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Old 11-07-2015, 02:59 AM   #1
Grampyjd
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Slow draining front tanks

Slow draining front tanks on our new 2014 Montana 3900FB. I would like to discuss my problem with those who have or have had a fifth wheel with a half bath and a full front bath. Our fifth wheel is a bath and half model with a full bath to the front and a half bath in the middle. The front bath has two holding tanks, one gray which holds the shower and the two sinks and one black tank which holds the toilet waste. The half bath also has two tanks, one gray which holds the kitchen sink water and a black tank which holds the half bath toilet and the half bath sink.

When dumping either of the front tanks and they drain to 1/2 to 1/3 full they no longer dump their contents, but instead they simply flow out very slow. Both half bath tanks dump rapidly until they are empty. I drained all four tanks (1/3 to ½ full) into a five gallon bucket with surprising results. Both ½ bath tanks filled the bucket in 4 seconds while both front tanks took 20 seconds to fill the bucket. After camping for a long weekend, It took me an hour the drain and flush the front tanks which is absurd. The Elkhart, Indiana dealer said that sludge had built up because there wasn’t enough water in the tanks which is not correct. Even before manufacturers added flush lines to the black tanks, I would put a couple of inches of water, along with chemicals, into the tanks before using them, as I’ve done with this unit, and I never had a tank acquire sludge.

My wife and I have been RVing for over thirty years and the last 15 years has been with a unit with a bath and half with four dump tanks. It has never taken me more than 20 minutes to drain and flush all four tanks. What is wrong with my front tanks? The lines are not plugged, the vents are free and a second service center said the valves open all the way. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
 
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Old 11-07-2015, 04:31 AM   #2
stengels
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We've not had a problem with ours. I wonder if the tank has shifted some, causing it to have a different angle, not allowing the tank to drain properly, or as well. I always drain my front black, then my rear black. I follow that with front gray and then back gray. I may have a little more force with the rear tanks (as you know, the tanks drain nearer the rear tanks). We love the set-up of the 3900 FB and wouldn't exchange it for anything at this time.
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Old 11-07-2015, 04:36 AM   #3
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If you have the levelup system and are trusting the factory setting for level, the answer to your question could be that you are slightly nose down and slow flow out of those tanks are the result. If you get the same slow flow when you raise the nose to see if you get an increased flow rate, then you well could have tanks that were mounted with a slope to the front or the output plumbing could have a rise in them after leaving the tank. Dropping the bottom up front should let you see the output runs and the tanks so that you can put a level on the output pipes and the square tubes that support the tanks at the top on each side of each tank. Good luck. John
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Old 11-07-2015, 10:06 AM   #4
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With sewage drain, builders and designers construct our home systems and Rv systems to drain 1/4" per foot. The solids and liquid must stay in a slurry to evacuate the tanks and lines.
If your RV is level, the lines will be at the 1/4" per foot rate.
As to the slow draining, I would think it could only be solids that are clogging the line, or the cut-out from the tank drain that sometimes gets in the tank discharge line outlet. (I think this has happened to many folks on here.) When the use a hole saw to cut out the discharge line, I think it does not always come out with the hole saw. I would hire a plumber with a snake camera and have all the lines run with the camera.
That's all I got.. Hope it helps
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Old 11-08-2015, 03:11 AM   #5
Grampyjd
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Good morning everyone, Thank you for your feed back. My wife and I have found the bath and half units to be ideal for us also.
In draining the tanks, I have raised the right side hoping that would help, but it did not. I will try raising the front which makes good sense if the tanks are installed wrong or don't have proper slope. I did have a sewer company run a scope up the drains and into the black tank and could not see any obstructions. We even watched the flush water enter but again it just seemed to flow real slow down the drain.

Again thank you for your suggestions and comments, I greatly appreciate your concern.
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Old 11-08-2015, 03:40 AM   #6
Ozz
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Wow, a real stumper, I would think it has to be the angle of the drain from the tank in this case.
It is s hard to troubleshoot from afar, nothing like getting an eyeball on the problem to help better.
Good luck with it, you have all of us scratching our heads.
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Old 11-08-2015, 04:34 AM   #7
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Although this won't address the total OP's question, it may put a dent in it. The last 2 Montana's I've owned have 3" dump valves on both grey and black tanks with a 1.5" dump valve for the galley. Some SOB's I've worked on have the 3" gate valve only on the main black tank ... 1.5" on the rest (including the main grey) which have a reducer on the outlet of the tank to connect down to the 1.5" gate valve. Maybe Keystone is following suite with the smaller valves on some tanks depending on model.
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Old 11-08-2015, 04:42 AM   #8
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I just last week replaced all four flush valves on our 3910. All were three inches. I would look at blockage. Both our black flush valves had slow leaks, when closed, which allowed buildup to occur.
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Old 11-08-2015, 05:59 AM   #9
rohrmann
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I wonder if your vents to the front tanks may be blocked? This could create a vacuum which might cause slow draining.
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Old 11-08-2015, 03:10 PM   #10
Grampyjd
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Thanks again to all. I will check the slope on the tanks and drain.

I had the unit into an independent RV service center and they said they took the bottom shield off and checked the valves, but they didn't say they checked the size of the valves or if there were any reducers in the line to restrict the flow. I will call them and see if they actually inspected the plumbing including valve size and reducers at the tank.

Thanks again.

I did check the vents and they are open.
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Old 11-10-2015, 01:57 AM   #11
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If they only checked from the outside they may have missed the problem. Go back to what Oz said a few days ago, "I would hire a plumber with a snake camera and have all the lines run with the camera." Jim
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quote:Originally posted by Grampyjd

Thanks again to all. I will check the slope on the tanks and drain.

I had the unit into an independent RV service center and they said they took the bottom shield off and checked the valves, but they didn't say they checked the size of the valves or if there were any reducers in the line to restrict the flow. I will call them and see if they actually inspected the plumbing including valve size and reducers at the tank.

Thanks again.

I did check the vents and they are open.
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Old 05-06-2019, 07:10 AM   #12
Mroe
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Both front and rear tanks drain slow on my 3021. Even the Black water
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Old 05-06-2019, 03:23 PM   #13
Ram Montana High Country
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the fact from OP that the first partition of the tanks go quick and then slows is the real monkey in the kitchen - was going down the vent path but then thought if that was the issue the gray tank would suck are from the sink. did you just get this 5er? if not, has it always done this?

Thinking it's time to put an eyeball on it - levelness of tank, tank mounting, stinky cam sounds like the way to go. it almost like something semi floating is blocking drain when it gets low. but to have both Gray and black do it tweaks the mind. need the bottom open and run it several times - it'll be interesting to know the rest of the story as paul Harvey might say
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Old 05-06-2019, 05:27 PM   #14
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Do you realise your commenting on a 2015 post? If he's still draining it really is slow
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Old 05-11-2019, 12:11 PM   #15
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I have not seen a perfectly level dump station yet. Even perfectly level my unit will not completely empty the tanks. Only way for me to get mine empty is to open all valves for the 1/2 mile driveway to my house. All the twists and turns, up and down hill gets them pretty empty.
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