Alternative grey water dumping?

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Alternative grey water dumping?

November 23, 2018, 02:03:26 am

So I saw somewhere on the internet the suggestion to put a small valve in the grey water line. They suggested this be opened when driving for a couple of hours so a very fast drip of water exits, being spread over a couple hundred miles and thus emptying the grey water tank. This was NOT recommended for black water, only grey.

What do you think? Genius or reprehensible? When tent or car camping, we always dumped dish water on the ground at the edges of the camp site. Would spreading a small stream of grey water along the road be an issue? I'm not sure. $:-\$

(I don't plan on doing this, but it piqued my interest)

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #1 – November 23, 2018, 02:30:38 am

It’s most likely a violation of a few dozen local, state and Federal laws
Gray water isn’t clean or sanitary, many times it can be a health hazard equal to the black.
Gray water has a wide range of material that is sourced from the sinks and shower.
It can get very ripe and full of assorted bacteria.

Larry

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #2 – November 23, 2018, 07:23:41 am

It is illegal, according to the Clean Water Act of 1972. Dumping of water anywhere other than an approved waste water system is illegal. It is illegal to wash your vehicle and dump the water directly to the ground or to your storm sewer. Even if your grey water doesn't have biological contaminants soap and detergent residue is also detrimental to our surface water and can infiltrate to our ground water.

Summary of the Clean Water Act | Laws & Regulations | US EPA

Please don't consider this as an alternative to proper disposal.

tlbh2o

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #3 – November 23, 2018, 10:26:19 am

While there are places, e.g., a few desert areas, where grey water can be dispersed on the ground legally, a roadway is not one of them. Also, disposing of a small amount of dishwater in the bushes, although not a good practice, is hardly the same as dumping 30 or more gallons of grey water onto the road or any other location except a sewer or septic system. As Larry stated, grey water can harbor all sorts of stuff, and a poorly-maintained grey tank can scum up and stink worse than a poorly-maintained black tank.

If you've ever walked by a grey water dump in a campground and seen (and smelled) the assorted "particles" caught in the mesh screen, or seen the messes made under a common campground spigot from people washing dishes and pots and pans (or themselves, their kids, their dogs, their clothes, and/or brushing their teeth, cleaning fish....), or seen "effluent" from a wash bucket or pan dumped under a bush (and, hopefully, you see this before the dog does), you realize that grey water can be really nasty.

It's not at all difficult to maintain a grey tank; here are a few simple tips (that many RVers do):

Use stainless steel mesh strainers in the sinks, shower, and washbowl. These will trap food particles, hair, and whatever else and keep the stuff out of the grey tank. The little strainers are cheap, readily available, and easy to clean; just knock out any particles into the trash can. (And periodically scrub the strainers with a toothbrush.) One source (among many.)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DANCO-2-1-2-in-Stainless-Steel-Mesh-Strainer-88820/100164331?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal2_rr-_-206850101-_-100164331-_-N

Wipe out pots and pans with a wad of paper towels before washing; do the same with plates and dishes. "Pre-wipe" keeps a lot of crud from getting into the grey tank.

Obviously, *never* dump grease or oils down the drains. Put grease into a can, or an aluminum foil-lined paper cup, or even just a "cup" of foil and put it in the trash.

Flush the grey tank after dumping.

Many people use no tank additives, but many use a bacteria/enzyme product, e.g., EcoSave, Pure Power, or Digest It, in the black and grey tanks. (Don't use products containing formaldehyde.)

As always, YMMV.

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #4 – November 23, 2018, 12:50:30 pm

"...many use a bacteria/enzyme product, e.g., EcoSave,..."

That would be me! Works as well in the grey tank as it does in the black tank.

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #5 – November 23, 2018, 02:42:03 pm

Strainer on Amazon.
Amazon.com: DANCO Bathroom Lavatory Mesh Strainer, Stainless Steel, 2-1/2...

Thanks Joan, I ordered one.

As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #6 – November 23, 2018, 03:35:32 pm

"While there are places, e.g., a few desert areas, where grey water can be dispersed on the ground legally..."

Perhaps this is no longer the policy, however, years ago in a particular Forest Service Campground I was told by the Campground Host that it was okay to dump my grey tank on the ground, that it would soak into the gravely soil and not harm the nearby river! Needless to say I was somewhat skeptical. Not to say I have not done it but only in remote boondock locations.

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #7 – November 23, 2018, 05:21:02 pm

I tend to order/buy/carry multiples of small items like mesh sink strainers, stove grate grommets, lug nut extenders/ acorn caps, 1/16” thick nylon washers, tubes of 5200 Fast Cure, Alligator valve caps, oil and air filters, dump fittings/hoses, water pump, and several other things I can’t think of without checking the compartments and “supply” drawer. Carrying spare parts, particularly of items or equipment that would be difficult or inconvenient to find or replace when needed immediately, can save a lot of hassle. 😉

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #8 – November 23, 2018, 05:57:33 pm

Quote from: Lazy Bones - November 23, 2018, 12:50:30 pm

"...many use a bacteria/enzyme product, e.g., EcoSave,..."

That would be me! Works as well in the grey tank as it does in the black tank.

LindaB, since you seem new to the board and maybe to RVing, there is a reason not to use formaldehyde products in the tanks. While it kills odors, it can also kill the bacteria needed to keep the sewage treatment plant into which you dump running.

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #9 – November 23, 2018, 06:33:42 pm

Quote from: Joan - November 23, 2018, 05:21:02 pm

I tend to order/buy/carry multiples of small items like mesh sink strainers, stove grate grommets, lug nut extenders/ acorn caps, 1/16” thick nylon washers, tubes of 5200 Fast Cure, Alligator valve caps, oil and air filters, dump fittings/hoses, water pump, and several other things I can’t think of without checking the compartments and “supply” drawer. Carrying spare parts, particularly of items or equipment that would be difficult or inconvenient to find or replace when needed immediately, can save a lot of hassle. 😉

And this is one reason we always like to camp near Joan...

Steve

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #10 – November 23, 2018, 07:10:34 pm

Those sink strainers are on my LD wish list on Amazon along with a lot of other suggested items I will be buying when I get my LD.

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #11 – November 24, 2018, 09:20:47 pm

"Wipe out pots and pans with a wad of paper towels before washing; do the same with plates and dishes."

Right. For what it's worth, here's what I do: I buy "Select-A-Size" paper towels--the ones with the half-sized sheets. At mealtime, I take a sheet and fold it in half to use as a napkin. Immediately after eating, before the food has time to dry, I use that same paper towel to wipe the plate or bowl as clean as I can get it. I wash it soon after that, so water and detergent use are minimal. I rinse with water from the quart jug that I use to capture the water when running the shower to get it hot.

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #12 – November 25, 2018, 06:51:36 am

The grey tank is more like that dishwater from tent camping, saved each time and getting pretty nasty over day’s as it breaks down and grows stuff.. Any efforts to keep food bits out of the grey tank helps. I love the sink strainers - while they don’t catch everything they help a lot.

I took a traffic school course years (ok decades) ago and while I forget which state it was in (CA I think) I remember it was illegal to dump water or ice out of the car. We likely have all done this - tossed out the window the remnants of that drink we finished - but you could get a ticket for it.
The only thing alllowed was chicken feathers (from chickens being transported). Guess who lobbied for that law

.

I have read some places allow grey water dumping on the ground and a hose outlet helps do this but one would have to check at each location. And like others have said it can smell bad.

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #13 – November 25, 2018, 08:50:55 am

I'll buck the tide here a bit and say I don't think grey water is as bad as advertised. My first home in Idaho was a one room cabin with no phone, electricity, indoor plumbing or running water. We had no well and I hauled water from a nearby Creek for household use and watering a pretty big garden. Needless to say we tried to use our water very efficiently and we ran our grey water from the kitchen sink into a fifty gallon drum down the hill a bit from our cabin. From there we bucketed it out to water the garden with. We were careful about using any harsh chemicals like cleaning products and used biodegradable dish soap which you could also do in an RV. The garden did great with this and I never noticed any bad smells. The sun works it's magic very well on bacteria that may be present. Later in life when we started camping first with a van and then with a slide in camper that had very small holding tanks I would empty the grey tank into a container and take it far from our boondock campsite where I watered trees bushes and cactus. Don't feel I did any harm here but others may differ on that.

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #14 – November 25, 2018, 10:48:07 am

The factor that I never see mentioned in these grey water discussions is the depth of the water table. I would think that dumping grey water in Florida vs in the desert where the water table is typically several feet underground are completely different scenarios.

Any hydrologists on board?

Steve

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #15 – November 25, 2018, 12:58:22 pm

Our VW Camper kitchen sink drained out directly under the bus when you pulled the drain stopper in the bottom of the sink. All of the VW campers we had did this, no holding tank for gray water. We have not owned a newer model since the mid-eighties models, I don't know how the newer ones drain but my guess it's the same way.

Karen~Liam
98 ~ MB
NinA

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #16 – November 25, 2018, 01:39:10 pm

"We have not owned a newer model since the mid-eighties models, I don't know how the newer ones drain but my guess it's the same way."

Our 1978 Volkswagen Campmobile and the 1987 Volkswagen Westfalia that replaced it were the same for grey water. We used a three-pound plastic coffee can to catch the outflow if we were camped where the ground could not easily absorb the outflow.

I guess it was a different time. We acquired our first Lazy Daze (what luxury!!!) in 1991, and the problem was solved.

   Virtual hugs,

   Judie <-- Sierra Vista, Arizona
   Adventures of Dorrie Anne | Photographing the West

   Today: Sandwich Buns with Quinoa
   ************************************

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #17 – November 25, 2018, 02:04:21 pm

We used a white plastic tub the fit tightly into the sink so the water rarely went down the drain. When we grew out family to four with the second boy we found the VW a little tight. When we added the 84 itaska 21' to our fleet that same white plastic tub moved with us but now we had a 12 gallon tank, what luxury! But old habits don't die easily, we still conserve water like we are in the VW...

   Karen~Liam
   98 ~ MB
   NinA

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #18 – November 25, 2018, 06:04:28 pm

The BLM guy at Quartzsite told a group of us that it was ok to empty gray water on the bushes and trees there as long as it didn't go through you gray water system. In other words no on dumping your gray water holding tank and yes on dumping of your sink dish water container. That's what I did when I had a vw camper. It just drained through to a bucket under the rig.
Dave 04 PleasureWay TD

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #19 – November 25, 2018, 08:44:54 pm

"...it was ok to empty gray water on the bushes and trees..."

What the

?

Reminds me of a campground in Connecticut that advertised "Full Hookups" when the reality of the situation was that they did not allow you to dump your black tank, only the gray. Go figure!

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #20 – November 26, 2018, 08:27:52 am

We have been camping for a lifetime in tents, pop-ups, and now the LD, we all disposed of grey water as many of you have described. But we have learned that this type of disposal can have long term effects that we never anticipated. When the theory was cure pollution with dilution we didn't know the long term effects of what we were doing. We know better now. Even if the water table is deep the things we dump on the ground will migrate down to that layer.
In Michigan we know that all our waters are interconnected and need protection. We are working hard to separate storm sewers from sanitary sewers to eliminate overflows from sanitary systems to our waterways. To trace all runoff and secure our clean water. We are struggling with the fallout from industrial dumping of PFAS, PCB's and many other harmful chemicals.

I will be as mindful and careful of our natural resources as possible, even if its only a few gallons of soapy dish water. I like the ability to control where I dump my effluent that the LD gives us.

Stepping down from the "Soap Box" now.

Re: Alternative grey water dumping?

Reply #21 – November 26, 2018, 08:56:16 am

Quote from: dreed917 - November 25, 2018, 06:04:28 pm

The BLM guy at Quartzsite told a group of us that it was ok to empty gray water on the bushes and trees there as long as it didn't go through you gray water system. In other words no on dumping your gray water holding tank and yes on dumping of your sink dish water container. That's what I did when I had a vw camper. It just drained through to a bucket under the rig.
Dave 04 PleasureWay TD

Quartzite is so heavily used I'm amazed they allowed that but it probably does green up the desert around campsites.

I think a person has to use some common sense when dumping grey water tanks and only do so where you are far from streams and far from a campsite. If you use biodegradable soap in sink and shower I just can't see any environmental damage resulting from it.
Think about septic tanks where leech lines spread all household waste across lots of ground and even that is allowed. My current home has a cess pool that I built myself because septic tank cost are so exorbitant. I dug a big hole with my backhoe and built what amounts to a small log cabin with a dirt floor down in it with used railroad ties and then buried it. All our household waste goes into that but we are careful to avoid any harsh chemicals that might contaminate ground water. Our drinking water comes from a spring up the hill behind us and there are six other springs on our land so that's the last thing I want to do. I don't think cess pools are allowed any more in some parts of the country but I live in a county with an owner builder exemption clause. We can do anything with no regulations or inspections if we build our own home with no contractor, have at least five acres, are a hundred feet or more from a public road and can't be seen by traffic on that road or by any neighbor. One of the reasons I retired here.

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