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Cheap DIY grey water tank
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djkeev
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 18, 2014 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Boostd wrote:
Nuthin2It wrote:
Overall view of the drainage system from the tank and a closeup of the bracket that holds the PVC.

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.


Looks great, but just a warning about ground clearance, (I dont know what kind of terrain you venture out onto) but the propane tank is already the low spot on the van, be careful when pulling into a bumpy campsite or any sharp incline/ big speedbump etc. The ferry boat we went on this summer had some very sharp angled ramps and bumps to board. There is no way you would have been able to clear with that drain hanging so low! I also drove into a field this summer and a few spots required "touching" the bottom of the van, for sure this would have gotten knocked off.
Im sure you already thought this through based on where you drive, something to keep in mind if not.


Yep!
and everyone is laughing at my 4" Pipe! Wink

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=606746

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hansh
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2014 4:45 pm    Post subject: Re: DIY Grey water tank Reply with quote

houndsbourgh wrote:

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I'm going to make something like this ASAP for a month of van living. How are the inlet and output ports sealed? Not necessarily houndsbourgh's but, anyone who has done something similar.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 8:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hmmm...bump.

Maybe my question seems like a no-brainier to others? PVC is round and any circular hole seems as if it would have gaps that wouldn't be filled-in using PVC glue. I have some epoxy glue stuff that seems as if it'd allow me to adhere joint fittings externally, over inlet/outlet holes, while also compensating for gaps. Is there a better way?
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 9:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This may be a no-brainer, but my brain had a hard time with it, too.

For the hose that goes into the tank, I was able to drill a hole (I think it was some weird size like 1 1/16") and thread it with a steel pipe, then screw a PVC fitting in.

I tried the same procedure for the drain end but it leaked, so I had to try something else. I can't remember exactly what PVC parts I had but I used an o-ring to seal it. I may have just glued a short piece of PVC to the elbow, then put it through the hole in the cap on the 6" pipe. After sliding the o-ring on the pipe, a short fitting can be glued to the pipe to compress the o-ring. You might also find the parts to have a threaded end on the pipe that goes into the tank then screw a fitting on that to seal the o-ring. Either way, this actually works better for the drain end because the elbow can rotate to level the drain pipe. If I were to do it again, I would use an o-ring on both ends.

The 6" PVC pipe end cap I got at Home Depot is dome shaped. This worked but after building my gray tank I happened to see a flat end cap at a local Ace Hardware store. These would be easier to seal if you can find them.

As far as the ground clearance question, the crossover exhaust pipe on my 1.9 liter is 10" from the ground. The engine carrier is 10 1/2" from the ground. The 6" PVC pipe is 9 1/2" above the ground, about 9 1/4" at the drain pipe end. So yes, the gray water tank will hit before anything else, especially at the drain, but what have you lost, about $10 worth of PVC? OK, full disclosure, I have some Home Depot stock. But I think a 6" pipe is more likely to hold a day's worth of gray water if you cook and clean dishes.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

instead of vinyl pipe, I used the flexible metal pipe off of a house hot water heater. Works well, and doesn't crimp.
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 6:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I consider my westy just a great tent on wheels

VW would have added a stock one if there were environmental issue

Like it was stated before a little gray water ( properly disposed) never was an issue

Your just adding wt and paying to dump a minuscule amount of waste h2o

I act like tent people and even request the tent site to be away from the summer homes on wheels

Isn't that the beauty of the westy less complicated Cool
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 10:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

the joker wrote:
I consider my westy just a great tent on wheels

VW would have added a stock one if there were environmental issue

Like it was stated before a little gray water ( properly disposed) never was an issue

Your just adding wt and paying to dump a minuscule amount of waste h2o

I act like tent people and even request the tent site to be away from the summer homes on wheels

Isn't that the beauty of the westy less complicated Cool


I often stop short of projects on our Westy that begin to go down the path of an RV. If we don't want a tent on wheels, then we should invest in a different vehicle for these purposes altogether. However, in the case of collecting grey water, it's a bummer to show up to camp site with evidence of the previous camper's kitchen disposal. I'm not saying we need to collect our grey water for every dispersed camp site we've occupied, but having some method of collection in more frequented areas is being considerate. I use a collapsible 2.5 gal. water cube but I applaud the ingenuity in this thread.
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 12:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

For those of us that live in areas with bears or other potentially aggressive scavengers, it's just plain irresponsible for campers to not properly dispose of waste water that has food, toothpaste or other attractants in it in a campsite that others will be using. Dispersed campsites may not be as big a deal, although it depends on how much they're used. Responsible disposal can help save people, and animals, whole lot of grief.
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 4:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Please remember that personal opinions may not apply well to all situations. I will be urban stealth camping for a month while doing an internship at an out-of-state hospital. I want to be able to spit my toothpaste and wash my dishes without worrying about where I'm parked at the moment.

No need to debate the rationality of a gray water tank. Do what works for you.
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 4:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nuthin2It wrote:
You might also find the parts to have a threaded end on the pipe that goes into the tank then screw a fitting on that to seal the o-ring. Either way, this actually works better for the drain end because the elbow can rotate to level the drain pipe. If I were to do it again, I would use an o-ring on both ends..


Great points Nuthin2It. I had assumed an o-ring wouldn't work because of the curvature of the cap/pipe, but you've given me some good ideas. Articulating ports are definitely best if they can be sealed. However, static ports glued over a hole are cheap and would work (and are easiest). I'll need to go price out cost vs fx.
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 28, 2014 6:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thinking back, I probably flattened the inside of the end cap around the hole with a large Forstner bit so the o-ring would seat. Because Forstner bits are rather expensive and should be used with a drill press, it would be much easier to find a flat end cap. Or, if you know someone into woodworking, they probably have the tools.

Earlier I made a comment about a charge at Lassen Volcanic NP for dumping gray water. In our month-long trip last May from Georgia to the California Coast and back, this was the only place that charged a fee for wastewater disposal. All other campgrounds that had wastewater disposal did not charge a fee; i.e., each camper paid for it in their camping fee, whether they used it or not. This may change in the future, but at this point one shouldn't expect to have to pay extra to dispose of gray water.
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PostPosted: Fri May 07, 2021 8:12 am    Post subject: Re: Cheap DIY grey water tank Reply with quote

I’m on my second try for this style of gray water tank. I made a very nice one years ago, but I never got it to drain. The drain line would vacuum lock. I sold that van and tossed the tank. Well, I’d like to have a gray water tank for a couple of trips this summer. Space will be at a premium and I’d like to have an integrated system rather than a detached container (I’ve successfully done this several times).

I’ve made another gray water tank, but I’m back to the same draining issue. I’m using the stock plumbing and a 3/4” id poly tube connected to the threaded drain under the van. It creates another p-trap under the van and locks water in the drain pipe/sink. I’d prefer to not replace all of the sink drain line. I’m thinking I might need a vent near the top of the sink drain?

I’m not a plumbing (or physics apparently) expert. Would a teed line to a cheater vent help? My design is very similar to Presslab’s with a vent on the gray water tank. The line locks even with the tank drain wide open, so it’s not a tank issue.
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 4:36 am    Post subject: Re: Cheap DIY grey water tank Reply with quote

hansh wrote:
I’m on my second try for this style of gray water tank. I made a very nice one years ago, but I never got it to drain. The drain line would vacuum lock. I sold that van and tossed the tank. Well, I’d like to have a gray water tank for a couple of trips this summer. Space will be at a premium and I’d like to have an integrated system rather than a detached container (I’ve successfully done this several times).

I’ve made another gray water tank, but I’m back to the same draining issue. I’m using the stock plumbing and a 3/4” id poly tube connected to the threaded drain under the van. It creates another p-trap under the van and locks water in the drain pipe/sink. I’d prefer to not replace all of the sink drain line. I’m thinking I might need a vent near the top of the sink drain?

I’m not a plumbing (or physics apparently) expert. Would a teed line to a cheater vent help? My design is very similar to Presslab’s with a vent on the gray water tank. The line locks even with the tank drain wide open, so it’s not a tank issue.


I believe the "cheater vent" would not work as it wont displace air on fill up
To vent this properly I would suggest running a line from top of tank to perhaps the rear pillar and having the vent at least as high as the bottom of the corresponding sink
That way the sink could not overflow
If you decided to go a little higher that would help to inform you when the tank is full (as all of the basin water would not drain)
Your issue may have more to do with the size of your vent
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 07, 2021 11:28 am    Post subject: Re: Cheap DIY grey water tank Reply with quote

Here's my take on a cheap grey water tank.

My little cabinet works great for my needs, but I had a 2.5 gal. jug in there for grey water. It took up a ton of the very limited space available.

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I bought one of these Water Bricks for $20. (They also had tan, which would have matched better, but they were $35.)

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It holds 3.5 gallons, so slightly less than the 4.1 gallon OEM grey tank, but more than my old jug.

It has those two holes through it (for stacking/strength purposes, I'm guessing.) I used two pieces of a $3 threaded rod and $5 worth of hardware from Home Depot to mount it. This did require drilling 1/2" holes through the floor. I could have put cleats and straps along the frame, but thought this would look cleaner. Ironic that I'm going for a clean look when it's surrounded by dirt and rust...

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The washers I got were a little small, so I wrapped them in Gorilla tape to pad them against the inside walls of the tank. They fit snugly.

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Drilled a hole through the floor into the top of the tank, ran the hose through, and that's that.

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It works and didn't cost much. I might add a piece of ABS to the front and bottom for protection, but the tank seems pretty durable by itself. And if I break it, it'll cost me another $20 and about ten minutes for installation.

In the pictures, it might look like it hangs down low, but it's well above the skid bars. It's barely noticeable from the side.

I might add a spigot to the back for easy draining.
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 28, 2021 1:23 pm    Post subject: Re: Cheap DIY grey water tank Reply with quote

I painted it black before my trip; the blue was very noticeable and ugly. I didn't paint the back so I could continue to see the water level.

It survived 1000 miles on highways and trails around Colorado last week, so I think it's a keeper.

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Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

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