Gray water by-pass?

I have not yet used the gray by-pass on the sani-con system.  I would like to give it a try on our next trip.  Our gray tank is very small on the PC2350- 23 gallons.  We usually dump the gray tank every other day.

Does this sound like the right way to set it up?  First the sani-con hose goes into the septic hookup and then the electric gray valve is opened and left in that position until you no longer want to leave the gray bypass set up.  Once the valve is opened, the blinking light on the switch tells you the valve is open.  Is it okay to have the valve switch blinking for days on end?  Will it burn out or otherwise harm the switch unit?  Since I have been unsure of this, we haven't used the gray by-pass.

What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of using the gray by-pass?
Thanks- Roni

um, i'm not sure quite whqt the grey by-pass is.  methinks i am just lost in word definition land.  my grey and black tanks have what sounds like the same electric valves.  i thought these were the only valves which held the floods in abeyance.  (open my valves & stand back or wear two tone wingtips)  are these two valves what you call the by-pass?

if so, i don open my grey 'til the black has been opened, drained & then closed.  I use the grey water to flush the black out, leaving stinky hose squeaky clean (in my dreams)

I don't need any more dribbling tanks in my life (see billy's bad aim campfyre...)

I like to flush like a racehorse

kevin

My understanding was that if the gray valve is left open (and the hose in the ground) the gray tank, once it hits a cetain level in the tank, will drain slowly on it's own (without the sani-con pump).

Maybe this isn't correct?

My understanding was that if the gray valve is left open (and the hose in the ground) the gray tank, once it hits a cetain level in the tank, will drain slowly on it's own (without the sani-con pump).

Maybe this isn't correct?

This is my experience also, there is a 1/2 inch tube that bypasses the sani-con  and the level in the gray tank needs to be high enough to force it's way through the bypass tube.  It works well for extended stays with sewer hook up.  You can see the bypass tube on the sani-con, it is a clear 1/2 inch tube.

Bobander,
Thanks for your response.  When the gray valve is electronically opened, will the blinking light on the valve switch keep blinking and will it harm the light or switch itself?
Thanks- Roni

me again, I reread your post & am now also in better understanding.  When I drain, I open a valve and wait - listening as the fluid rattles & chortles to the sanicon, maceration thingy.  Then, I turn on the grinder widget, letting it run until the hose does a dance of constriction - expansion. After I open the grey water and the water gets to the pumper, I have waited, as I am also curious on its workings, to listen for drainage sounds.  If it does get past the macerator, I haven't heard much sound - until I flip the switch, hose dances and fluid flows out hose end.  I peeked under the skirts
  and I do have a sewer outlet for large size stinky slinky attachment for when pump use not desired (or working)

Maybe you could hook that up and then open black then gray valves as needed.  I don know, it just seems henky - to me - to leave valves open & allow the s l o w draining of the tanks.  I like those suckers to flush down and out - go away....far away.
kevin

You could also equalize your grey and black tanks several times and then dump less often.  Read up on it in the san-con literatrue that came with your motor home.  I tried this twice at the Louisville Good Sam rally since my 2551 also has a 23 gallon grey tank.  We were dry camping with no way to dump and with two of us using the shower we filled up the grey tank in about one day.  It worked great.  When we got home I dumped both my tanks as usual.  Neither one was full.  We probably could have gone one more day dry camping.  I have not  used the motor home yet in an RV park with full hook up.  I understand you can continuously drain the grey tank but have no experience with it.

Dick

Bobander,
Thanks for your response.  When the gray valve is electronically opened, will the blinking light on the valve switch keep blinking and will it harm the light or switch itself?
Thanks- Roni

Roni,
Yes, the light will continue to blink while the valve is left open, and it will not harm the light or switch.

If you just let the gray water drain as you let water into it, you'll have nothing to flush the black tank and hose with.
If I stay at a CG for one night, I Use the Sani-Con. If more than that I use the 3" valved (the valve is convenient but not required) dump line.
But I still flush the 3" hose/Sani-Con & hose with gray water.

If you just let the gray water drain as you let water into it, you'll have nothing to flush the black tank and hose with.

You are right, I will stop using the grey water bypass when I anticipate the need to dump the black water tank so that I have enough grey water to flush the system after dumping the black water tank.

Good move. You'll be happy you did.

A few more questions on the bypass tube and the sani-con unit-

Have you actually used this option of the gray bypass and were you happy?  I do not want to use a regular sewer hose and the non electric hookup.  I do have a regular sewer hose in case of emergencies, but hope to never use it.  I like using the sani-con electronic valve system and would like to try the gray bypass option on longer stays.  I'd really like to hear from folks that use this often on trips.
 
It sounds like the gray water level needs to be high enough to get the water to pass through the bypass tube.  Do you know what the monitor will read at that point?

Also, if the level is high and the bypass tube slowly lets the gray water drain, will taking a shower cause it to overflow into the RV?  In other words, faster coming in and slower going out- will it cause  a problem?

Thanks- Roni



 

A few more questions on the bypass tube and the sani-con unit-
 
It sounds like the gray water level needs to be high enough to get the water to pass through the bypass tube.  Do you know what the monitor will read at that point?

Also, if the level is high and the bypass tube slowly lets the gray water drain, will taking a shower cause it to overflow into the RV?  In other words, faster coming in and slower going out- will it cause  a problem?

Thanks- Roni

I tried leaving the grey open ONCE, and the monitor read FULL ... I had the same concerns as you about it draining too slowly and I have chosen not to ever camp with the grey open.  I just pump out some grey during extended stays.

Not the answer you were looking for ... hopefully someone else has better experiences

BC

We too have a 2350 with the gray tank being the smaller 23 gallon one.  Given we almost exclusively dry camp, the gray tank always fills long before we run out of fresh water.  To buy time, (per Phoenix USA instruction) I flood the gray water into the black tank by first opening the gray tank valve, then the black tank valve, wait for the gurggling sounds to quiet down, then close the black valve, and finally the gray valve.  I usually do this once between every fresh water fill-up, so it is done very frequently during trips.  If getting very close to empty with the fresh water tank, sometimes I have to do it twice before dumping.  It is no big deal.  Only an inconvenience.

Given we don't do #2 in the bathroom, without fecal matter to be concerned about, I am tempted to keep both valves open all the time, but worry that if sewage ever did back up into the shower pan for any reason, it would be contaminated with urine.  It does seem a remote possibility which has me tempted.  Also, I think some rigs of other brand motor homes, have the shower pan dumping into the black tank.

I continue to be dazzled by the degree of thought that goes into using your RV by so many people. I just wait until I need to get rid of black or gray water and flip on my macerator pump in the proper sequence and send it to the drain.  I takes no more than 5 minutes to do this, 10 at the most, and I find it much nicer than dealing with the old 3" gravity flow hoses.  They are MESSY.

By the way, Ron, I always like your descriptions of waste management in your unit.  Other than some sort of innate distaste of bodily excretions, why would you worry about urine contamination of your shower.  Ever swim in a public pool?  Think those little kids hesitate about urinating in them?  Also, urine is essentially sterile until it picks up a few germs on the way out of the body.  Believe it or not, millions of strange people world wide drink their own urine thinking it will keep them healthy.  I'd worry more about some of the smelly, bad tasting fresh water that is available at many campgrounds as potable water.

Jerry