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trode · 08-24-2015, 01:24 PM

Wonderful trip to Myrtle Beach this past weekend, but included one of those nights.....

Got in and set up no problems, enjoyed dinner, swim at beach and pool then off to bed. About 3 A.M., when the air cycled off, I roll over and say the the DW, do I hear water dripping?? Looked out the window to verify not raining, then out of the sack to investigate, realizing the sound was coming from the bathroom, in our coach toilet is in separate room in the bath area, so I open door and step in to investigate, then that awful moment when I realize I am stepping in water...

I switch on the light and see water cascading over the top of the toilet!

Instinctively I step on the release to "flush".....nothing moves. Now, a little more awake I realize the black tank is full, and I mean full. Water, so far, is contained to the bathroom itself, and the walls around the room have a bead of silicone where they meet the floor, of course under the toilet where the floor is cut must be enough room for water to run to the compartment below, the one with the tank valves and sewer hose connection (thankfully). So I scramble outside in my drawers in the middle of the night to open the black tank valve, as I step off the last step I am met, again, by water!!....Got around to the compartment, open it and see what looks like Niagara Falls flowing down around the drop from the toiled which goes directly into this comparment. Pull the black tank valve, WOW was it full!! It drained for what felt like an hour as I stood in the dark in my drawers.

Turns out when I hit the pedal to "flush" the water valve released and stopped, so the flow was what remained on the floor. As I was outside attending the middle of the night tank dump, the wife was mopping up water, thankfully contained to the toilet area. Turns out this is the ideal coach design for this to happen with little to no consequence, i.e. no wet carpet, no floor damage, no wicking damage to wall, actually next morning no evidence of the event, except for unusually wet campsite for a night during which no rain fell!

It appears that when the DW used the head before bed time a piece of toilet paper had gotten hung up when the valve tried to close, not allowing the pedal to entirely release, and not allowing water valve to the stop position. Also in our favor, black tank had not been used on the trip except for prior to bedtime, shall we say number one's, and was otherwise empty!

Almost seems like it was just a bad dream

Had I had the A/C fan on run vs. auto, likely would have never heard it.

Smitty77 · 08-24-2015, 01:48 PM

Wow, not a great way to spend a night!! But, sure could have been much worse, glad your layout was supportive of such an event!!

And they say, what a couple survives together, makes them stronger - you two are solid for along time ahead

!

Best,
Smitty

sikorge · 08-24-2015, 02:02 PM

That's more FUN in the middle of the night than I would like to have ...

Happy to hear that is was not all over the MH floor.

ColdForged · 08-24-2015, 02:10 PM

Wow, that could have ended up so much worse. Thanks for sharing your experience

.

jacwjames · 08-24-2015, 03:16 PM

Definitely one of my worse nightmares.

Almost happen to us. We have an electric toilet, push button. We were leaving to go somewhere, either me or my wife used the bathroom before we both stepped out. We got in the car and left but then remembered that we left something that we wanted to take with us. Walked in the coach to hear the toilet on a continuous flush cycle. Fortunately black tank was almost empty when we left but if we had not come back I'm sure the tank would runnith over.

If we are going to be parked for an extended time we will leave the grey & black valve open. If we aren't hooked to sewer and water we will turn the pump off when we leave.

Thanks for the post, it will surely keep everyone up tonight

MSHappyCampers · 08-24-2015, 03:31 PM

You can consider yourself one lucky guy! What if that had happened the NEXT night!

PushedAround · 08-24-2015, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacwjames

Definitely one of my worse nightmares.

Almost happen to us. We have an electric toilet, push button. We were leaving to go somewhere, either me or my wife used the bathroom before we both stepped out. We got in the car and left but then remembered that we left something that we wanted to take with us. Walked in the coach to hear the toilet on a continuous flush cycle. Fortunately black tank was almost empty when we left but if we had not come back I'm sure the tank would runnith over.

If we are going to be parked for an extended time we will leave the grey & black valve open. If we aren't hooked to sewer and water we will turn the pump off when we leave.

Thanks for the post, it will surely keep everyone up tonight

I think that turning off the water feed might be in order for an extended day trip. A burst pipe in a bad place can do even more damage. I think that I'll put a ball valve in-line with my pressure regulator. Quick on/quick off.

NITEHAWK · 08-24-2015, 03:50 PM

We have a pump switch right next to the toilet in the bathroom and one below the counter to the right of the kitchen sink. We make a point of shutting off the pump when we go to bed or out.
The water heater gets turned on in the morning when I get up to turn on the coffee pot and off until just before supper so we have hot water for the dishes. Otherwise--we leave it turned off.
We started turning the water heater off after a neighbor parked next door at Gateway to The Gulf RV Park commented that , because of the parking arrangement or the coaches, that our water heater was right outside their bedroom window and kept waking him up when it cycled on with a "roar".
Now it is just plain courtesy and conservation and it works for us.

johnhicks · 08-24-2015, 05:54 PM

After having the valve hang one night I got several of these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o08_s00

One beside the toilet, one under the bathroom sink and one under the kitchen sink area which accounts for the rest of the plumbing. They're LOUD!

We also turn off the city water if we'll be away a while.

PushedAround · 08-24-2015, 06:29 PM

They are great. I have a few at home in strategic places, including one under the 125 gallon fish tank.

abarkl · 08-24-2015, 06:44 PM

Another reason the black tank can overflow through the toilet is by leaving the black tank flush valve open for too long with the drain closed.

Just ask me how I know.

wstrace3 · 08-24-2015, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abarkl

Another reason the black tank can overflow through the toilet is by leaving the black tank flush valve open for too long with the drain closed.

Just ask me how I know.

I hope you learned your lesson.... I on the other hand did not learn after the first time it happened

PushedAround · 08-24-2015, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstrace3

I hope you learned your lesson.... I on the other hand did not learn after the first time it happened

They had a thread going about "Dumb stuff that I did", but with this crew it might be better to have one about "Dumb stuff that I did twice!"

And yeah, I belong to that club.

trode · 08-25-2015, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PushedAround

They had a thread going about "Dumb stuff that I did", but with this crew it might be better to have one about "Dumb stuff that I did twice!"

And yeah, I belong to that club.

Yeah, I started that thread a while back, truth is my dumb stuff is bordering on encyclopedic porportions. (for those that remember encyclopedias, OLD GUYS RULE!)