I'm getting on quite well with sorting out my Aztec, ready for the Maiden Voyage ...
Canvas is back from having door zip replaced, and Son has said he will help me put it back on tomorrow evening. I've re-varnished the plywood, checked gas, electrics inside and out, handbrake and tyres.
I've replaced the gas hose as I thought it could do with renewing, being dated 1988!! This alerted me to make a closer inspection of what I had first thought was brown water inlet hose, but turned out to have originally been clear hose!! Nice, clean, new blue hose is now in place!
I then got the creeps about the tap, Whale tip-toe foot pump and inlet, so I've removed them all, given them a good scrub, and they are now soaking overnight in Puriclean.
That should then all be fit for purpose!
What I can't work out is how the waste water outlet pipe works ... I've removed ready to replace, a short piece do 1" from sink plug to what looks like a hole at the back of the sink unit. Within the cupboards there was a larger diameter pipe going straight through the floor to outside. I think the small piece went inside the larger one, but it was all filthy and very hit-and-miss.
Having bought a 2 metre piece of pipe, and fitted it through the holes, I now find that for it to be long enough for the top cupboard to fold off for packing down, it's too long when put back up, so wouldn't drain the water!
Does anyone know how this is supposed to work, please??
Hi,
the origional setup for waste is correct.... the idea being that when the sink is in place the 'short' pipe sits inside the larger 'fixed' pipe to send waste water out side.... not a particularly good idea to my mind..:)
when you put the sink back in place with the 'new ' longer piper will it not 'pull' through from out side?
it has to go into a container any way to safely dispose of waste later .
regards the 'fresh water',
most only use this for washing, washing up etc, and have bottled water for drinking, coffe, tea etc... there has been a lot of discussion here about 'contaminated fresh water with bad taste etc from containers.... also at some sites the tap has been found to be used for drinking by dogs, children etc and some have even found people washing the porta loo there :( .
so use bottle water for drinking.
We use camper water for boiling as well as washing etc. Just use botled for direct drinking
As far as waste is concerned you need to recreate the original set up I would suggest, and as above you will need a waste container. Some sites you simply throw grey water in hedgerows etc others you have to dispose of elsewhere
For sites/pitches with good drainage you could always leave the second cap on the drain container slightly undone and magically you never need to empty your grey waste until last day ;)
Quote: Originally posted by ferrodo on 05/9/2012I 've always disposed of it down the chemical toilet emptying place.......isn't this right??
site owners don't like you doing this as it fills the elsan point up quicker,and needs to be emptied more often, the site owner has to pay for this, we always empty in hedge bottom.
------------- Exercise every day and Die Healthy....
I wasn't - our grey water is effectively clean water in that it won't have waste products in it and any bits/lumps etc that do go down kitchen sink will remain in the wate container anyway and I clean and empty this in appropriate area for the site on last day
You should ask each site where they want your grey waste - many say in the hedegrows especially on CL's
Clearly we aren't talking toilet waste here in case some are confused!
I too always ask wardens about where grey water is supposed to be emptied.There can be no better policy.
If for example I've washed some fruit then I would be comfortable disposing of that water on the pitch.
But pretty much everything else, to me, is grey, whether it has bits in or not, and therefore, in my view, should never be disposed of on the pitch unless that's what the warden has said to do (which I have never come across, but then I don't use CLs). If I've drained pasta, say, or brushed my teeth, that to me is grey and needs to go in a drain.
That way I hope to leave the pitch as I would expect to find it.
I'm not sure about dumping grey waste in the hedge. Surely all thoses bits and pieces of food, grease and whatnot will be sitting there waiting for some one to unfold their tent on top of it. Then theres the waste trolleys that you can buy now, you know the type, the ones where you can also fit your loo cassett to. I thought that was to be able to empty both down the Chemical disposal at the same time. Still I think the idea of asking the site owner is the best way. Just can't get my head around camping pitches being possibly contamianted with grey waste.
F
------------- No matter where you go....there you are
Guess it depends on what you out down your sink ;)
Many CL's we have been to so far have all said waste water in hedge and indeed again recently on both sites abroad. the vast content of waste water is water and providing you aren;t putting chemical etc in it the hedge will probably be much healthier from it
I would never put any grease, fat, oil etc down my Pathfinder sink in first place and as I said it would only be on sandy well draining pitches would I leave cap open slightly. Several caravanners have passed this tip onto me !
I have to say that if I saw someone ditching grey water on a pitch then I would have no hesitation in reporting them to the site owners.
Apart from the unsociable aspects of this there are also health hazards to consider as well as attracting vermin to the site.
I have never been on a site where there isn't a drain at the very least. I always empty my grey water into the drain where I top up my fresh water, or at the nearest rainwater drain, it doesn't take much effort to walk it a few yards, to be honest.
I would hate to think that the equipment that I have purcahased, which is never cheap, is being stored on someone elses washing up/washing water - disgusting!
A question - would you empty your sink waste on your lawn at home, then allow your children to play in the same area; store expensive garden furniture in the same place? (I think I know tha answer)
Waste water, is exactly what it is called - waste - and should be treated as such, don't be lazy, be considerate to other site users and try not to attract vermin to the site - throw it down the nearest drain.
------------- Give a man a fish and he'll feed his family for a day.
Teach a man to fish and he'll sit around on a boat all day drinking beer!
Have just returned from a campsite in Northumberland where we were asked to put the grey water down the elsan point. I didn't consider the cost to the site owner, they were obviously happy with it. What I was concerned about was the risk of cross contamination from waste to grey water tank then to the water system in the fc. Maybe that's just my paranoia cost I'm a nurse, part of my job being infection control!
Most campsites I have been on there has been a 'grey waste' disposal area. However we went to one in June where they specifically asked you to pour your grey waste into the hedges, flower beds and around the trees. I did think Yuk! but did as I was asked.
If you have only say....washed fruit or something I don't see the problem. But a whole grey waste container, maybe with food bits in, as you cant help it sometimes makes me feel sick. Thinking of the flies it may attract etc. and possibly vermin and not smell too good either.
Lol at some of the replies, sorry! It's dirty water folks, no bits, no pitch contamination or mutant hedges. Those who use sinks for other waste may not be able to do same
Hmmm, Just googled 'grey waste water and contamination' if you think it's just dirty water with no bacteria in it, I'm afraid you're wrong. Shower and bath water yes but not kitchen sink water
From my folding caravan trips, I did ask what to do the the waste water, and stuck to the rules!
I have a clear water pipe with blue thing on the end for holding on tap but I hold it near to the water tap to fill up my fresh container, making sure the tap doesn't touch the blue thing. I get only slightly more damp than I did before I got the pipe and was trying to fill from a spraying tap!
Thank you for all your replies!
What I have done to sort out the waste pipe problem, as I couldn't keep dragging it back and forth through the various holes in the kitchen cupboard, is to cut the pipe!
After discussing the issue at length with my local caravan shop, I've put a white reducer type of plastic joining thing with black rubber seals on each end of the pipes and reducer. This means that I can leave one reducer end sticking out and join the other end on each time I set the kitchen cupboard up, pulling it off when I take the cupboard down ... I can then have a small container to hand for any little dribbles.
I've put a plastic Outlet next to the Inlet on the outside of the camper and again joined the pipe on with a black rubber seal.
This is now a much more neat, tidy and hygienic unit!
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