Drains blocked

[JMZ66_NM]

Hello...
I am new to Camper/RV ownership as well as the forum.
We have a 2011 Gulfstream Innsbruck 279 QBL purchased last year and have only been camping a few times with no issues.
Last time we stayed in the camper for any length the shower drain backed up.
We assumed the grey water tank was full so we emptied it as well as the black.
The shower drain never cleared so I tried plunging snake and finally draino.
Nothing worked ... I even tried one of those pressure bladders you put down a drain and it swells itself then usually blasts out whatever the blockage.
That also did NOT work and I noticed its actually all the drains that are blocked and nothing is draining into the grey water tank.
I removed the tub and tried to run a snake directly down the drain bypassing the P trap and the snake went 5 or 6 feet in so I thought maybe its something else ?
Nothing is draining still and I am out of clever ideas.
I read a few posts talking about air vent blockages etc... not sure thats the issue and dont know how to diagnose or test that ?
Any help or suggestions would be appreciated

Thanks
James

 

[donn]

When you open the gray tank dump what happens?

 

[JMZ66_NM]

Grey tank is completely empty ... I even left the valve open to try and observe water flow ... but nothing is coming through.

 

[Garyi]

Do you have a monitor gauge on the gray tank? Does it show tank is empty?
Can you see the gray tank or are you able to tap on tank to see if it is empty?
There have been times where the cut out circle for the tank drain will block the
outlet preventing the tank from draining.

 

[Rene T]

This may sound stupid but is it possible you have another gray tank and it’s full?

 

[JMZ66_NM]

Yes I checked the monitor and it shows as empty... tank is definitely empty.

 

[JMZ66_NM]

I never checked to see if I have another tank ... might be a good idea.
The RV spec shows only one tank though... I will look again

 

[Rene T]

Welcome to the forum.
The specs on a rv may say it can store 60 gallons of gray water and it sounds like you may have a 60 gallon tank but you may have two 30 gallon tanks. Just a thought

 

[JMZ66_NM]

Thanks ...looking now

 

[JMZ66_NM]

Holding Tanks
Number Of Fresh Water Holding Tanks 1
Total Fresh Water Tank Capacity 54.0 gal.
Number Of Gray Water Holding Tanks 1
Total Gray Water Tank Capacity 37.0 gal.
Number Of Black Water Holding Tanks 1
Total Black Water Tank Capacity 37.0 gal.

 

[JMZ66_NM]

Currently all three empty ... both from a just drained two days ago and tapping to verify hollow sound and all tanks are empty ... I am perplexed by this

 

[Garyi]

Can you see any of the drain pipes? By following and tapping on the pipes you might be able to trace back to the blockage.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Clearly there is a blockage in the line going to the gray tank. All the sink & shower drains converge at some point and enter the gray tank as a single line. Maybe try the snake from another point? More drain opener or a different brand (you can use any that is septic-safe)?

 

[JayArr]

Air vent issues will make your sinks gurgle and drain funny but they won't block the water from getting to the grey tank.

If the snake goes 5 feet from the bathtub the drain may be located closer to the kitchen, maybe you can clear it from there. I think you can put the bathtub back.

If you fill the kitchen sink and then pull the stopper - what happens? Does it drain? Does it get to the grey tank?

Have you tried sending the snake/draino down the kitchen sink?

 

[JMZ66_NM]

Thanks for the replies... I will try snaking from a different point but the grey water tank is at the rear of the camper and first in line is the shower then kitchen sink ... I will still try it but I removed the tub completely and cut the drain line so I could by pass the trap. I sealed up the hole but when I run water from the kitchen sink it still backs up and leaks out the sealed tub drain so maybe there is a blockage further down the line?

 

[JayArr]

If you feed the snake down the sink do you eventually see it where you cut the pipe at the tub? That would indicate the line is clear between those two. Then you just need to snake back from the tub to the grey tank. Maybe you have some sort of greaseball clogging things up, the grey system gets a lot of grease from the kitchen and hair from the bathroom and they could cause quite a formidable stoppage if combined into a grease/hairball. (happens in all sewage systems). Have you tried the draino that's heavier than water and sinks down to the clog?

 

[JMZ66_NM]

Thanks for the advice... I did the Drano bit last week and no luck only a really bad toxic odor in the camper :-( I have contacted a friend with a mechanical "water snake" that should clear whatever it is out !
I will know more in a few days.

 

[garyb1st]

This may sound stupid but is it possible you have another gray tank and it’s full?

Not stupid. We bought an Outback trailer in 2008 and it had two grey tanks.