Recycle gray water!

[HoneyBadger]

Originally Posted by mrt_1111

What?

Tis so. I'm surprised its the first you've heard of it. It never made any sense to me, but there ya go... everybody has their own opinion.

Read here, for example, and scroll down to suggestion #18

[mrt_1111]

Originally Posted by HoneyBadger

Tis so. I'm surprised its the first you've heard of it. It never made any sense to me, but there ya go... everybody has their own opinion.

Read here, for example, and scroll down to suggestion #18

Ok I read about it, I wont do it.

[Knightab]

Novel idea but grey water often smells worse than black. NO thanks, I will just waste some fresh

[Tony Lee]

When I built the OKA it was intended for desert travel so I spent a lot of time trying to figure out a grey water recycling system that would work. My conclusion was that it was a lot of complication and extra potential maintenance for very little benefit. One thing that did give pause for thought was if I had no connection at all to the fresh water tank as one poster here proposed, then when I set off on a trip I might have to fill the separate grey water storage with enough fresh water to flush the toilet for a couple of days. That means extra capacity, extra pumps, extra filters and maybe chlorine treatment of the recycled water to reduce smells etc etc.
Lot of trouble for very little benefit. Far easier to look at methods for reducing the amount of flush water (to near zero per flush which increases the black tank endurance a lot) and practising water conservation to reduce fresh water use and make the grey tank capacity go further.
I also looked at diverting flow of hot water back to the fresh water tank prior to each use to avoid wasting water waiting for the hot water to arrive, and I bought all the bits I needed to do that. They are sitting on a shelf because by having water use points close to the heater, and installing a tempering valve set for the right shower temperature, the initial wasted water was about half a litre per shower - too small to be bothered collecting it to use for toilet flushing - and since the temperature was always correct, if we want to reduce shower use, we can just turn the tap off while soaping up and when it is turned back on there is no messing around trying to get the temperature correct again..

[Knightab]

Originally Posted by Tony Lee

I also looked at diverting flow of hot water back to the fresh water tank prior to each use to avoid wasting water waiting for the hot water to arrive, and I bought all the bits I needed to do that. They are sitting on a shelf because by having water use points close to the heater, and installing a tempering valve set for the right shower temperature, the initial wasted water was about half a litre per shower - too small to be bothered collecting it to use for toilet flushing - and since the temperature was always correct, if we want to reduce shower use, we can just turn the tap off while soaping up and when it is turned back on there is no messing around trying to get the temperature correct again..

What I did on my last 5th wheel was I put a pressure relief valve behind the shower so that when I turned the nozzle of it would circulate the water back to the fresh tank and therefore keep the hot water flowing without interuption. Of course you are running hot water back to the holding tank but with the capacity and the length of time you spend taking a quick shower boondocking it worked perfect.
Now what I did with the motorhome I just traded in I had put one of those "hot Rods" in the water heater, they cost about $100 and have an adjustable thermostat for temperature, this doesn't do any good for boon docking but it is a good way to save water if you are in an electric only spot. You never have to turn on the cold water, adjust for the temp you like and I think I had it at about 98-100 degrees you just pre load the line with the warm water and after that you can turn it off and on without the hot or cold water spike.
This last motorhome was the only rv I ever had that gave you a hot spike instead of a cold one, the hot was a bit more dangerous.

Also you can still install the hot rod even if you have electric option on your water heater as the rod replaced the drain plug, just wire it to 110 and place your switch and the thermostat is on the unit that sticks to the bare tank somewhere to measure temp.

When we were boondocking in Quartzite I put a shut off valve on the inlet to the toilet so I could control the water flow. That was really easy to do and especially now with the availablity of pex valves.

[Monacoach]

I do the tp in the bag because I use so much and dont want to clog anything up. Also dw can buy regular toilet paper. She doesnt use the bag but her touchy doesnt require much tp.

[JFXG]

Originally Posted by bodycoach2

Smell? What smell?

Gray water is chock-a-block full of organics, just like seawater, and both of them smell really bad when they start to spoil. Back in the mid-70s I was in Hong Kong a lot. Several waterfront hotels at that time- in a well intended but ill thought out conservation move- plumbed all their toilets to flush with seawater. Every room soon smelled like low tide 24/7.

Not in my coach.

[BFlinn181]

Originally Posted by Monacoach

I do the tp in the bag because I use so much and dont want to clog anything up. Also dw can buy regular toilet paper. She doesnt use the bag but her touchy doesnt require much tp.

TMI

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by Monacoach

I do the tp in the bag because I use so much and dont want to clog anything up. Also dw can buy regular toilet paper. She doesnt use the bag but her touchy doesnt require much tp.

Ditto the TMI.
Ain't no TP clogs up nuthin. Many posts on that.

[caissiel]

It's plain retarded. When traveling we use gallon jugs in the bathroom for flush. One gallon last a few days. We fill it at any outside tap.
In the woods any creek water will do.

[Monacoach]

Originally Posted by CampDaven

Ditto the TMI.
Ain't no TP clogs up nuthin. Many posts on that.

Tmi perhaps but whats the flush on no tp cloggs anything?

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by Monacoach

Tmi perhaps but whats the flush on no tp cloggs anything?

Pick some TP and put it in a glass of water. It turns nearly liquid. I have a clear extension on the black tank nozzle and can see that TP also flows like water. TP (and poo) will only clog if there ain't nuff water or if the black tank is left open. Never had a clog. You?
Happy trails!

[BFlinn181]

Originally Posted by Monacoach

Tmi perhaps but whats the flush on no tp cloggs anything?

Put a sheet or two of toilet tissue in a jar of water, tighten lid and shake. The TP should shred within a few shakes. If it doesn't, don't use it in your RV sewage system.

On the same vein, a lot of stories recently about using baby wipes or 'Wet' wipes. They don't break down and are causing everything from clogging municipal sewage systems to washing up on beaches.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/ny...dont.html?_r=0