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Old 10-24-2014, 10:18 AM   #1
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Question Grey Water Leak

I saw a large puddle under the RV and my grey water piping developed a leak at every joint. It looked like a lawn sprinkler in the bay. It hasn't even hit the 30s at night yet so I have no idea why I would have a multi-joint failure all at once in an unpressurized system. I tried an external leak-stop spray with no luck.

My question to the group is: what adhesive/sealant would you use to rebuild the grey water drain system? It is suppose to hit the mid-60s this weekend and as a new full timer, I believe this may be the last weekend with temperatures remotely warm enough for the myriad of sealants I have looked at so far.
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Old 10-24-2014, 10:31 AM   #2
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John, can you access the joints to take it apart piece by piece and glue the individual pieces with a PVC glue?
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Old 10-24-2014, 11:19 AM   #3
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I agree that it's difficult to understand how you can have so many leaks at once; maybe some of them were small and unnoticed until they became large enough, together, to be seen. It's almost as if the wrong glue was used during assembly or maybe no glue at all?

First, of all, don't assume the pipes are PVC. If they are white that's probably what they are, but my drain pipes are all black and those are ABS. The glues are different and cannot be interchanged.

If you can't get the joints apart so they can be reglued you won't be able to lather glue on from the outside and expect it to work. However, there are a number of brands of fiberglass and rubber exterior pipe wraps that ought to work well on a zero-pressure system. You can buy them at most hardware stores.
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Old 10-24-2014, 11:28 AM   #4
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The piping and valve assemblies are black. I was thinking I would pull the whole drain pipe assembly out. Take a picture then use a gease pencil or Sharpie to label the parts 1 through whatever then mark lines across the joints so once it is reassembled, it will line up and actually fit. It is fairly tight in space so I don't think I can start at one end and redo the joints one at a time. I have no access to the back of the assembly. If the temps don't get warm enough, the wrap is a great alternative to get me through winter. I may want to look at getting some anyhow as an emergency back up since I am not a plumber by trade.
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Old 10-24-2014, 03:00 PM   #5
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If you use a fiberglass wrap like this one: http://www.amazon.com/FIBERFIX-4-Inc...lass+pipe+wrap it should be pretty permanent. I do carry one for emergencies!
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Old 10-25-2014, 05:15 AM   #6
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Thanx Doc! Looks like some good stuff to keep in my on board tool bag.
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Old 10-27-2014, 04:05 PM   #7
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Thumbs up

I found the adapter from the tank to the 1 1/2 piping was broke just inside the tank neck. It appears the prior owner attempted to glue it back in with sealant and there were some cracks in the joints on the down leg that were cracked as well. There was some form of sealant applied over those too. I am assuming either he used the wrong stuff or did not clean it adequately for good adhesion. Either way, it worked long enough to trade it or sell it outright to the dealer.

I got new pieces and the most difficult part was getting the length of piping adapter out of the tank neck. I was half tempted to just pound it into the tank but then thought I may end up having a problem with the level sender. I just spent hours trying to extract it. I finished assembly yesterday and am now waiting the 36 hrs of complete cure time before running water through it. In order to avoid possible flex issues, I installed a rubber drain connection to allow a little give. I also opted to replace the slider valve since I had the thing apart. No sense going through all the work to have a valve seal fail next.

I'll be ordering that tape too.

Thanks again for the advice.
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Old 10-27-2014, 04:19 PM   #8
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John:

Sounds like you got the problem licked. I agree that replacing the valve while you are in there already was the smart thing to do. I replaced both of mine last summer when I had a major plumbing issue of my own to resolve.

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