon!!

oldmanAZ · 01-13-2019, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sky1watch00

Can someone answer what is the purpose of having 2 gray water valves on our 2009 Jayco Eagle (we recently bought used), and if both valves should remain open when full-time? We are new at this...I cannot find schematics to get any info...

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the new-to-you Eagle.

Newer units have multiple tanks, too, so it is probably design, plumbing, and manufacturing issues that makes multiple tanks necessary. I'm sure they would have used one tank if it was possible, and cheaper, to do so.

As Duke4857 said, most do not leave their gray tank valves open all the time. Another reason is to have sufficient gray water in the tank(s) to purge the solids out of the sewer hose after draining the black tank.

clutch · 01-13-2019, 09:54 PM

It is ok to leave the grey tanks open but the kitchen tank should be closed periodically just to flush out food particles. I close ours a couple of times a month on our stationary trailer so it will flush out.

Brownie · 01-14-2019, 06:02 AM

As others have said, the two valves are used when you have two tanks at different locations. In my 2013 266RKS, valve/tank #1 is for the bathroom sink & shower(located at the center of the trailer); while valve/tank #2 is for the kitchen sink (located at the rear). With showers & hand washing, my 35 gal. bathroom GW tank will fill in about 3 days. So (when in a site with a sewer connection for more than 3 days), I'll leave that valve open to minimize the frequency of dumps. Because I use mainly paper plates/bowls, I only have to wash dishes every 2-3 days, and the kitchen grey (#2) will last a week or so. I leave that valve closed to collect the water for rinsing the stinky slinky after I dump the black tank. With 96 gals. of fresh water and 70 gals. (combined) grey water capacity, I can go for a week without having to dump & refill. When I first started doing this, I noticed a lot of sewer odor coming through the open valve. After reading a JOF thread on the subject, I started forming a "dip" into the drain hose - much like the "P-Trap" under your sinks. As long as the top of the "dip" is below the bottom of the rest of the hose, it will hold water and prevent gasses from entering the rig. Problem solved!

As a side note, never leave the black tank valve open. The black tank solids need to be suspended in the liquids so they'll flow out of the tank during the draining process. If they're not in suspension, they'll collect in the bottom of the tank and dry out into a "poo pyramid", that will eventually fill the tank and be almost impossible to break up.

Hope you enjoy your "previously loved" Eagle!

jbrnigan · 01-14-2019, 06:50 AM

I leave all valves "closed" until time to dump, even when at a full hookup campsite for an extended stay. It only takes 30 seconds to pull the handles, and another 30 seconds to close them. I always find that "extra" minute sometime during our stay. LOL

namusmc65 · 01-14-2019, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrnigan

I leave all valves "closed" until time to dump, even when at a full hookup campsite for an extended stay. It only takes 30 seconds to pull the handles, and another 30 seconds to close them. I always find that "extra" minute sometime during our stay. LOL

X2 Only takes a second to dump and I like a lot of water in each tank to flush them good.

NorCal Eagle · 01-14-2019, 09:48 AM

Lately I've been leaving the main grey water open. We're pretty careful about food chunks, but its nice not having to worry if the tank is full when one of us takes a shower.

smithmdsmith · 01-14-2019, 12:54 PM

Do all of your tanks connect to a single sewer outlet on your trailer? If so, you can use a "Twist-on Waste Valve" to equalize the grey tanks without spilling.

Valterra T58 Twist-On Waste Valve
by Amazon.com
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BGHYJS..._bHnpCb54JXJA5

If you camp where there are no sewer hookups, this will allow you to use all of your grey tank capacity. You put this valve on your trailer's sewer hookup. Then, with the twist-on valve closed, you can open both of your grey valves. The grey water will equalize between the tanks. When it's time to dump, close the grey tank valves, hook up your hose, then open the twist-on valve. The grey water trapped between the valves will empty with no spills. Then do your usual dump routine.

I agree with those stating you want to open your valves only when necessary. When we have sewer hookups in our site, I don't use the twist-on valve. I open my grey valve when we start showers and close it when we're finished.

jbrnigan · 01-14-2019, 02:04 PM

I'm going to have to pay closer attention, I've never seen an RV with the "dump" valves on the passenger or curb or right side of the RV. I've been in campgrounds that couldn't accommodate dump valves curbside. Everything else........well. My city water hookup is roadside / center, electric is rear, and fresh water fill is curbside.

Sky1watch00 · 01-14-2019, 04:11 PM

Thanks to all. I failed to mention that we discovered after showers that water was leaking outside underneath near where the shower wall ends and the carpet inside near the bedroom door is wet. I can see water standing in the membrane covering the underbelly. I think the one handle must be for the shower and was full, so have drained it and plan to leave it open to avoid the overflow issue. Will report back to give results if this works to stop the leak. Picked up the clear sewage hose attachment that has the garden hose attachment to rinse the black tank after draining.

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